Masuleh · IR

Masuleh

Masuleh (also spelled Masouleh or Másula) is a terraced mountain village in Gilan province, northern Iran, where the flat, mud-covered roof of one house becomes the front yard and the street of the house above it. Clinging to a steep slope of the Alborz (Talesh) range at about 1,050 metres, the village climbs roughly 100 vertical metres from the river-level car park to its highest row of ochre cottages, and because the lanes are stairs and rooftops there are no cars inside—a vehicle ban that makes Masuleh unique in Iran. Set in a lush, fog-wreathed valley not far from the Caspian coast, Masuleh is one of Iran's most photographed and quietly charming destinations: a living village of the Talysh people, with a warren bazaar, rooftop teahouses and handicraft stalls, that rewards a slow wander more than a rushed photo stop.