A Village Hidden from Reality

Now if you want to call traveling OFF TRACK into the unknown, well this is the place to go. Hidden from reality, and tucked away from “our” world a little thirteen century village in Iran is just that place. It located in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province and hidden away from the busy cities due to it being in a valley, surrounded by mountains. Yet, not only is it hidden behind mountains, but also hidden within ash caves. The village is called Kandovan and it is part of the Lake Urmia region, one of the most beautiful regions in the country. Why this village is so unique? Well it’s homes are made in caves and they are all shaped as cones, but are naturally shaped due to the volcanic ash formations. This makes the land look like large termite holes. This volcanic ash has been there for over thousands of years due to Mount Sahand eruption many years ago. Now, today Mount Sahand is an volcano that is consisted of a crater lake and circled by twelve peaks. This volcano has many powerful meanings for the locals who live in the caves but some believe that the beauty of this volcano is part of the biblical story of the Garden Of Eden. Yet, not only are the caves and volcano amazing to see and explore, but also is the natural water that surrounds the village. The village also has a natural spring water, that is suppose to have a reputation to heal anything. Plus with this natural spring water, there also comes an incredible amount of wildlife plants surrounding the area. So this village is not only away from the outside world, but also lives in a natural enviroment. Now what else can be better then experiencing this as an OFF-TRACK destination?