A Village of Wonders Masouleh

A Village of Wonders

Masouleh

Masouleh is a village in Iran’s Gilan Province. Historical names for the village include Masalar and Khortab. It was founded in the 10th century AD. Masouleh is approximately 60 km southwest of Rasht and 32 km west of Fouman. It is 1,050 meters above sea level in the Alborz mountain range, near the southern coast of the Caspian Sea.
The village has a difference in elevation of 100 meters. The first village of Masouleh was approximately established around 1006 AD, 6 km northwest of the current village, called Old-Masouleh (Kohneh Masouleh in Persian). People moved from Old-Masouleh to the present site because of Pestilence and attacks by neighbors, CHN reported.
Masouleh-Rood-Khan is the river passing through the village with a waterfall 200m away from the village. Many other springs are found around Masouleh that is also surrounded by forests from valley to mount. Fog is a key feature of this area.
Unique Architecture
Masouleh architecture is unique. The buildings have been built into the mountain and are interconnected.
Courtyards and roofs both serve as pedestrian areas similar to streets. Masouleh does not allow any motor vehicles due to its unique layout. It is the only village in Iran with such a prohibition.
Moreover, the small streets and many stairs simply wouldn’t make it possible for vehicles to enter.
The spectacular architecture of Masouleh is well-known as “The yard of the above building is the roof of the below building“.
Yellow clay coats the exterior of most buildings. This allows for better visibility in fog. Buildings are mostly 2 stories (1st and ground floor) made of adobe, rods and bole. Small living room, big guest room, winter room, hall, WC and balcony are usually on the 1st floor. Cold closet, barn and stable are located below attached to the upper floor by several narrow steps inside the building.
There are four main local communities namely: “Maza-var“ (meaning: beside the Mosque) at the south, “Khana-var“ (meaning: beside homes) at the East, “Kasha-sar“ (meaning: stretched on top) at the North, and, “Assa-mahala“ (meaning: Assad community) at the West. Apparently down-town is the market (bazaar) area and also the main mosque of the village, named: “O-ne-ben-ne Ali“. This village is almost eight hundred to a thousand years old. The existence of numerous graveyards in and outside of the village shows its old texture. The storied and terracing plan is in parallel to the mountain slope. Combination of such architecture with natural landscape has rendered it a national and international tourist center.