In the Iranian district of Meiman-Roal, Kerman province, there is the historic village of Meimand. It is interesting because the residential buildings here are carved right into the rocks. Since 2015, the village has been one of the UNESCO heritage sites. And also - the local population still lives in these houses, who are not averse to renting one of their "rock rooms" with breakfast to visiting tourists.
Researchers consider the settlement of Meiman Roal to be almost the most ancient on the territory of modern Iran. According to some reports, the first inhabitants could have been here 12 thousand years ago. As a result of archaeological research in the area of the village, a large number of rock inscriptions were discovered. When their age was established, it turned out that some of the inscriptions were made almost ten thousand years ago. Also, items from ceramics were found, the age of which researchers have established - 6 thousand years.
But the uniqueness of this place is that during the last three millennia the settlement has been inhabited by people. At the same time, the life of modern local residents is not much different from the life of their ancestors. Although now electricity is installed here, a separate toilet with a shower has been built, a road has been paved - but this is more likely for tourists who increasingly come to visit.
In total, there are about 350 rock houses in Meiman Royale, in which there are more than two thousand rooms. Local houses are located at an altitude of more than two thousand meters above sea level. They are not afraid of either wind or rain, since the local sedimentary rocks are quite strong.
Due to the fact that the locals did not have the opportunity to communicate with the urban population, their dialect and traditions are somewhat different. So, for example, they eat their own some individual foods and medicinal herbs. Almost all the indigenous people are nomads, who change their place of residence three times a year: for exactly four months they live in the village, in the pasture and on the land plots, vegetable gardens. Farming here is not difficult for people, since numerous seasonal streams and springs flow near the village.
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There are several versions about who and when built the ancient village. According to one of them, during the existence of the ancient eastern state of Media on the territory of modern Iran, one of the Aryan tribes came here. They revered the sun and considered it essentially invincible. The mountains were sacred for the Aryans, because they can bring a person closer to the sun. Therefore, they could easily carve dwellings in these high rocks for themselves - to be closer to the sun. Several caves have been discovered among the houses in Meiman Royale, which seem to have been intended for prayers and burials of the dead.
In 2005, the Iranian village won an international award from Greece for the preservation of the cultural landscape. The amount of this prize is about twenty thousand dollars. After another 10 years, the settlement was included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. There is even a museum, several cafes and a restaurant serving national cuisine. And you can stay overnight at the locals, who are eager to go in for tourism and rent out rooms for 16 euros with breakfast. You can also buy medicinal herbs, pistachios and almonds from them. And to see how people for many millennia lived in rocky dwellings, burned fires right inside them and went about their usual business.