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Meymand village Represents Ancient Lifestyle

Meymand Village, incredible village with its rocky arms that has come to existence in the heart of a mountain.
Reading Time: 5 minutes

Introduction to Meymand Village

There are several incredible villages in Persia that because of a spectacular, unique characteristics have become popular among the visitors and attracts so many people from all over the world. And like Isfahan, Gilan, and Eastern Azerbaijan, Kerman holds one of the most magnificent villages with its rocky arms. The village that has come to existence in the heart of a mountain; The Meymand Village. After many years of human habitation in caves, and by the formation of skyscrapers, buildings and modern villas, the imagination of living in caves, where our ancestors lived, has become a dream. But that would be enough just to turn your way to Kerman province and see the unique village of Meymand, which has been a shelter for humans in the heart of the mountains for many years.

There are different opinions about the meaning of Meymand. Some have taken “Mey” meaning wine and “Mand” to mean drunkenness and “drunk” in ancient Persia. Meymand is considered as the city which belongs to gods. It is also known as the village of Dastkand (dug by Hands) due to the many rocks that have been dug up by humans.

A legendary inscription has been discovered in Meymand that tells:

When the mountains of Meymand split and the myths of Meymand come true, the treasure of Meymand will emerge and only one person can achieve it, the one who comes from the sun.

History of Meymand Village

Before the cities were formed one by one in our land, people would gather in small communities and each of these settlements had a specific shape and was a place to form a community. No one is sure when exactly the Meymand village was constructed. Some link the date of constructing to pre-Islamic and medieval times and some link it to the Mithraism. The rocky architecture had been a crystallization of Mithraism because, in this ritual, immortality and invincibility were considered a very important element, according to which the top of the mountains were praised in this ritual due to their strength and stability.  The pottery discovered from this village belongs to the second and third dynasties of Persian Empire, which dates back to more than three thousand years ago and the ancient lithographs and paintings of hunting on the rocks, dates back to ten thousand years ago. Who knows, maybe the antiquity of the rocky village of Meymand can be attributed to the same time!

The interesting thing about this village is the defensive fortifications of this region, which has made Meymand safe from serious attacks by the enemies throughout history, and as a result, less social and cultural developments have taken place in it.

Meymand Architecture

The village is similar in appearance to Cappadocia in Turkey. Unlike Cappadocia, which was abandoned by its inhabitants, Meymand is still inhabited. In other words, life has not yet lost in Meymand, also a school, a mosque, a Hussainiyah and a bath have been built in the heart of the mountain. The holes in the heart of the mountain, which is home to many people, and the “Kiches” that line the rooms from the inside, subconsciously take man to the world of our ancestors in caves and their way of life.

Maymand Village as a UNESCO World Heritage

This village and the houses are so amazing that even the UNESCO World Heritage List has included it in its list as the “prominent example of human-environmental interaction or a representative of a culture” in 2015.

UNESCO World Heritage Criteria

Criteria (v): This small self-sufficient village is located in the Great Valley and features a summer-winter, traditional and three-phase system. The unusual thing about this village is that it is a winter cave, despite its location in a dry desert environment. The village shows a system of life that was once very popular. In this system, instead of domestic animals being migrated, the people migrated and settled in three different places also one of them is cave house.

Meymand and Mercury Award

Residents of the multi-thousand-year rocky village of Meymand has been awarded the Mercury Award as the seventh cultural, natural and historical landscape in the world, because it has special customs and still maintains the traditional relationships of life like in the language and accent, Sassanian and Pahlavi words are still used in such a way that after centuries, the interaction of man and nature is till touchable. Meymand people are busy with animal husbandry and agriculture.

Location of Meymand

Meymand village is located 38 km northeast of Shahrebabak in west of Kerman province and in a shallow valley in a mountainous area which by visiting this village, you’ll be able to visit attractions like Rageh Canyon, Gioudri River, Twin Iceboxes of Sirjan, Chopoghi Windcatcher, the Garden of Stones and Haj Agha Ali House (which is the largest brick house in the world) that are not far from Meymand village.

Where to eat near Meymand

The traditional Dastkand Sangi restaurant is located in the historic village of Meymand that the dining room is consisted of several cave-shaped rooms. Some of which have tables and chairs made of wood. Also it should be noted that only local food is served at this restaurant like Ghorme, Kal-Joosh and drinking Chamomile Tea in the stone café which will surely cheer you up.

Where to stay near Meymand

Kerman Tourism Hotel (Jahan gardi Hotel) is located in the western part of Kerman city and is one of the best hotels of this city.

Rafsanjan Tourism Guest house is also an outstanding accommodation in Kerman province that brings you comfort and calmness in a small, warm and friendly place. Also due to the hotel locating between Kerman city and Meymand recreation area, it is a very good choice for tourists but, if you want to see the historical village of Meymand, you can stay in the residential centers of Shahr-eBabak to have a rocky experience like the people of Meymand although this residence is not recommended for the elderly and children.

When to visit Meymand Village

The best time to visit Meymand is spring, but many travelers come to the village during the summer. Since the weather is pleasant and the plains around the village are green, and there are many beauties in the autumn, still the weather will be a bit dry.

How to visit Meymand

Meymand is located 240 km from Kerman on the Anar-Rafsanjan road and if you coming from Isfahan, it’s on your road.

If you are coming from Kerman, plan your departure time so that you can reach the plain, which is about 20 km from the village, to have your lunch there. You can visit the village till after the sunset and come back to Kerman. How to visit Meymand

Meymand is located 240 km from Kerman on the Anar-Rafsanjan road and if you coming from Isfahan, it’s on your road.

If you are coming from Kerman, plan your departure time so that you can reach the plain, which is about 20 km from the village, to have your lunch there. You can visit the village till after the sunset and come back to Kerman. Or, you can spend the night there in those amazing ancient rural mount-houses.

 How to get to Meymand Village

The distance of Meymand to Kerman is 220 km so it takes about 2 hours and 45 minutes to reach Meymand from Kerman by car.

You can travel to all Kerman cities by bus and neighboring provinces easily.

Kerman has no international airport so if you have to reach Meymand, you have to fly to Kerman using a domestic flight and then you can get a Taxi or bus to go to Meymand.

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