Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Japan - Kimono textiles
Japan • 10 days, 9 nights
Hidden Japan: Sado Island, Nara & Kyoto
from
Pastel de nata
Portugal • 8 days, 7 nights
Portugal: A Culinary Adventure from Porto to Lisbon
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The South Platte Hotel on a hot July day.
South Platte Hotel
Entrance to the large tunnel.
Nishiki Secret Base Museum
Kafū Nagai’s study is preserved in Ichikawa City Hall.
Kafū Nagai’s Study
This curious cat is especially dear to locals.
La Maison du Chat (The Cat House)
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The parfait is a particularly popular treat.
Sanatorium - Wonder Museum Annex
Learn about all aspects of the seltzer-making process.
Brooklyn Seltzer Museum
For nearly a century, this restaurant has only served steak-frites.
Café de Paris
Pie and mash comes with the traditional parsley liquor.
M. Manze
This bread still comes in its nostalgic green and yellow packaging.
Kinomoto Tsuruya Bakery
Recent Stories
All Stories Puzzles Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
A single garnet gleams on the muddy foreshore of the River Thames.
The Curious Gems of the River Thames
about 2 hours ago
A mother manatee and her baby swim through the water in Crystal River, Florida, where manatees can be found year-round.
Florida’s Manatees Are Relative Newcomers, According to Historical Research
1 day ago
Bethlehem loves its Peeps.
Why Pennsylvania Rings in the New Year With Bologna and Peeps
1 day ago
The author’s mother found the letters of a missing man.
Letters Hidden in My Family’s Attic Reveal a 1910s Bank Con in Key West
4 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Iran Meymand Maymand

Maymand

This 12,000 year old Iranian cave village has been continuously inhabited for over 3,000 years.

Meymand, Iran

Added By
ahvenas
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Maymand   ahvenas (Atlas Obscura User)
Maymand   ahvenas (Atlas Obscura User)
Maymand   ahvenas (Atlas Obscura User)
Maymand   ahvenas (Atlas Obscura User)
Maymand   ahvenas (Atlas Obscura User)
Maymand   ahvenas (Atlas Obscura User)
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

From an American point of view, where very few settlements have been around for more than a few hundred years, its hard to fathom just how long a village like Maymand in Iran (which is thought to have been established around 12,000 years ago) has been around. But the still inhabited cave dwellings help.

The staggering age of the settlement at Maymand was determined by fragments of stone etchings that established the existence of human settlers. However the defining characteristic of the village, namely its 300+ in-ground cave homes are not nearly so old, only dating back 3-4,000 years. It is thought that the cave dwellings began as religious sites, but slowly evolved into permanent houses as settlers stayed on the spot longer and longer. As the locals tell it, their ancestors carved out the simple cave homes using a type of hard, sharpened stone that can be found in the area as opposed to traditional tools. The single room dwellings are stacked atop one another four and five tall sometimes, yet each of the barren caves has room for its own stove area. 

Miraculously for such an ancient and stark settlement, the array of caves that make up the village are still inhabited today. Some of the homes are thought to have been continually inhabited since their creation thousands of years earlier. The population as of 2006 numbered 673, but tends to fluctuate with the seasons. The caves may have a sort of barren beauty, but they are not exactly luxury accommodations. 

Iran is a country rich in history, and the village of Maymand is one of the oldest places there, as well as one of the most beautiful.

Related Tags

Caves Villages Ecosystems

Community Contributors

Added By

ahvenas

Edited By

cjklever

  • cjklever

Published

June 12, 2015

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meymand,_Kerman
  • http://historicaliran.blogspot.com/2010/02/meymand-village.html
  • http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g293998-i9139-k6490470-Is_Meymand_worth_the_visit-Iran.html
  • http://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/511/
Maymand
Meymand
Iran
30.229444, 55.375556

Nearby Places

Stone Garden

Sirjan, Iran

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Iran

Iran

Middle East

Places 52
Stories 16

Nearby Places

Stone Garden

Sirjan, Iran

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Iran

Iran

Middle East

Places 52
Stories 16

Related Places

  • “The Umbrella” at the base of the gorge

    Şuşa, Azerbaijan

    Hunot Gorge

    A scenic canyon with thick forests and historic ruins.

  • Old Khndzoresk Cave Village

    Khndzoresk, Armenia

    Old Khndzoresk Cave Village

    Right up until the 20th century this network of man-made caves was the biggest village in Eastern Armenia.

  • Al Hoota Cave

    Al Hamra, Oman

    Al Hoota Cave

    The biggest cave system in the Arabian Peninsula is home to a rare variety of blind fish.

  • Guermassa, Tunisia

    Guermassa

    A charming Amazigh village carved into a mountaintop.

  • Cape Flattery

    Neah Bay, Washington

    Cape Flattery

    At the most northwestern point of the contiguous United States lies a trail leading through an ancient forest to stunning cliff-side vistas and massive oceanside caves.

  • The entrance from inside of the cave

    Cuevas, Spain

    La Cuevona

    A road that winds through this natural cave is the only way to access the small, appropriately-named village of Cuevas.

  • Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

    Manyate Coffee Village

    An Ethiopian cloud forest protects some of the last wild arabica plants.

  • Lacy’s Caves

    Penrith, England

    Lacy's Caves

    A series of idealized caves carved to entertain guests.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

See Fewer Ads


Become an Atlas Obscura member and experience far fewer ads

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube Twitter Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Puzzles
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.