Masuleh

Masuleh is a village in the Iranian province of Gilan near the southern shore of the Caspian Sea. This village is approximately 60 km southwest of Rasht and 32 km west of Fuman. Masuleh has been proposed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Architecture and structure

The architecture of Masouleh is unique. The buildings were built on the mountainside and are interconnected. Courtyards and roofs serve as pedestrian spaces in the same way as streets, since the roofs are usually flat or only slightly inclined and often serve as footpaths for the next building level above. . Masuleh does not allow access to motor vehicles, due to its unique design. It is the only village in Iran to have such a ban. The narrow streets and the many stairs would not allow vehicles to circulate in the village anyway. The exterior of the buildings is covered with ocher / yellow clay. This allows better visibility in fog.

The village is built in terraces into a very steep slope. Because of the gradient, there are only a few streets between the houses, instead almost exclusively steps and small serpentine alleys. The houses are usually two-story and built close together. Mud bricks, which are covered with ocher-colored clay plaster, are primarily used as a building material. Masuleh is characterized by beautifully designed oriels, doors, and windows made of wood carving. Due to the unusual architecture of the houses, the place is a tourist attraction. The first village of Masuleh was established around 1006 AD, 6 km northwest of the current city, and it is called Old-Masuleh (Kohneh Masuleh in Persian).

Masoleh tourism areas

• Market (Bazar)
• Museum of Anthropology Masuleh: Established in 2002 and incorporates the history of Masuleh and its people.
• Forest Park: Masouleh Forest Park is one of the most beautiful forest parks in northern Iran and even in the Middle East. The variety of plants in this park is very large and trees like a rush, alder, hornbeam, hazelnut, as well as herbs are seen in it.
• Waterfalls Kooshm and Larcheshme and Kourbar.
• Masuleh also has its own beauties in winter and tourists can enjoy its beauties in this season as well.