South-eastern Iran
From the Burnt City to the Makran coast
In Iran’s far south-east, Sistan and Baluchestan stretches from the legendary land of Hamun to the shores of the Sea of Oman. Bronze Age cities, volcanic mountains, artisan villages, otherworldly landscapes and the rich cultures of Baluch and Sistani communities create extraordinary variety. To travel here is to encounter remote Iran at its most compelling—where history, desert, ocean and generous hospitality meet.
South-eastern Iran
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Shahr-e Sukhteh, the ‘Burnt City’, was a major urban centre in ancient Sistan during the third millennium BCE. Residential and craft quarters, its cemetery and diverse finds provide exceptional evidence for early urban society on the eastern Iranian Plateau.
Along the road from Chabahar to Gwadar Bay, the sharp grooves and grey-white tones of the Miniature Mountains rise beside the blue Sea of Oman. Rapid erosion by wind and rain shaped these otherworldly forms, while the road continually opens new views between golden coast and rippling ridgelines.
The Chabahar coast faces the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean, forming Iran’s only oceanic shoreline. Rocky headlands, sandy bays and tidal landscapes give the country’s southeast a distinctive character.
Lipar Pink Lagoon near Chabahar owes its colour to salt-loving microorganisms and algae active in highly saline water. The intensity of the pink varies with water level, salinity and seasonal conditions, so the lagoon does not look identical throughout the year.
Gando Protected Area in southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan safeguards river channels, natural pools and the habitat of the mugger crocodile, locally known as the gando. Its importance is ecological rather than architectural, and visits should follow conservation rules and local safety guidance.
