Kandovan is an ancient village in Sahand Rural District in the Central District of Osku County, East Azarbaijan Province, northwestern Iran. It is situated in the foothills of Mount Sahand, near the city of Osku.
This amazing tourist village, about 65 km from Tabriz, is known for its conical rocky architecture. Surprisingly, the inhabitants of the village still live in hand-carved houses in the volcanic rocks.
The village was registered in Iran's National Heritage, and it has a worldwide reputation and is the only rocky village in the world that is still inhabited. There are two other cliff villages that are not inhabited with similar structures in the world; Cappadocia in Turkey and Dakota in America.
The most famous souvenir of Kandovan is Honey. Apricots and sour cherries, dried fruit, rugs, and jajim are other souvenirs of Kandovan.
Mineral water springs of Kandovan are also well-known and basically used for the treatment of kidney disease.
“Kandovan” means beehive and any traveler climbing up the winding paths of the Kandovan cave village will see how the village got its name.
Visitors can book tours to explore these cave homes. Locals will welcome the tourists into their homes where the tourists can purchase sweets, souvenirs, and traditional tea.
Since the Kandovan is located on the slopes of the Sahand Mountains, it has a great climate and there are plenty of greenery and landscapes around it. The fruitful plains of the region provide nomads with the possibility to breed honey bees and grow medicinal herbs, both sources of income for the locals. The people of this village are more farmers and ranchers.
The village has a mosque, public bath, school, a mill, souvenir shops, buffet and restaurant.
The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has recently added Kandovan, the rocky village in Northwestern Iran, to its Best Tourism Villages Network.
MNA/
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