Kharanaq: Please don’t shake the Minerat

Ancient Kharanaq is like a scene out of an old western with tumbleweed and the only signs of life are  some lonely donkeys and feral kitties.  The townspeople have moved into new housing just meters away.

The town itself is filled with winding covered passageways with rooms branching off of them. It’s easy to lose your sense of direction while venturing around.  The maze of passages deters thieves since it is difficult to make a quick getaway here.  I imagine that it also helps with keeping spaces inside warm in the winter since there isn’t a direct cross breeze to push warm air out of the interior space.

The buildings themselves are basically made of mud and straw and are in a bad state.  Some renovations are going on now but I imagine that there is little funding and the process is slow.  Visitors are allowed to roam freely about the place.   Some visitors have actually fallen through the ceilings since they are naturally unaware of how fragile this place is.   The central minerat used to be open to visitors but it’s been damaged due to visitors carelessness.  This minerat is not flexible and isn’t meant to be shaken.  It’s just as fragile as the rest of the place so resist the temptation while visiting.