Kaluts of Shahdad

East of the oasis town of Shahdad, the Lut Desert — Dasht-e Lut — reveals one of the world’s most spectacular landscapes: the kaluts, huge ridges and towers of clay and sand sculpted by the wind into shapes that look like ruined castles, ships and sleeping animals. The Lut became Iran’s first natural UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016, and satellites have measured some of the highest ground temperatures ever recorded on Earth here.

The best way to experience it is with a local driver: arrive in the afternoon, watch the kaluts turn orange and red at sunset, then stay for a night in a desert camp. Far from any city lights, the Milky Way rises over the formations with astonishing clarity. In summer the heat is extreme, so the season runs from autumn to spring.