Nush Abad underground city

The underground city Nush Abad is located in the city of the same name in the district of Ārān and Bidgol (Esfahān region) and its history goes from the Sassanid era to the Safavid era.

This three-story underground city with depths from 4 to 16 meters, is made up of solid, intricate and wide structures like narrow corridors inside each other and small rooms that develop horizontally and vertically.

This architecture in the city of Nush Ābād is called by the word "Ouyi". Except for the main entrance, the height of all other parts is equal to the normal height of a man, between the 170 and the 180 cm. On the surface of the walls and at short distances, the place where the oil lanterns are placed is striking.

In some parts of the walls, low seating platforms have also been created, which in some rooms have turned into shelves to place objects there. The city was ventilated by channels that had been created on the first floor and at ground level.

The light of these spaces was possible thanks to the terracotta oil lanterns. The first floor was actually made up of paths and corridors to divert potential invaders. The second and third floor was the place to take refuge and live in times of danger and where food supplies were kept.

Numerous entrances to the underground city have been recognized and many of these in the past have been blocked due to flood waters. To access the beautiful and surreal city of Ouyi there is only one entrance; after having climbed 45 steps you find yourself facing a solid structure and numerous corridors in the bowels of the earth and after having crossed these you reach the main rooms.