Uraman Takht Travel Guide(1): Discover Iran's Hidden Mountain Village
Uraman Takht is one of the most special cities in Iran.
It is very beautiful, hidden, and not well-known, which makes it not easy to visit, but thanks to the affordable cost of living and decent security, it's a place anyone can go to.
If you want to create special memories or have a wonderful travel experience to remember, I recommend this small village to you.
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| Way to Uramantakht |
This is my travel route from Astara to Uraman Takht. I traveled entirely by taxi from Astara to Marivan, and spent about $80 on taxi fares at that time... From Astara to Zanjan it was 25 million rials. That was about $40 at the exchange rate at that time. After that, I spent about $10-20 each to Sanandaj and Marivan. I spent less than $10 additionally to get to Uraman Takht.
In western Iran, near the border connecting with Iraq, there is a small mountain village
called Uraman Takht. Though it's a small village not well-known to locals from other
regions, to people living in western Iran, it is a naturally beautiful place that could be called
a haven created by God at the beginning of time to care for humans
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| Do you see this breathtaking scene? It's even grander in person than what the photo can capture💚 |
The path to Uraman Takht required crossing the treacherous mountainside multiple times.
Below the road, which precariously wrapped around the waist of cliffs that seemed to be
vertically carved, streams of deep cyan water were flowing somewhere, and at the bottom
where even such streams had disappeared, only dry rocks that had fallen off very long ago
remained
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| A small town visited on the way to Uraman Takht. |
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| The taxi driver and I traveled while listening to exciting music. |
But in the seemingly harsh terrain where it would be difficult for people to live, small and old villages occasionally appeared. Scorching heat, and an air conditioner that had stopped working long ago having reached the end of its life... Even in this arduous journey, the taxi driver didn't lose his cheerfulness
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| The way of drinking tea here is very unique |
When I was in Korea, it was hard to imagine drinking hot tea, let alone
coffee, under the scorching summer sun, but as the first sip of tea, thickly mixed with
melted sugar, entered my body, I felt as if hot blood was circulating through my body, and
my mind, which had been exhausted from the heat, began to clear.
During the break, he drank tea and chatted with the teahouse owner about various things.
Although I couldn't fully understand their language, I think he might have been telling the
people of this rugged, small village about news from the outside world and updates about
people around them
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| We have almost reached Uraman Takht. |
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| A miniature modeled after the appearance of Uraman Takht |
After leaving the teahouse and passing through the mountains and between cliffs once
more, a small miniature depicting Uraman Takht appeared.
I don't know the name of the
person who came through the rugged cliffs, difficult to access on foot, and left this small,
beautiful artwork, but they likely wished it would become a restful breeze like the mountain
wind that cools the heat and tension of the arduous journey by clearly illuminating the
exciting feeling in the hearts of passersby heading toward their hometown.
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| After passing the small miniature structure, we soon arrived at Uraman Takht |
It appears somewhat flat in photos, but in reality, it was a village built on the edge of a cliff
that made your heart chill just by looking up at it. Later, I tried to climb up the mountain that
rose above those buildings with a man named Alin who worked at a restaurant, but the path
looked too dangerous, so we had to give up and come back down. What was amazing was
that cows freely grazed along those cliff paths that even humans fear, and when the sun
began to set, the cows would make their way down the cliff paths to return to their owners'
homes
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| The scenery viewed from a mountain in Uraman Takht |
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| It was a beautiful place like heaven. |
Despite being an isolated village difficult for travelers to reach, it's said that during peak
travel seasons, people from other countries often visit this place.
Perhaps because of this,
their first impression of me was as a Chinese person.
Here, I frequently heard the words 'nihao' and 'chini,' though they weren't meant maliciously.
Moreover, since I visited during the off-season when there were no other foreigners besides
me, I seemed to receive more attention from the local people.
Even within Iran, where the majority of the population is Shia, these people were relatively
minority Sunnis and had their own independent traditions. Here, I felt a more conservative
and religious atmosphere compared to city people.
When encountering women, they would
pass by with their faces more carefully covered or sometimes hide inside buildings.
But even in this conservative atmosphere, there were many who wanted to leave in search
of a new life.
Even in this small village, there was an English academy, and children carried
bags to attend the academy to learn English.
A young man I met here also told me that he
was working part-time to save money for travel expenses to leave for another country in
search of a good job, dreaming of someday working in England, returning with money,
giving a dowry to the bride's family, and marrying the bride.
Here is some additional information and precautions:
- When entering Iran by land, try to avoid very late night arrivals. If you enter late at night, you won't find any place to exchange money. It's also impossible to activate your mobile phone.
- As of March 25, 2025, the current exchange rate in Iran is 98000 tomans to 1 dollar. When I traveled there, it was approximately 57000 tomans 2024.
- Prices are very affordable. I stayed at economy hotels for about $8-20. Although sometimes the toilet had low water pressure, I was generally satisfied, and people were friendly.
- When activating your phone, be sure to ask if they can install a VPN for you. It will be a great help to you. Never forget this. If the employee is a very nice person, give them a small tip and then look for a paid VPN. Free VPNs are sufficient, but paid VPNs perform very well.
- The Snapp app is almost essential for travelers. If you have a close local friend, ask for their help. It has all the necessary functions such as delivery, finding accommodation, calling taxis, etc
- When calling a taxi with the Snapp app, drivers often cancel for intercity travel because the price is too low. Once a driver accepts your call, try to negotiate paying more with a Persian message. While there are drivers who will take you to your destination at the price suggested by the Snapp app, if you can't get a Snapp taxi for a long time, it wasn't bad to offer about 1.5 times the price via message.
- Even if you offer a slightly higher price, it is still very reasonable compared to travel in other countries. If all else fails, try finding taxi drivers directly and negotiate the price.
- No confirmed public transportation options were found from Marivan to Uraman Takht. It may be because it's off-season. You need to use a taxi, but there are no taxis going there at night due to the dangerous mountain roads. There is a taxi terminal in Marivan, so try negotiating with the taxi drivers there.
- There was no direct bus from Astara to Marivan, and since the bus schedules were not clear, I continued to use taxis. If you have sufficient information and time, you can also reach this place by transferring between several intercity buses.
- The hotel facilities in Uraman Takht were excellent for the price
- I will leave you a link about how to use the Snapp app and information about living in Iran.