Kandovan is a tourist village located in Iran's East Azerbaijan province, between Tabriz and Osku. Its fame is due to its special cone-shaped houses which are carved inside rocks. Some of the houses are at least 700 years old and are still being inhabited. Kandovan also has scenic beauty. It's a popular resort with hotels and restaurants there to serve tourists. Its mineral water is also popular by visitors and is believed to be a cure for kidney disease.
The homes of the residents that live in the small village of Kandovan, Iran are very unique in its architectural design and structure. They dwell in caves that are made of naturally formed, compressed volcanic ash formations. Although living in a cave may not be considered as an ideal of comfortable housing, the cave dwellings of Kandovan have two to four stories with living areas and storage rooms. Porches, doors, windows, stairwells, and even shelves are carved into the rocks to create a natural, yet intricate and unique design. The insulation of the rocks allow the homes to stay warm in the winters and cool during the summers, which make these cave homes very energy efficient.
Tucked away in the remote northwest corner of Iran is the village of Kandovan that is not only famous for its scenic beauty, but also for the unique dwellings of its residents. Many of its homes have been made in caves located in cone-shaped, naturally formed compressed volcanic ash formations that make the landscape look like a gigantic termite colony. Current residents of Kandovan claim that their village is more than 700 years old. It was created when those fleeing the advancing Mongol army took to the caves to hide. The homes are known as "karan" in the local Turkic dialect, a word that roughly translates as the plural of beehive.
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