Travel Guide Abyaneh

Abyaneh, classified as a heritage of humanity by Unesco and built at the foot of Mount Kargas (3,899 m), remains one of the most picturesque villages in Iran, even though its resolutely tourist vocation can be deplored, resulting in a certain lack of authenticity in the high season. But its building, which has remained intact since the safavide era, is a great dive into the country's rich architectural history. Remote and isolated in the mountains, the commune has long acceded to Zoroastrism despite the conversion of the Persian Empire to Islam from the seventh century.The road that leads to it alone deserves the detour. First follow the main road towards Natanz along a semi-desert landscape, where rare vegetation is formed only by thin huffy tufts swept on the ground dried by desert winds. The eroded hills eroded gradually before imposing their mountainous, extremely plated flanks. On the horizon, the high natural wall of the Kouh-e Kargas Mountains sets out its impressive foothills.About 70 km south of Kashan, at Borz, the small road climbs to Abyaneh. Further away, beyond the valley excavated by a river from the Kargas, the remains of the ancient Sassanide fortress of Tarva (third century) appear. The turns followed and insinuated in the heart of the peeled hills. Note the underground shelters for sheep, which take place in the summer during large bats or winter at cold weather.Arriving in Abyaneh, a village nestled in a poplar valley nestled at the foot of the Kouh-e Kargas and exposed south, you will surely fall under the charm of these red earth houses built on the rock and on the terrace (the roofs of some sometimes serving as terrace to others). The layout of the site follows a natural logic - avoid flooding during river floods - and secure - protect itself from marauders incursions. Deserted by the young, Abyaneh is inhabited by elders, most often sitting on the doorstep of their door, running around the open-skinned qanat or turning back a few fagks for the greenish… Maybe they invite you home and propose some artisanal objects.At the end of the village, see the small mosque of the XIV century and its beautiful honeymoon mihrab, and the mausoleum Zeyaratgah. Enjoy the beautiful view on the mountain, on the other side of the river, where a former castle of peaks is set up as an impregnable caravansail.