Masuleh

Masuleh is built into a very steep forested slope in the Talysh mountains at about 1,050 metres, and the gradient forced a particular solution: the houses are terraced one above another so tightly that the flat roof of each row serves as the street and courtyard for the row behind, with no vehicle access anywhere in the village and stairs and roof-paths instead. The buildings are of clay and timber with yellow-ochre facades, which is said to help visibility in fog, and fog is constant here because the village sits where Caspian humidity meets the mountains. Bazaar stalls, workshops and teahouses occupy the lower levels. It is a working village, though tourism now dominates its economy, and it is one of the most visited places in northern Iran.

What you actually see

• Roofs used as streets - each terrace serving the row above.
• Yellow-ochre facades - the colour said to show through the fog.
• No vehicles anywhere - stairs and roof paths as the only circulation.
• Constant mountain fog - cloud filling the valley below the village.

When to go

May to October; winters are snowy and the road can close. Half a day, better overnight to have the village after the day visitors leave. Fridays and holidays are extremely crowded.

Honest expectations

It is heavily touristed and the lower levels are wall-to-wall souvenir stalls. Weekend crowds are severe and the narrow ways jam. Accommodation is basic homestays. Fog can obscure everything. Parking is well below the village.

Nearby

Fuman is east; Rudkhan Castle lies in the same mountains.