Varkaneh: a Renaissance village in heart of Alvand

October 17, 2025 - 16:54

TEHRAN-- In the lap of the beautiful Alvand Mountain and 20 kilometers from Hamedan, there is a village that its architecture reflects a picture of Europe during the Renaissance. This village is one of the most unique villages in Iran, with its houses made of stone and its buildings made of rubble stone, wood and mud mortar.

According to Miras-e Arya (CHTN), in addition to the beautiful and unique texture, the mild climate in summer and dense gardens double the beauty of Varkaneh and attract many tourists to this village every year.

The history of Varkaneh dates back more than 400 years and relics from the Safavid period have been discovered there. Historical evidence shows that at that time, “Naghi Khan Qaraguzlu” was the khan of the village and after him, his daughter became the ruler. Currently, in Varkaneh, like in other villages in the province, the elderly people have a special place and their decision-making plays a decisive role.
In Kurdish, ‘var’ means side and ‘kaneh’ means spring, so Varkaneh is known by this name, meaning being located next to water and spring. From another point of view, because there are many stone mines around the village, they took the name Varkaneh and brought the village’s name to mean a place near a mine.

The initial core of Varkaneh was formed around the village aqueduct and dates back to the early Safavid period. Stone is the main material in Varkaneh buildings, and stone types such as rubble stone, malon stone, mud brick, and brick are common building materials in the village.
It seems that the extensive use of stone was due to the abundance of this element in the region and its hardness and resistance to weather changes, as well as the shortage of bricks and adobe in the area. Therefore, the use of locally-sourced materials in the construction of buildings in Varkaneh, like in other regions of the country, was common.

In addition to the village's natural attractions such as the seasonal Simin and Varkaneh rivers, its aqueducts and springs, the surrounding mountains, and the vast and refreshing gardens, Varkaneh has historical and natural attractions, some of which have been nationally registered, and the fame of the village's honorees, such as Professor Tofigh ‘Tofy’ Mussivand, the first manufacturer of an artificial heart in the world, has reached beyond the borders and added to the village's fame.
The old texture, the village mosque building, the tomb of Imamzadeh Ghayb (AS) and the Mehri Khanum Castle, which was built in the shape of a cross, are among the attractions of Varkaneh. On the other hand, Varkaneh's proximity to the underground city of Arzanfood brings a bright future to the village's tourism and is considered a special situation for it.

About 10 years ago, the natural and historical attractions attracted famous comedians to Varkaneh, and the production of satirical television series in this village made Varkaneh a familiar name in the country's tourism sector. In this series, actors from cinema and television such as Mehdi Hashemi, Mehdi Fakhimzadeh, Ahmad Mehranfar, Hossein Moheb-Ahari, Hadi Kazemi, Hooman Haj-Abdollahi, Mahmoud Jafari, and Ezzatollah Ramezanifar lived in a village that had attracted the attention of tourists and generated income due to its mineral water baths.

With all its beauty and potential in the field of tourism, Varkaneh is today one of the three tourism target villages in Hamadan province that is competing for possible globalization and its file is being prepared to be submitted to the World Tourism Organization in 2026.

Provided it becomes globalized, this village, with its abundant potential, unique texture, and natural and historical attractions, can be a new destination for rural tourism.

KD  

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