Underground City of Noushabad

Underground City of Noushabad

Noushabad is a city in 8 km north of Kashan, laid next to central Iran desert. The underground city is a handmade complex, spread under the city of Noushabad in thousands of sq. meters, in depth of 4 to 18 meters. The city consists of many labyrinthic corridors, rooms and wells. The history of the complex backs to pre-Islamic era, More than 1500 years ago and was mainly used for sheltering and defense purposes, extended up to recent centuries. Entrances to the city were from population concentration points like water reservoirs, markets, fortress and also some individual houses. There are many spaces within the city, each consist of interconnected, 180 cm height rooms for temporary settlement connecting through angled corridors (preventing direct sight), toilets, supply stocks and guarding place. Lighting was provided by fat burning lamps. The city was built in 3 stories, each apart 3 to 5 meters in depth connecting via some narrow manholes. The architecture of the stories dictates upward movement providing maximum protection against invaders. Delaying any enemy penetration was performed by anticipating some physical obstacles and traps, in conjunction with darkness. Natural air conditioning and water supply of the city are among its ancient engineering wonders. At the moment visitors can enter the city from two entrances both opened adjacent to two old water reservoirs. All the photos are taken on hand, no flash.

Entrance to the City	Entrance to the City	Entrance to the City
Inside the water Reservoir	Inside the water Reservoir (ceiling)	IMG_0996r.jpg
Entrance	Water Reservoir (Outside)	Inside the City
Inside the City	Manhole to lower Story	Inside the City
Inside the City	Manhole to lower Stage	Visitors
Inside the City	Fat Burning Lamp	Inside the City
Trap	Inside the City	Inside the City
Inside the City	Passage to lower stage	Inside the City
Guide	Inside the City	Inside the City
Inside the City	Stone cap of interlevel manhole	Toilet pit
Inside the City	Inside the City	Inside the City
Grain Storage Pit	Visitors	Inside the City
Inside the City

©Lux		30-Apr-2009 05:19
Wonderful g

		29-Apr-2009 16:01
~V~

George McCarten		28-Apr-2009 14:59
Another marvel unveiled. Great stuff!

Barri Olson		28-Apr-2009 05:51
What an incredible place and great photos of it. Thank you because I would never have seen this without your camera and vision.

Cyrus Khamak		26-Apr-2009 11:41
fine captures with interesting light, thanks for sharing, V

João Lopes		26-Apr-2009 09:40
Outstanding gallerie, i enjoy it every single minute i've been here. Great Document, great work. V.

jreal		25-Apr-2009 15:38
An awesome collection ~V~

David Nathanson		25-Apr-2009 02:53
Fascinating gallery. V.

Graeme		24-Apr-2009 22:49
What a terrific gallery Ali. Great photos my friend...BV!!!

AdnanMasood		24-Apr-2009 18:39
Dear Ali, Stunning visit to City of Noushabad thru your gallery. Big Vote!

Dave Hawkins		24-Apr-2009 01:35
Absolutely stunning collection of ancient history! This is more than photography, it transports the viewer back thousands of years Really amazing gallery

brianpowellphotography		23-Apr-2009 21:34
Amazing!! Vote

Ken Chambers		23-Apr-2009 18:52
A remarkable set of pictures, thank you for sharing pictures of your country with us.. voted

Bang Truong		23-Apr-2009 17:26
Excellent location ! v

Art Rodriguez		23-Apr-2009 12:30
Excellent gallery with well composed photos. Art

Sam_C		23-Apr-2009 08:39
Amazing gallery taking us (and your new camera!) to a magical place!! Big Vote!

endre novak		23-Apr-2009 06:59
fantastic place and perfect presentation.

kd		23-Apr-2009 03:42
nice pictures Ali

Sam Rua		23-Apr-2009 01:14
Very nice gallery, Ali. You have done a great job presenting this special place.

giselle borgwardt		23-Apr-2009 00:09
Thanks for this fantastic documentation! V

Brian with an Eye		22-Apr-2009 12:34
So interesting to see these images. Thanks for the background information.

Giancarlo Guzzardi		22-Apr-2009 08:03
impressive underworld

Zoltán Balogh		21-Apr-2009 19:41
Great gallery again, Ali! I enjoyed the underground tour very much! V

455 rocket		21-Apr-2009 15:18
Fascinating place, thank you for the tour.

Fay Stout		21-Apr-2009 11:58
An amazing engineering feat! Great shots Ali! V.

Mihai		21-Apr-2009 11:01
Fascinating place, excellent work ! Big Vote !

don nieman		21-Apr-2009 10:00
Wow, what an interesting and informative gallery. Well shot, too!

thechebb		21-Apr-2009 09:05
Excellent images! Cheers & voted!

Ann...		21-Apr-2009 05:27
A fabulous gallery of this immensely interesting place. A great collection of photographs which clearly illustrate the construction of this underground city.

Wendy O		21-Apr-2009 02:28
Fascinating!

POMAH		21-Apr-2009 01:42
Amazing photos of an architectural wonder! Thanks for sharing the photos and a bit of history. V

PauloCGama		20-Apr-2009 22:31
Awesome set of images - top quality gallery, Ali. Vv

Bill Warren		20-Apr-2009 19:07
One of your best galleries Ali. The lighting is exceptional in this underground city. V

James Bonner		20-Apr-2009 18:14
FANTASTIC Images! Great work Ali! VVV!... Josefina

James Pan		20-Apr-2009 17:23
Magical! Such beautiful place. Love how you treated the colors. Excellent!

Norbert Fortelny		20-Apr-2009 17:10
Amazing place, thanks.

ilana gil		20-Apr-2009 16:34
Wonderful pictures from fascinating place! Wish to visit there some day when the peace will come to our area.

Marcia Rules		20-Apr-2009 16:12
what a sense of intrigue; mystical tones & design...v

Buba Jafarli		20-Apr-2009 12:55
You've made a lovely gallery again, Ali, many thanks for it! V.

Bartosz Kotulski		20-Apr-2009 12:21
fantastic series Ali. well composed. very well done

j>a>e>17 :):):)		20-Apr-2009 12:01
way wayWAY koooliooo & inviting & mysterious :):):) 17 windy city WOW WOW WOWvationzzz!!! :):):)

anuschka		20-Apr-2009 10:26
Interesting reportage and fine photography(nice camera!), thanks for the information too. V.

Gervan		20-Apr-2009 07:21
Unique collection. Perfectly captures as usual. . V.

T. Richard Chen		20-Apr-2009 00:09
What a great collection of this ancient architcture! Just can't imagine how people made this underground city without any "COMPUTER". Your technique is superb.

Al Chesworth		19-Apr-2009 22:26
Superb images, and a remarkable gallery. Bravo.

Rosemarie Kusserow		19-Apr-2009 20:17
Hi Ali, thanks for posting this very interesting gallery and your comment, I enjoyed by slideshow and I´m amazed about your so fantastic pictures, another so beautiful place of your country, big vote, Rosemarie :o)

Hodero		19-Apr-2009 19:59
Again you take us on a fantastic journey through your beautiful country. Stunning shots of this amazing place. Big Vote!

Denis Vincelette		19-Apr-2009 18:37
Something I would love to visit ! Thanks for sharing those superb images of this fantastic place !

Algis Kemezys		19-Apr-2009 14:45
This is where the underground shows us light ,texture and form can arouse the spirit.

Roland		19-Apr-2009 13:29
Such a special subject and wonderful execution of your photographic skills. V

Steve Mockford		19-Apr-2009 12:01
Well put together galley Ali. You have done a great job of recording this and sharing with the rest of us - thank you. ~V~

John Armstrong		19-Apr-2009 09:31
Great handheld work, a fascinating subject and lots of detailed information. Much appreciated (V)

veraferia		19-Apr-2009 07:32
Another excellent gallery with a great point of interest of Iran! Interesting explanation!V

H2M		19-Apr-2009 06:35
Again a wonderful tribute to your Country Ali. Thanks for sharing. BV

Jerry Krause Sr		19-Apr-2009 03:12
Ali.. a beautiful gallery here... is always a pleasure visiting your galleries as you make it feel as if we are visiting your home... thanks for the visit.. v

Máire Uí Mhaicín		18-Apr-2009 19:10
Very good use of the ambient light to give a sense of atmosphere to this amazing location. -v-

Greg Little		18-Apr-2009 11:29
Interesting place. Nice shots under challenging conditions. Well done.

Raymond Ma		18-Apr-2009 06:09
Fascinating Ali! Excellent job with the difficult lighting. V

an nguyen		18-Apr-2009 00:03
Incredible the world of underground mystery...

James Clarke		17-Apr-2009 23:42
Fantastic images and informative descriptions. BV

Jim Coffman		17-Apr-2009 12:28
Very interesting gallery full of wonderful captures. V

Steve Morris		17-Apr-2009 07:33
Again I enjoyed your travel guide to Iran - yet another fascinating place well photographed! Loved reading the info and absorbing the atmosphere Ali! BV

larose forest photos		16-Apr-2009 14:47
Wonderful collection of photos of this intriguing place. Thank you for telling us about it. V

Chad Ramsey		16-Apr-2009 01:05
Excellent shots! Great look into this underground city! V

jean-yves chamberland		16-Apr-2009 00:41
beautiful gallery.

Kim		15-Apr-2009 21:33
Amazing place!! and first class photo work! V

Mangles Photography		15-Apr-2009 18:52

		15-Apr-2009 17:40

patrickjoust		15-Apr-2009 01:25
Fantastic gallery!!

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