Meymand Village

Meymand is a historical village with a rock architectural style in a rural district in Kerman province.

Meymand in Shahrbabak is a rock settlement that has been registered on the UNESCO World Heritage. Discoveries of this ancient village that narrate its history include ten-thousand-year-old petroglyphs and six thousand-year-old potteries. You can also see rocky houses, temples, castle, and different old towers, which made Meymand as an ancient village a specific civilization. Due to the studies of archeologists, Meymand dates back at least to the two or three thousand years ago. People still Speak Middle Persian in this village.

• Architecture of Meymand
  This rocky region which was made by hand considered one of the first settlements in Iran. The prominent feature of the architectural style of Meymand is creating settlements without any need for adobe, brick, and mortar. There are two opinions about the structure of this ancient site, Meymand was constructed by a group of Aryan simultaneous with the Medes, which had created a lot of rocky architectural monuments, in the west of Iran. The other one dates back to the period which people believed in Mithraism. Due to this belief, people have glorified the rocks and mounts and constructed their settlements based on them.Meymand fort includes more than 150 stone circular chambers with some Dakhmas (a place for the deads). According to the Sasanian tradition, this place is located in a mountainous district far from the settlements. So it indicates that people in Meymand chose some areas with pleasant weather to live during the Sasanian Empire.
  Kicheh is the name of these rocky settlements, which includes some chambers with niche (used for bedding, dishes, and necessary tools), and stable. Each one has an entrance. The stable and living room are locating on both sides of the staircase. The temperature in the Kicheh is five degrees different from the outside. This ancient village consists of 406 Kichehs and 2560 chambers.

• Accommodation
  You can stay in the following place:
  • Maymandmoon Ecolodge: Meymand, Kerman Province
  • Maymand Stone House, located in upper the mosque, end of the Meymand main street, right side, Meymand, Kerman Province.
  • Rivas ecolodge guesthouse, located in Number 71, Sirjan-Shahre Babak Expy, Dehno Farokhzad village, 5th kilometer of Shahrebabk-Sirjan road, Shahrbabak, Kerman Province
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• What is the best time to go?
  Meymand has a moderate mountainous climate with mild summer and cold winter. If you want to see this rocky region, spring is the best time for this adventure. You can experience an enjoyable journey among the plains of mulberry and fauna of the Sahara, such as snake, lizard, hedgehog, turtle, and rabbit. Also, you will see some wild animals such as wolf, leopard, fox, and goats.      

• Getting there?
  Meymand is located 38 kilometers northeast of the city of Shahrbabak. If you decide to get there from Tehran, the best route is Yazd, Mehriz, Anar, and Shahrbabak. You have to go 290 kilometers from Yazd to Meymand that takes about three hours.