Masouleh is about 60 km southwest of Rasht and 25 km west of Fouman. The village is 1050 metres above sea level in the Elbourz chain, next to the southern shore of the Caspian Sea . The village itself has a fall of more than 100 metres.
Fog is the predominant climate in Masouleh.
Masouleh's architecture is unique. The buildings are built against the mountainside and are interconnected. Courtyards and roofs serve as pedestrian spaces in the same way as streets, as the roof of a house serves as the courtyard of the house above it. Masouleh does not allow access to motor vehicles because of its unique design. It is the only village in Iran to have such a ban. The narrow streets and many stairs did not allow vehicles to drive in the village anyway.
The exterior of the buildings is covered with ochre-coloured yellow clay. This provides better visibility in fog.
I am Maarten Verhees. The focus of my photographs is on the variation of architecture, animals and people. I try to capture the essence of local places in photographs... Read more…