Haftad Molla Ancient Cemetery

One of the tourism attractions of a city is its cemetery. Furthermore, if the burial rituals and shape of the graves belong to different historical eras, it adds to the visual charms of the setting. There is a cemetery in Mirjaveh region of Sistan and Baluchestan known as Haftad Molla, meaning seventy Mullahs.

This cemetery is about eight hundred years old, and is located in the sandstone height of the volcanic mount of Taftan, close to the touristic village of Tamin, which has cold weather. One of the most amazing views of Taftan peak can be seen from this village.

Like other historical monuments of Tamin village, Haftad Molla Cemetery has been built on the rocks. In the past, people were inspired by the architecture of the tomb of Cyrus and have carved a big hole in a piece of rock to make graves. The cemetery covers an area of five hundred squire meters and has the shape of an arch spread over the eastern side of Rups village. The graves are always shadowed and, therefore, have been safe from erosion by wind or rain. One hundred years before, two large stone pillars were located in front of this hole, but they have been destroyed.

The graves are in the form of rectangular. Bricks were arranged over their two sides and the dead were buried inside them. These graves were built flat, and eight holes were embedded on each for ventilation. The walls of the cemetery were painted in red which was produced from the local soil. The families also made decorations on the graves using the same soil.

The exact date and chronicles of formation of the cemetery is unknown, which has led to various tales to be told about it. There are two stories about Hafted Molla Cemetery; One is that after the introduction of Islam in Iran, the Zoroastrian priests sought refuge and died in this place. The second one is that the people buried their dead in height of the mountain to keep them safe from the flood. The fact that this site is located near a river can prove this premise.

Haftad Molla Cemetery is registered as a national heritage of Iran. The way to reach this site is to take the route from Zahedan to Mirjaveh and then, Tamin village. The road to Tamin village is asphalted and can be easily used. But the road from the village to the cemetery can be taken using only local vehicles.