Shahdad is one of the old cities of Kerman province. Shahdad’s Kaluts have universal fame. Every year, many tourists come to this place to see Kaluts of Shahdad city.
If you stayed in this desert for one night, it would be impossible not to enjoy being here. You will be drawn in the sky at night in this desert because of beauty of its beauty.
What is Kalut?
Kalut is the name of natural and geographical effects which are created during 20 thousand years because of erosion against wind and water. It has created some figures like pictures, as you can see. Kaluts are special phenomena(another name of them is yardang).
Shahdad has length of 145 and width of 80 kilometers and is located nearly in the heart of Lut desert. The word of Kalut consists of 2 parts.
1. Kal: Meaning city
2. Lut: Name of a desert in Iran
You may think that Kalut means a city in the Lut desert. You may also feel that these shapes were created by human, but they were created by natural forces. In simple definition, Kaluts were made by erosion against wind and water. Stones have been become loose during the years against wind and water. If you look at Kaluts from distance, you will imagine you are looking at a city with skyscrapers that is why some tourists have named here as a city of skyscrapers.
No one lives in this region and it is like a silent hill. Walking in the silent gives you the feeling of being frightened while you are looking at a beautiful view. For creating Kaluts, a river with name of Shur has a role.
This river is the only one in this region which is always streaming (Lut desert is the hottest place all around the world and it is amazing that the water of the river never evaporates).
This river begins from mountains of Birjand city and after passing 200 kilometers, it comes to this region. If you want to visit here, you should be familiar with the ways of this region, because shapes of stones and different parts are the same and this city is so big; therefore, it is super easy to get lost. If you enter this region without any license, you will be arrested as a guilty person.
Vegetation
Tamarisks and different bushes are abundant in this place. When you reached Kaluts, vegetation will be faded. There is no sign of life near Kaluts.
Inexistence of vegetation around Kaluts is not because of salty soil, lacks of water and etc. The reason is because of severe winds.
From Fable to Truth
Some people believe that this part is accursed. In the books of geographers of Islamic world has been quoted that remnants of a destroyed city are obvious near Kaluts. Some plates and vases were discovered near this region and it seems that there was an ancient city in the past dating back to 5000 years ago.
By building a Shahdad’s camp, it gives possibility to tourists to stay in this region and enjoy the natural effects and beautiful sky. It is no exaggeration if we say that this camp is a millions-of-stars hotel, because you can see a star-full sky at nights.
How to Get There?
Shahdad camp is placed in the western part of Lut desert and for reaching this camp, you should pass 27 kilometers from Shahdad to Kaluts and after passing Dolatabad, Amirabad and Shafiabad villages, you will see a camp with 40 wooden cottages. These cottages will provide you with bathrooms, bedrooms, water, electricity and etc.
Address: Iran, Kerman Province, Shahdad city, Shahdad Kaluts
