Meymand

Meymand is a village of some four hundred dwellings cut by hand into soft volcanic rock on a hillside in the Kerman highlands, with chambers, storerooms and stables carved out over generations, and the community that lives in them is semi-nomadic: households move between the rock houses in winter, tented camps on the high pastures in spring, and settlements near the fields in autumn, following a three-stage cycle tied to grazing. That combination of troglodyte dwelling and mobile pastoralism is why the cultural landscape was inscribed in 2015. Visitors can stay in a converted rock house. The population is small and elderly and the way of life is under obvious pressure, which the site does not hide.

What you actually see

• Rock-cut dwellings - chambers hand-carved into soft volcanic stone.
• A three-stage seasonal cycle - rock houses, high pasture, autumn fields.
• Carved stables and stores - the working rooms cut alongside the living ones.
• Overnight in a rock house - the converted guesthouse rooms.

When to go

April to June and September to October; it is at altitude so winters are cold and snowy. A day, better overnight. The seasonal move happens in spring and autumn, which is when the pattern is visible.

Honest expectations

People live here and the village is not a museum; ask before photographing houses or residents. Accommodation is very basic. The road in is rough and there is no public transport. The population is small and ageing and the practice may not survive.

Nearby

Shahr-e Babak is east; Kerman lies about four hours south-east.