Meymand village, the global rocky village of Iran

Meymand village in Kerman province is one of the first human settlements in Iran and one of the world’s rocky settlements where still life is flowing in its veins. This village is several thousand years old and is located 38 km northeast of Babak city, between the cities of Babak, Sirjan, and Rafsanjan.

Meymand Rocky Village is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The village is also the seventh cultural-natural landscape in the world to receive the Mercury prize. The award is presented by the Greek government in collaboration with international cultural associations such as UNESCO and ICOMOS in works that have unique cultural, natural, and historical conditions.

Meymand village introduction

The historical village of Meymand has undergone little physical and social changes due to its strong defenses throughout history. In this village, houses are not created by stacking stones and bricks, and people did not need bricks and mortar. Rather, they had to build their houses by destroying the soil masses.

In these houses, for each room, a ledge of different sizes has been installed for the place of beds, dishes, boxes, lights.

There is no closet next to the walls of Meymand’s houses. Instead, by digging a wall and creating a hole or niche, the equipment was placed there or hung. An entire house may contain one or more rooms and stables called a “kiche”. Separating the room from the closet or covering some of the shelves are done by fabric curtains.

The keyholder is mounted on the wall next to the door, the key is placed in it so that the tab is behind the door. Flooring is mostly felt, carpet, or rug that comes in different sizes.

The heat exchange in the rocky houses of Meymand has made these houses cool in summer and warm in winter. The village has 406 kiches and the largest kiche does not exceed 90 square meters.

Meymand’s charms

One of the attractions of Meymand is its bathroom. The bath in Meymand is carved in the heart of the stone and it is in the form of traditional baths. The building is located along the river, and because the river provided water for the bath in the past, the bath is located at the lowest altitude.

School and mosque

The old and rocky school of Meymand village was built according to the plan of the residential units. The deeper we go from the entrance of the kiche, the wider the classroom gets. In front of the school alley, there is a large yard and inside it, there is a tree called “Tai”.

Meymand Mosque is another historical sight of this village. This mosque has an area of about 120 square meters and its shape is round and irregular. The roof of the mosque is built on three stone pillars that are two meters high.

The mihrab (altar) of the mosque is carved in stone and its height is about 1 meter. In this mosque, niches, mihrab, and a pulpit are made from stone. The floor of the mosque does not have paving and is covered with handmade Meymandi carpets. This mosque has no holes for lighting and its light is provided through the entrance of the mosque.

Tell us in comment with whom do you want to spend your day at Meymand.