Kandovan Rock-Cut Homes: A Village Frozen in Time, Alive !!

From survival architecture to living heritage, this Iranian village shows how stone became shelter.

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Kandovan Rock-Cut Homes: A Village Frozen in Time, Alive!Nestled into the volcanic slopes of Mount Sahand in north-west Iran, the village of Kandovan looks at first like a cluster of giant beehives: conical rock formations with windows, doors and stairways cut straight into the stone.

BY- Dr. Namrata Mishra Tiwari, Chief Editor http://indiainput.com

For roughly 700 years these “karaan” cave-dwellings have been lived in continuously — families still occupy multi-story rooms hollowed from the volcanic tuff, taking advantage of the rock’s natural insulation to survive cold, snowy winters.

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700 years ago, people in Kandovan carved their homes into volcanic cones to survive harsh winters. Today, these karaan cave dwellings are still occupied- natural insulation, multi-story rooms, even windows carved through rock.
This world is so fascinating! pic.twitter.com/24UKube6Ik

— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) December 17, 2025

Kandovan lies in East Azerbaijan Province inside Osku (sometimes spelled Oskoo) County, about 60–62 km southwest of the provincial capital, Tabriz; some sources also describe it as roughly 20–25 km south of Osku town. The village sits at high elevation on the flanks of Mount Sahand, giving residents wide views of mountain ridges and seasonal snowfields.

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Laleh Kandovan International Rocky Hotel: troglodyte village of Kandovan. ‘Karan’ ✨💫 https://t.co/uLkrn8IEUK pic.twitter.com/c0mtu1NeYU

— Manoj K Jha aka Manu 😷 (@manojgjha) December 17, 2025

Why they work: the volcanic rock (tuff) is soft enough to carve yet dense enough to give excellent natural insulation — cool in summer and protected from winter winds. Houses were carved room by room, often without bricks or mortar, and families adapted interiors over generations with wooden doors, small glassed windows and terraces cut into the stone. Visitors can still see living rooms, stables and smoking chimneys integrated into the cones.

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After severe drought, snow has returned to #Iran 🇮🇷, bringing fresh hope and joy. The stunning Kandovan mountain road is now covered in white — a beautiful reminder of nature’s power and renewal.#VisitIran #DiscoverIran #گردشگری_ایران pic.twitter.com/NuoPzn4cmv

— ☫ Iran Embassy in The Hague, The Netherlands (@IRAN_in_NL) December 13, 2025

The houses themselves are remarkable for their simplicity and practical cleverness. Carved from relatively soft volcanic rock, many cones contain several stacked rooms connected by carved internal passages. Roofs of lower units become terraces for the units above; small carved windows and the thermal mass of the rock keep interiors cool in summer and warm in winter. Visitors often describe a lived-in, organic feel — kitchens, storage niches, and even chimneys are part of the rock.

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pic.twitter.com/WNPH8G9Hun
O mundo é grande e nele cabem moradias em tufos de vulcão!
Esse lugar extraordinário fica na base do Monte Sahand, no Irã.
Kandovan é uma vila com 700 anos de história, famosa por suas incríveis casas conhecidas como karaan.
Essas moradias em cavernas…

— J.A.Amorim (@ideiasefatos) December 10, 2025

Getting there: most visitors start from Tabriz. By car or private taxi it’s a roughly 1–1.5 hour drive (around 60–65 km) and is the quickest, most flexible option. Shared alternatives include a bus or minibus toward Osku or Sahand and then a short local taxi or “savari” to the toll road before Kandovan; many travelers combine public buses with a short walk to avoid the vehicle entrance fee. Hotels and tour desks in Tabriz commonly organize return taxi trips if you prefer a hassle-free visit.

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On the windswept shores of lake Urmia in Iran 🇮🇷 rise the extraordinary kandovan stone columns, a forest of natural pillars that look as if they were carved by forgotten architects of another age. formed from volcanic tuff and shaped by millennia of erosion, these towering… pic.twitter.com/5FhRsiAulC

— ArchaeoHistories (@histories_arch) August 16, 2025

Tips: wear sturdy shoes for uneven, stepped lanes; visit in late spring or early summer for mild weather; be respectful — these are people’s homes — and try local honey, dried fruits and handwoven kilims sold by villagers

SOURCE :

http://wikipedia.org

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