Trip to Masouleh - Iran

Travel to masouleh Introduction

If you are interested about a very brilliant place on earth, visit this magnificently beautiful destination! Of course! you will never ever see again in your lifetime. One of the most beuatiful Iran’s historical and cultural is Masouleh that is to be announced as UNESCO Historical Heritage Site in 2015.

A heritage tourism destination and tourist attractions, Masouleh is visited by many of tourists every season with a population of 554 individuals from 193 groups according to the latest reports.

Although the town has been entered in the National Heritage List of Iran in 1975 but the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has not finalized its registration in the list of World Heritage Sites yet.

In 2003, a delegation of experts from the UNESCO visited the town and documented the historical features of the place for registration procedure followed by the visit of UNESCO’s regional envoy in 2010 and the launch of an office for registration in 2011 but after years of bureaucracy the result has not been achieved.

When is the best time to visit?

Summer is the best season to visit Masouleh, as the northern temperatures of Iran is colder than the rest of the country. It can get busy at this time though, so to avoid crowded tour buses, you can choose to stay overnight or hike in the surrounding mountains. Alternatively, winter is a good option with fewer visitors around. Temperatures drop to around 10°C (50°F) then, but still provide a picturesque setting as the rooftops are often layered in snow. Travel to Masouleh for relaxing.

Visiting Masouleh

Masouleh is perfect for a day visit from Rasht or Fuman. It provides a fantastic alternative to Iran’s bigger cities and an opportunity to escape the traffic in Iran. After all, due to its layout, Masouleh is the only city in the country where motor vehicles are not allowed to enter.

Handicrafts of Masouleh

The winding ascending lanes of the village are full of handicraft shops. Take a pitstop in one of the many teahouses on your way up to the top too. Travel to Masouleh to enjoy the fresh air.

For travelling around, it is useful to note that you locals speak Talesh, a northwestern Iranian language, here.  A total of 200,000 people speak it, making it incredibly rare in comparison to the 110 million people who speak Persian.

A quiet path leads to the end of the forest’s valley, where there is a 30 m (98 ft)-high waterfall which is called Kusham. Head this way for views of the entire village.

Cultural Attractions

After exploring the town, enjoy learning about Masouleh’s cultural heritage in the Anthropology Museum. It opened in 2002 and features three separate areas which display collections of Masouleh through the years. The first part displays documents and materials of the village from over a century ago, while the second shows objects dating back to the last two centuries. The final section allows you to see present century items made of pottery, glass and stone.

What to eat in Masouleh

Masouleh takes visitors back to the more traditional and rural food of Iran and the agrarian life which was once so prominent. This area is great for vegetarians as you can sample mirzeh ghasemi, a regional specialty of smoked aubergines which is burnt over hot coals – the aubergine is then fried with olive oil, garlic and tomatoes, and is eaten with bread. Travel to Masouleh to eat unique and delicious foods.

Foods & Drinks in Masouleh

For a broader view of northern Iranian food, you will find many food stalls serving regional delicacies. Try ash-e doogh (yoghurt soup) which is another variation of ash-e reshte (noodle soup). Ash-e doogh‘s base is doogh, a minty yoghurt drink that is typically fizzy in this area of the country. The soup is full of vegetables like spinach and sometimes peas. It contains pulses such as chickpeas, plenty of herbs, such as coriander, parsley and mint – and of course, rice!

Local Foods

As every other city, there are a number of local Ash available here, aside from those, Mirza Qasemi and Kebab Torsh are the other popular choices or Iranian cuisine in Masouleh village.

Agardak  is the most famous local Iranian dessert and last but not least, is the local cheese which is you have to try in Masouleh.

Masouleh Village Tourist Attractions

Masouleh village, is a thousand-year-old vertical village.

The architecture of this mountain village in Iran is unique, every house built on top of the other making a stairway-like shape.Travel to Masouleh to visit epic tourist attractions.

Restaurant & Cafe in Masouleh

The extraordinary and unbelievable sight of this village alone is enough to attract any traveler here.

Inside the Masouleh village, The Old Bazaar, The Museum of Anthropology and The classic restaurants and Cafes of the city can keep you busy for some time.

Sights of Masouleh

The structures of the houses are also a sight to see. Most of them having colorful windows and balconies facing the mountains peaks on the southern side of the village.

The natural sights around the village are countless, considering that the city is surrounded with High peaked mountains and jungles.

Masouleh village is a small Mountain Village in Iran located at the south west of Gillan province, best choice to travel to Iran!

Unique Architecture  in Masouleh

The most iconic feature of this city is the odd and amazing stair shaped architecture of its houses.

This mountain village (recently transformed into a city) in Iran is the only vertical city in the country, and probably in the world.

Masouleh village establishment dates back to more than 10 centuries ago. Due to the lack of any flat land close by the village was established in a vertical formation upon the face of the mountain.

Elevations

Since then, numerous other villages in the country adopted this form and were established on the mountain ranges, villages such as Sanandaj’s Uramanat village and Urmia’s Zonuzaq village.

Remember :

All of these features have helped the village to transform into one of the most spectacular tourist attractions in the country.

Hint: The closest airport to Masouleh is Rasht city. International Airport which is 65 km away. There are daily flights available from there to Tehran and Mashhad city. Other cities have less frequent flights.