Shahdad’s Kalouts

Shahdad’s Kalouts are an extraordinary natural formation extending over 80 kilometers wide and 145 kilometers long, covering an area of more than 11,000 square kilometers in the heart of the Lut Desert. From a distance, this region resembles a vast city with numerous skyscrapers, which has led some foreign travelers to refer to it as the “City of Ghosts.” This uninhabited area is characterized by utter silence and tranquility. Despite its pristine beauty, traversing through this city of earthy structures instills a beautiful yet eerie sensation in every passerby.

It is said that each rain shower over the Lut Desert reshapes the kalouts, giving them a new appearance. Another contributing factor to the Kalouts’ unique architecture is the Shur River, which flows through Iran’s driest regions. Initially not salty, the river becomes saline as it passes through the desert. It moistens the walls of the kalouts, facilitating their erosion.

Professor Parviz Kardavani, a desert expert and professor at the University of Tehran, has identified the Shahdad Kalouts area as the hottest point on Earth. In 2005, NASA measured the temperature in the desert and the Shahdad Kalouts to be around 70 degrees Celsius. This region is known among geologists as one of the “thermal poles of the Earth.