Masuleh: The Northern Gem
Built right into the mountain’s incline with a very unique architectural plan in Gilan, the beautiful thousand-year-old village of Masuleh sits high in the dense moist fog of the Northern Iran sky. Resting at 1,050 meters above sea level in the Alborz Mountain range, this small village is the humbly residence of about 250 families. Just like its community, all of the homes in Masuleh are interconnected. Its tightly packed composition leaves only narrow connected paths that take the visitors and locals around the village. In fact, these paths are so narrow that they’ve left all the automobiles in the parking lot by the river. Come along with goingIRAN to learn and discover more about this destination!
The interesting thing about the architecture of this cozy little town is that all of the houses cascade down the mountain side. This has created a series of ‘steps’ that are about 100 meters high in total. Almost every house here is two-storeys; with its roof being the top neighbor’s front yard and pathway! Yes, this means that the roofs of these homes have actually grass lawns on them. Often, you’ll be able to catch some children running around and playing soccer on them. Browsing through the beautiful traditional homes, tourists and travellers will be able to see the some simple and some intricately decorated abodes. Made mainly of mud-bricks, most of the homes are covered with yellow clay, in order better stand out in the often-lingering dense fog.
Masuleh, although very tiny, still begs for quite a bit of the curious observer’s attention. The stepped alleyways, intricate wooden windows, marvelous old doors, and welcoming locals all need much more than a couple of hours to appreciate. Once you’ve checked the ins and outs of homes of this little village, don’t miss out on the bazaar! Here, merchants of all sorts sell everything from locally handmade traditional handicrafts, beautiful silk scarves, traditional garments, fresh pastries to antiques and so on. After shopping, hungry travellers can also check out the top floor of the bazaar for some restaurants and cool traditional tea houses!
Population: 554, in 180 families (2006)
Province: Gilan