24/01/2020
Kandovan Village, a Rocky Architectural Oddity in Iran
Kandovan is an extraordinary ancient village, near the city of Tabriz, Iran. With its at least 800 years existence, this remarkable place is inhabited by 670 people and offers scenic beauty for its travelers.
With homes carved inside rocks, some of them 700 years old, the Kandovan village is said to have been partially formed by volcanic remains from a strong Mount Sahand eruptions hundreds of years ago.
The village exemplifies manmade cliff dwellings which are still inhabited. The troglodyte homes, excavated inside volcanic rocks and tuffs similar to dwellings in the Turkish region of Cappadocia, are locally called Karaan. Karaans were cut into the lahars of Mount Sahand. The cone form of the houses is the result of lahar flow consisting of porous, round and angular pumice together with other volcanic particles that were positioned in a grey, acidic matrix. After the eruption of Sahand, these materials were naturally moved and formed the rocks of Kandovan.