Story of a Trailing Spouse: Splendour of Masouleh...

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Splendour of Masouleh...

Salaam,

Another provincial trip was successfully organised by the ASEAN Ladies Circle (ALC) of Tehran yesterday (Friday, November 26th), this time a day trip to the spectacular and historical village of Masouleh in Gilan province.

According to recorded history, the original village of Kohneh Masouleh or Old Masouleh, was established some 6 km northwest of the current village. Founded around 1006 AD, this village is located at about 1050 meters above sea level in the Alborz mountain range, perched high on a densely forested mountainside, about 60 km southwest of the provincial capital of Rasht.

Much like the ancient village of Abyaneh in the central province of Esfahan, Masouleh is also one of the oldest historical villages of Iran. With its unique and spectacular architecture, Masouleh is well-known as "the yard of the above building is the roof of the below building." They have been built into the mountain and interconnected with the courtyards and roofs both serve as pedestrian areas similar to streets.

The beautiful complex of yellow clay coated buildings, with its traditional, organic layout and antiquity, the mesmerising waterfalls, rivers and springs have totally created a stunning and eye-catching natural landscape to every discerning visitors to this wonderful stepped village of Masouleh...dubbed as a paradise in the sky.

Wassalam