Kandovan is the Iranian version of Cappadocia. True, without balloons … but without crowds of tourists. Kandovan remained as ancient as it should be. The rock houses in this village are over 700 years old. And people live in them all the same, in the old fashioned way. From the ancient Persian “kandovan” means “bee hive”. Indeed, the rock formations in this area resemble either a termite mound or a bee house.

Winding streets turn into courtyards of houses. Carved balconies and low doors sometimes find themselves in the most unpredictable places. Kandovan is authentic like all traditional villages in Iran. Such settlements are no longer to be found in the civilized world.