The Shahdad desert (called Shahdad kalut) has features that, if not exceptional, are undoubtedly rare in the world. Later in this article, we will mention those features that have given Iran’s ecosystem a more spectacular effect.
Shahdad is one of Kerman’s districts. In the northeast of this province, you will find the area called by this name. Shahdad is near Sirach and known as part of Lut desert. There is a distance of 40 kilometers from Shahdad city to its Kaluts. In that distance, the Kaluti area is visible, with a width of 145 km in length and 70 km in width. This means we are talking about a vast desert. The sand dunes of Lut desert, upto Shahdad kalut are aligned and parallel and are a natural and desirable place for desert hikers and tourists.
There are two ways to reach the desert and Shahdad kalut. One is the way tourists use; that is, those who are not professional and experienced desert hikers. This road starts from a place that goes from the city of Shahdad to Nehbandan in south Khorasan province. Since it is more or less easy to pass through this road, it is called the green road or zone. The other is a unique way for professionals who go to the heart of the Shahdad desert with proper tools, equipment, and experienced guides. This difficult path is something like “forbidden zone”; challenging, risky, long-distance, and accompanied by the difficulties of desert climbing. Only skilled desert hikers can travel here.
Before listing the features of Shahdad’s Kalut, we must know the meaning of Kalut. Kalut refers to natural ridges that appear in deserts and barren land. One part of these Kaluts is steep because it faces the continuous wind, and the other part is flat. Why do Kaluts (ridges) appear? It is a question that does not have a convincing answer. Maybe they are due to erosion caused by wind and water, and other causes are unknown from a scientific point of view. But the decline of ancient lakes played a role in the formation of Kaluts. However, Kalut is known to mean “Lut Plain”. Geologists trace the origin of Shahdad’s Kaluts to 20,000 years ago and say that the 120-day winds that blow from Sistan to Kerman play a role in the formation of Shahdad’s Kaluts.
One of the most important and well-known features of Shahdad Kalut is its intense heat. In 2005, NASA announced that the temperature of the Shahdad desert was more than 70 degrees Celsius! The only place in the world that is as hot as the Shahdad desert is the Grand Canyon, a valley in Arizona, USA.
The walls of the Kalut and Shahdad deserts are moist from the salty river. The Salt River is the only river that flows in the Lut desert, and it is more saline than expected and has much salt.
Kalut and Shahdad desert give a mysterious view. Its heights look like mountains with mysterious shapes, reaching the sky. These mountain-like ridges play with the imagination of every viewer and create different shapes in one’s eyes. this is the reason for the delusiveness and mystery of Shahdad Kalut. It is not without ground that some world travelers and foreign tourists call Kalut Shahdad “the city of ghosts.” This is also the reason for the attractiveness of that area for tourists you prefer unknown and mysterious lands to familiar places. On the other hand, another feature of Kalut Shahdad is the 100-hectare egg-shaped salt flat, which cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
As we come from Sirach to Shahdad, the vegetation cover of the ground becomes less and less. What can be seen more are the Neem trees and other bushes. We will not find any plants in the Shahdad desert itself.
It should not be left untold that Shahdad desert and Kalut have a civilization that goes back to 6,000 years, from which very valuable relics and documents have been found that prove the importance and value of this ancient civilization. One of the ancient findings from this civilization, which is named Jiroft civilization, is “Shahdad derafsh” (banner). This metal banner has the shape of an eagle carved on top of it and is now kept in the national museum of Iran.
When arriving at Kalut Shahdad, several ancient works also attract the attention of tourists; For example, an area 20 kilometers from Shahdad called “Gandom Beryan,” which is covered in blackness caused by volcanic lava; or fortresses such as Remuk castle remaining from the first centuries of post-ancient Iran; Choghuki Castle and Bahram Castle.
