Maymand village, located between Shahr-e Babak and Maymand cities, is a unique village with hand-dug houses, some of which have been constantly under use for 3,000 years. The houses have been dug out of hearths of rocks and are located amid orchards of pistachio and almond trees. Several rivers, qanats (aqueducts) and springs can be seen in Maymand village and its suburbs which have helped the region with a fruitful agriculture. But generally the landscape is arid and summers are very harsh. Winter is extremely cold. The rock houses start at a height of three metres of Khorin mountain and stretch to the flat plain of Khatoonabad.
Some houses are used during the summer are called 'Kapar' which are small wooden rooms with low celings. In these Kapars, a stream of cold air is always flowing. Another architectural style which is called 'Gonbeh' is a circled stoned wall houses with a wooden conical roof which has been covered by soil and mud. 'Inside the Gonbeh is warmer than Kapar,' says Kiarash Eqtesadi, director of Maymand's research centre.
The village of Maymand came to light only four years ago when studies and researches were carried out. Two more similar villages known to Iranians were Masuleh in Gilan province province and Kandovan in East Azerbaijan.
In 2005, the historical village was given the Melina Mercouri International Prize by the Unesco for the safeguarding and management of cultural landscapes. The prize carried $ 20,000 and a certificate. The prize is awarded every two years since 1999.
The village located in Kerman province in southern regions of Iran exhibits semi-nomadic and agro-pastoral lifestyle and has remained untouched by the modern development. Most of its 140 inhabitants engaged themselves in tending orchards, raising livestock and weaving.
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December 2009 |
