Situated 60km southwest of Tabriz, capital city of Irans northern province Azerbaijan - Kandovan is a village steeped in history, (800 years of it) and wonder, and it functions still today - all be it with the added ‘luxuries’ of the little things in life like power, dvd players and tourist dollars.
Formed from volcanic activity, Kandovan is the plural form of the word ‘kando’ which means ‘bees nest’ so called because of the bees nest like ‘houses’ carved out of the natural, rocky formations - and its this architecture the village is famous for, aswell as its mineral water, which is said to dissolve kidney stones.
It was my first day in Azarbaijan, and being taken to Kandovan was an Iranian highlight. We managed to get a look inside one of the ‘houses’ - inhabited by mother and daughter. The main room that we were shown was the ‘house’ - bedroom, lounge room, storage and kitchen rolled into one, although the mother did tell us there was a bigger kitchen downstairs.
It is said that the original inhabitants of Kandovan moved there during the Mongolian invasion, and hid in the caves, later carving them into houses so they could remain.
The main sources of income are from agriculture and animal husbandry - with various hand crafts and foodstuffs available for the tourist dollar.
We met a small group of western tourists on a package tour of Iran. They had bought 'supplies' with them to give to locals - all taken from hotels they stayed at: toothpaste, slippers, soaps, shampoo and conditioner.... advised to do so by their guides. It left me with mixed feelings, I think its more of a cheap act than an act of the heart.
Il never forget how cold it was this day, the wind was so strong and every gust distributed sand and dirt into your eyes, nose and mouth. And the toilets.. wherever I go, I never forget toilets I can smell before I see them, such was the case here. They were in a small room at the end of a row of shops, on the one main street. True to Iranian style they were a hole in the ground with indentations for feet on either side, didnt have toilet paper, instead the bog standard washing water in a plastic watering jug next to a tap - so you can refill it for the next woman. And as a foreigner, I had a small group of women watching and waiting for when I reappeared. It was all I could do to enter, pee, wash my hands and get outside again on one inhalation, desperately gasping for air outside, drawing even more attention. Actually this day, I was over being looked at. I had tried so hard to blend with my dress, but still, I stood out. I had my mandatory purple scarf tied over my head, and on top a heavier, bigger black scarf, which i took to wearing like a burqa - but with my black sunglasses over my eyes, ha! It even sounds western talking about it now! I dont know HOW Iranians cope without sunglasses, rarely did I see anyone wearing any. Must account for the 'desert eyes' you see, like something off a cover of National Geographic.. amazing eyes, deep, dark, bright and intense, so beautiful.
On our way home, we stopped off at the site of another village, this one with all its houses underground though. No-one lives there today, but it was amazing to see how the houses were laid out, including rooms for livestock and ventilation over the cooking areas, stoic examples of ancient, practical and effective design and building methods. I love seeing this sort of history in my travels. :)
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