Meybod

The desert city that is located Yazd Province and it is a sprawling mud-brick town, which is considered to be the second urban and commercial center called Meybod of Yazd. Due to its valuable historical structure, most of the city has been registered on the list of Iran’s historical monuments. It is situated About 52km north of Yazd, that is at least 1800 years old. The city, which resembles Yazd city in many aspects, is considered to be much older than the city of wind towers with a history of over 7,000 years. According to UNESCO, this city is a remarkable example of viability and transmission of human being’s collective thoughts from different generations to the present one. Proximity to Dasht-e Kavir has bestowed desert climate on the city and as a result it experiences extremely hot summers and cold winters with mild springs and falls.

historical city of meybod


History

Some believe the city was founded by Meybodar, a Sassanid (226-651 CE) commander, who named the city after himself and others say the city was founded by Keyumars, the First Man in Avestan accounts and the first of the Pishdadi Kings in Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh (Book of Kings). Pishdadian are considered the first Aryan dynasty in Persian mythology. What is noteworthy in the city is the regularity in city planning. The anatomy and spatial structure of the city shows original plans which conform with the old Iranian city planning.

Considering the coined coins of this city in Sassanid period, it becomes clear that Meybod was a great and important city in late Sassanid era; since, from more than a hundred and eleven pre-Islamic cities identified in Iran only a few number of them had coinage conditions or its permission. The remaining coins from the time of the Sassanid Boran, which were coined in this county, are of the historical proofs that show the political and civilizational importance of the county during Sassanid era.


Attractions of Meybod

This city is rich in historical sites that are scattered in and around the city such as Narin Castle, Shah Abbasi Caravanseraithe, stone mill and Ice House. Narin Ghal’eh is the first historical and stunning mansion in ancient Iran, that its long background has given it a legendary identity such that the compiler of Yazd history has attributed the castle to the time of Solomon. Shah Abbasi Caravanserai is another attraction and one of the important Safavid period Caravanserais. It is very important in case of architecture, placing and interior design. The other sightseeing is called Double stone watermill of Mohammad-Abad, that is an amazing hydraulic structure created at a depth of 40 meter on a qanat corridor. The last a spectacular attraction is Yakhchal or Ice chamber, that is an ancient natural refrigerator which was mainly built and used in Iran to store ice, but sometimes was utilized to store food as well. In the summer, people living in nearby villages used to satisfy their ice needs from such structures.

sightseeing