Kurdish village hanging off mountainside continues to amaze
PALANGAN, Iran — Kurdistan has its quirks. In Palangan, villagers for centuries have adapted construction of their buildings to suit the rugged Kurdish mountains in Kurdistan Province, Iran.
Kurds refer to the area as Rojhelat, or eastern Kurdistan. It is far from the reaches of larger cities, a kind of solitude that lends itself to adaptation rather than the rigid rule of the Islamic Republic's regime.
Donkeys largely replace automobiles, and trading is a common source of livelihood for the locals.
"When visitors have a set of goods, we load them on the donkey and take them to the gardens and the places they stay in. We receive about 15,000-25,000 tomans ($1.50)," Ramin Mohammediyan told Rudaw.
In a day's shift the porters often make five trips.
Visitors come from far and wide to see its gravity-defying designs of the structures for themselves.
This quirky village is built into a steep mountainside, so the roof of a lower house serves as the yard for an upper house.
The village is well known across Kurdistan and attracts tourists from Iran and Iraq.
"We came here for leisure and tourism. The children work very hard with the donkeys. They make things easier for us," tourist Ali Danishwar said.
There are few roads suitable for automobiles within the village.
"They take our goods up and down. This became a source of income for them. I thank them," Danishwar said.
Kurds refer to the area as Rojhelat, or eastern Kurdistan. It is far from the reaches of larger cities, a kind of solitude that lends itself to adaptation rather than the rigid rule of the Islamic Republic's regime.
Donkeys largely replace automobiles, and trading is a common source of livelihood for the locals.
"When visitors have a set of goods, we load them on the donkey and take them to the gardens and the places they stay in. We receive about 15,000-25,000 tomans ($1.50)," Ramin Mohammediyan told Rudaw.
In a day's shift the porters often make five trips.
"Thanks to God we can make 100,000 tomans ($7.50) every dayFamilies who have a teenager like me own one or two donkeys. Especially those who have a flock of sheep, they own two or three donkeys," Mohammediyan explained.
Visitors come from far and wide to see its gravity-defying designs of the structures for themselves.
This quirky village is built into a steep mountainside, so the roof of a lower house serves as the yard for an upper house.
The village is well known across Kurdistan and attracts tourists from Iran and Iraq.
"We came here for leisure and tourism. The children work very hard with the donkeys. They make things easier for us," tourist Ali Danishwar said.
There are few roads suitable for automobiles within the village.
"They take our goods up and down. This became a source of income for them. I thank them," Danishwar said.
With US sanctions biting most people and institutions in Iran, more remote areas like Palangan are able to weather the financial woes by being self-reliant and using tried-and-true methods.