Image source: Private album. Image post-processed, panoramic view.

Tourism in Abyaneh(Viuna)

the worst headache of its kind !

The following is a short summary of the interview with Mohammad Adeli, the mayor of the historical village of Abyaneh with Iran's Asr news analysis site 20231106. Asr Iran reporter states that "the incompatibility brought by tourism has ruined the image of the historic Abyaneh. Deterioration of the situation accelerated markedly between years 2009-2015." The influx of tourists to Abyaneh not only changed its appearance but suddenly changed the culture of the village. In year 2014, entered 56,000 tourists to Abyaneh, of which 26,000 were foreign tourists. It is said that on some holidays of the year have kom 3,500 vehicles and 25,000 tourists to Abyaneh.

Between the lines in the interview, Adeli (Dehyar/Mayer) states about the difficulties in solving the problems not only tourism that have arisen. He puts his finger on the consequences of ecotourism. He states that Abyaneh is not suitable for ecotourism. He goes on to say Abyaneh has a greater pain and it is the source of one and only management. Abyaneh today is like a big cake and everyone wants their share "many authorities in the municipality and the officials in various departments want to have a guest house here in Abyaneh, or accommodation and recreational facilities for their staff. 

These expectations or unreasonable demands does not agree with Abyaneh's point of view. It means that Abyaneh is not a place of recreation. Right now has, Telecommunication a guest house here, and the Health Care Service has arranged a guest house for its staff. The rest of the officials authorities are also waiting to do the same." It is obvious that it is almost difficult to maintain the traditional cultural social structure with thousands of visitors almost daily to a small village with limited resources.

Reference

Asr Iran web address: https://www.asriran.com/ Title of clip: "Look, there is no disaster that has not happened to the historical village of Abyaneh, will this 1000-year-old village survive?", Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa0XPkdnUA8 , Uploaded: Nov 6, 2023, Language is in Persian. 

Highlight

The clip highlight "The historical village of Abyaneh was one of the architectural prides of Iran. But now it can be said that it is not anymore. Disparities in society and the unnecessary and inconsistent building construction with the structure of society have destroyed the historical form of Abyaneh". About 6 years ago, states Asr Iran reporter that "we made a report about the poor condition of this village, which we are now planning to republish. A report that shows what happened to the historical village of Abyaneh and no one paid attention to it".

Reflection

The indiscriminate influx of tourists in the last ten years and the lack of proper planning in relation to the number and capacity of Abyaneh village with 200 households, especially domestic tourists, have created great problems for the people. Domestic tourists and few foreigners wander around the farms without permission, pick fruits, pollute the environment without taking into account the importance of the environment for the people of Abyaneh, not least their own health. It doesn't feel like there is a logical solution that will end these problems in the near future. 

Tourism and its consequences!

How tourist/s allow themselves to enter private farms and pick what pleases them. If you travel as a tourist, whether domestic or foreign, you should have full respect for the environment you are in, respect its culture and what is owned by the local population. It is not written on every cone that this is private. In a community like Abyaneh, it is impossible to sign in every single place. It cannot be morally, ethically justifiable to venture onto other people's property.

Image 1 shows how the man hangs on the branches in the steep wall to get down to the apple orchard. Image 3 and 4, he picks the apples and fills his bag. He shares the apples with his companion. They have not paid for the apples, nor have they been allowed to do so. The video clip also shows that they have picked almonds and walnuts.

Reference: Images are screenshots of the video below- Titel: "Infiltrating a remote Iranian mountain village & stealing their fruit (Abyaneh)", Upload: 18 September 2023, Language: English URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abNlwMGh4OA - @GCVVGCVVGCVV

Use a live Platanus orientalis tree as a barbecue oven!

The images below you see are screenshots from a clip video (1 m, 55 sec). The video is taken at Paygason, an environment area that is sensitive to the damage caused by man's negative impact. Here grows Platanus orientalis (Platanaceae), it can reach up to 35 meters and lifespan of more than 100 years. These trees mostly grows near streams. What is seen in the Images below is a result of irresponsibility, carelessness, of domestic tourists who burn firewood in the natural opening created in the Platanus orientalis tree to cook, grill the chicken or kebab meat, regardless of the consequences. It is strange to mistreat such a mighty and old tree, i.e. use it as a barbecue oven.

How children and teenagers are affected when they see grown people making a fire inside the tree trunk. What do adults convey to their children, a destructive behavior? When others in the world are fighting to save the earth and its environment, there are individual people who promote destroying it. Will the 300 hundred year old tree mentioned in the video make it and survive?  Mr Jadidi has sent the video to local authorities in Abyaneh to inform them about a burnt tree, caused by domestic tourists starting fire in inappropriate places in such a fascinating environment. Jadidi in his report suggests local authorities to fill the gap in the tree with cement. One wonders if it helps to save the tree.

Mr Naimi on behalf of Abyaneh Islamic Council thanks Jadidi for his attention. R.Naimi writes in his comment "Thank you for your attention. One of the clear signs of good people is to pay attention to the health of the surrounding environment, trees, creatures and domestic and wild animals. I congratulate you for having this spirit and a heart full of love and good intentions. I wish you and your loved ones continued health and well-being… Unfortunately, as a result of lack of attention and carelessness of tourists, trees and gardens are damaged. If God wills (let's hope so), in consultation with an expert from the "Agricultural Jihad organization" We will help to maintain the desired tree".

Image source: @kohanviuna,Telegram Video Clip hoseyn jadidi 2023-11-25 at 13.59.

Catastrophic images in 2024. How on earth can you imagine burning logs in Abyaneh to cook and make tea at the expense of cultural diversity and the environment.

Reflection

If you stop for a moment and read between the lines of what Jadidi says and what Naimi answers, you understand how far apart these gentlemen stand in the face of the problem that has arisen. It is good that Jadidi is reacting to the pressure that tourism has brought to a small village. At least he has a suggestion, ie cement the log. But Naimi must first contact a consultant "expert" to see if it is possible to keep the tree alive. If an important reported problem had been taken seriously by the local authority, in the first instance the authority would ensure that there are simple rules, well written on signs that tell people what applies in this area, what is prohibited and what is not. And that the local authority locates guards who ensure that the rules are followed to the letter.

To be given information sheets at checkpoints where tourists are allowed into the village and that there are responsible guards at the places most neglected by tourists. The two points would reduce some of the major problems experienced by the villagers.

The Overtourism Dilemma

Too many visitors!  Lack of planning, management?  Different perceptions of tourism between the local population and local authorities?  Is there any solution?

There have been many improvement proposals from the people of Abyaneh over the years in social media and through communication channels, as well as direct contact with local authorities to address all the problems caused by internal tourists. Disregard cementing or plugging cavities in the tree which may seem like a controversial proposition.

Parts of the proposals

Block the cars from driving up to the upper water mill. Do it at the entrance of the road where the Domiloon restaurant is located. Put up a gate with a lock while arranging a passage for pedestrians who want to take a walk to natural areas. Research shows that walking is health promoting, It is better to walk the distance instead of taking the car to the watermill. The cars themselves are the culprit in polluting the environment

The person who causes fires and causes damage regardless of where she/he comes from and what type of crime she/he is guilty of should seek compensation from the local authorities. High fines always scare the guilty. Allowing tourists to go anywhere in the village without any restrictions does not belong in the small village of Abyaneh.

Many areas, surrounding farms and buildings are private. Tourists should know about what is private and what is the common right, i.e. that you are allowed to go to certain places, but do not have the right to set fire in sensitive areas and do not have the right to crowd the farms, e.g. pick fruit, take down the branches to make fire anywhere and any way.

Why are tourists allowed to camp in and on inappropriate places in the village. Water Mill image Left shows how domestic tourists choose to spend the night on the roof of the watermill. The material on the roof is not durable for hiking or camping and spending the night. The material withstands rainwater to a certain extent and needs to be renewed every two years. The wear and tear on these places brings with it extra costs with the hard-pressed economy the village is facing. Water Mill image Right is an old image of the water mill shows how life has changed even for the small village of Abyaneh. It is calm and quiet, only water flowing down from the small rapids can be heard. The donkey has given way to the Japanese car Zamyad. It is no wonder that the people of Abyaneh want their peaceful environment back.

You see how playful young Parkour practitioner tourist prefer to jump up and down on the dome-shaped roof of the newly renovated bath house (Hammam). How difficult is it to put up a sign "No Sports Activity on The Roofs" That there are clear signs along the main street, smaller paths to be able to wander around without anyone being disturbed.

None of these products were made or used by the people of Abyaneh. Look carefully who is the seller? They are not from Abyaneh. These alienated products have never had any place in the rich cultural traditional Abyaneh. Sad to subject a handful of residents to as much pressure as tourism has brought to them. Source: Screenshot, Youtube Clip, The red village of the world with red house's, Upload 2024-05-12, @arezoogholipour5252.

Pollution in Tarda'r environment

Tarda'ar water source flows from the water well dug in a rocky ground about 1km above the water source. There are plastic bags, sometimes even diapers thrown in this stream by irresponsible domestic tourists. Research shows it takes 400 years for a plastic to break down into the ground. What a disaster for a small village.

Plague or kollera?

Some guests do not respect the nature and the life of the nativ village , they throw the remainder of foods, plastic jars, baby -dipers into the drinks water so the native are really at risk of life and limb. Not long ago the tourist burned part of fence (wood) of en old religius building to cook their food. They showed their dark side of approach to the village culture. Another time to meet their cooking needs, they burned the dorr of a private owned farm. A truth that is hard to believe, but it's true.

None of Abyaneh's compound raised his voice neither the Natanz authority nor anywhere else in the country to such excesses (Vijename Abyaneh nr 16, 1391) The other problems are the destruction of village, problems with drinking water and sanitation, and lack of civil disputes. Traveling agencies should consider this as a part of their responsibility to inform their customer. 

21,000 tourists visited Abyaneh on May 1, 2015, which was beyond the capacity of the village.

It is a disaster for a small village which is subjected to such large impact force. Hotel owners favored by tourists. The question is what they have done to improve the environment in the village. Nothing without a doubt. Hotel owners have no environmental policy nor the rural authorities. Se more on News "tsunami tourism"

Driving two hotels in a small village with its limitations does not have any positive impact on biodiversity or on its immediate environment. These hotel businesses are not climate smart. Ideally, the responsible should let domestic small bed and breakfast places grow up.

Sept 2007 claims that "hotel construction in Abyaneh by families bonded to authorities prominent members and their close allies and has put the status of this historical village at risk." https://www.cais-soas.com/News/2007/September2007/04-09.htm. 

The alternative could be to make it possible for local people interested to open a cafe shop which is located along the main road and is accessible to visitors. You can have a cup of coffee or tea with a traditional sandwich or a cold drink. and other things in a traditional setting. 

So many tourists in Abyaneh! March-April 2024

Can you understand its consequences?

Does Abyaneh have the resources to cope with the tourists' stay in Abyaneh?  In addition to themselves, their cars that pollute the air significantly. The daily number of tourists is four times the number of the population of Abyaneh.

Image source: @kohanvijuna 12 april 2024