Abyaneh is a famous historic Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

ian village near the city of Natanz

Natanz

Natanz is a city in and the capital of Natanz County, Isfahan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 12,060, in 3,411 families. It is located south-east of Kashan....

 in Isfahan Province.

Characterized by a peculiar reddish hue, the village is one of the oldest in Iran, attracting numerous native and foreign tourists year-round, especially during traditional feasts and ceremonies.

An Abyunaki woman typically wears a white long scarf (covering the shoulders and upper trunk) which has a colourful pattern and an under-knee skirt. Abyunaki people have persistently maintained this traditional costume despite pressures from time to time by the government trying to change it.

Abyaneh also resisted conversion to Islam throughout the ages, and stayed Zoroastrian

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...

 until it was forced to convert to Shi'ite Islam in the time of the Safavid dynasty

Safavid dynasty

The Safavid dynasty was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran. They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires since the Muslim conquest of Persia and established the Twelver school of Shi'a Islam as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning...

, as were many other villages and towns that had held onto the Zoroastrian religion until then.

On top of the village sits the ruins of a Sasanid era fort.

Since June 2005, the village has been undergoing archaeological excavations for the first time ever, as a result of an agreement between Abyaneh Research Center and the Archaeology Research Center of the Iranian Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO). http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/article_7552.shtml

External links

• Welcome to Abyaneh
• Shapour Bahrami, Abyaneh, Iran, Photo Set, flickr
• HORIZON, Abyaneh, Photo Set, flickr
• Anyaneh Village (video), PressTV, 4 April 2010. (7 min)
• Abyaneh by Iman Dowlatshahi