Kal-e Jenni Canyon

Kal-e Jenni is a canyon 32 kilometres north of the city of Tabas in South Khorasan Province, Iran. It lies near the village of Azmighan and is one of the natural attractions of eastern Iran. Kal-e Jenni Canyon was registered on Iran's National Natural Heritage list in 1396 (2017). Because of its unusual shape and structure, and the strange sounds made by the wind blowing through its crevices, it was once believed to be the home of spirits and jinn. The odd cavities and tunnels in the canyon walls also fed this belief, and local people called it the Valley of the Jinn.

The canyon is shaped like the English letter V and has one main channel (kal) and several side channels. The main channel begins at a palm grove and runs toward the village of Azmighan, then ends at a channel leading to a qanat. The water flowing through the main channel rises from the Azmighan spring. Kal-e Jenni is eight kilometres long and continues between tall, steep walls. The first three kilometres of the canyon's riverbed are covered with limestone, and the middle two kilometres contain erosional features. In the last three kilometres there is a dry riverbed on alluvial sediments.

Sights in Kal-e Jenni include the patterns and carvings on the high walls, the jinn's chimneys and ovens (erosional columns and cylinders), small waterfalls and pools of water, and the astonishing cavities inside the walls. These cavities and tunnels were probably hand-dug and served as dwellings for Zoroastrians during the Sasanian period and after the Arab invasion of Iran. Popular activities in Kal-e Jenni include hiking through the canyon, swimming in the pools, enjoying the surrounding scenery and photography. There is no accommodation at Kal-e Jenni itself, but you can camp in the area or stay at hotels in the city of Tabas or at ecolodges in the nearby villages.

Because of its geographical position, the Kal-e Jenni area has a hot, dry, desert climate. Summer temperatures can reach 49 °C, and in winter they can drop to -5 °C. Most months of the year are dry with little rain, and limited rainfall occurs only in winter and early spring. Large temperature differences between summer and winter, and between day and night, are an important feature of the region. Most travellers consider autumn the best time to visit Kal-e Jenni, though the landscape is beautiful in every season of the year.