Age-old Trees of Bavanat County

Located in the northern part of Fars Province, Bavanat County is famous for its biodiversity and the existence of protected areas such as “Darreh Bagh” (Garden Valley) recreation resort. One of the natural attractions of this county is its age-old trees, which are mostly located in the Mazayjan region, and some of them are more than a thousand years old. The rich diversity of fauna in Bavanat County and the existence of boar, hyena, fox, and wolf in it make nature tourism in this city very enjoyable. There have also been some reports of cheetahs and bears being sighted in this county.

Due to the importance of the environment in people’s lives and beliefs, old trees are respected by Iranians, to the extent that some of these trees are considered sacred by the people. Age-old trees have usually grown in shrines, mosques, or next to water springs, and due to the importance of such places, people also respected these trees and if any of them were a fruit tree, its fruits were considered healing. Because of these beliefs, knowing about age-old trees is also very important from an anthropological point of view.

Geography and Population of Bavanat

Bavanat County is 240 kilometers away from Shiraz and is located in area of 2499 square kilometers. The population of this county is a little more than 50 thousand people who speak Persian. The center of this county is the Bavanat City, which was known as “Suriyan” in the past. The city of Bavanat is located between the two mountain ranges of Zagros and Bavanat, and a seasonal river passes through it.

There is a 20-hectare hunting-prohibited area in Bavanat, which - due to the presence of rare plant and animal species - is considered one of Iran’s important habitats. The flora of this habitat includes pistacia atlantica, almond, tamarix, and milkvetch and wild goats and goats, rams and sheep, leopards, wolves, foxes, and rabbits along with partridges, sandgrouse, common murre, and different types of predatory birds form its fauna.

Age-old Trees of Bavanat

There are some age-old trees in Bavanat, some of which are more than a thousand years old. The interesting thing to note is the different species of these trees and their relative distribution in the entire Bavanat, which reflect the richness of its vegetation.

• Age-old trees of Badbar: Pirkaduyeh Spring is located in Badbar village of Bavanat County. The distance between this village and Shiraz is about 200 km. This spring, which is known as a resort, is more than two thousand years old. Pirkaduyeh Spring has a Fraxinus Excelsior also known as European Ash tree, and several plane trees, which are among the age-old trees of the village.

There is also an old Elm tree in Badbar Village, which has been inscribed as a natural heritage of Iran. Another age-old tree in this village is a plane tree located in Hazrat Abulfazl Mosque.

• Age-old plane tree of Simakan: Simakan Village of Bavanat is located 174 km from Shiraz and there is a plane tree that is hundreds of years old.

• Age-old cypress tree of Manj: Another age-old tree of Bavanat is located in Manj Village. Some local people believe that the age of this cedar is about 2500 years. This village is located 260 km from Shiraz and its old cypress tree is located on a river bank and next to the walnut orchards.

• Mulberry trees of Imamzadeh Bazm Shrine: there are stout and magnificent mulberry trees in one of the villages of Bavanat, called Imamzadeh Bazm, which is located on the way from Bavanat to Harat of Yazd, that are more than 100 years old. There is also a shrine in this village called Bibi Khatun, where a plane tree and an old mulberry tree can be seen. The distance of this village from Shiraz is about 250 km and about 100 people live there.

• Age-old trees of Muhammad Hanafiyya Qadamgah: This village is 3.5 km away from Bavanat City and 185 km away from Shiraz. There are elms in the village whose height is more than 20 meters. In addition, an old plane tree also stands out in this village. There is a spring called Muhammad Hanafiyya Spring near these trees and on the slopes of Khatavand mountain, which is a recreational resort for the local people.

• Age-old Plane tree of Mahdi: Another age-old tree of Bavanat, which is a type of plane tree, is located in Mahdi Abad Village, which has a population of about 500 people and is located 240 km from Shiraz.

The age-old trees of Bavanat were inscribed on the list of Iran’s natural heritage in the year 2019 AD.

There are some age-old trees in Bavanat, some of which are more than a thousand years old. The interesting thing to note is the different species of these trees and their relative distribution in the entire Bavanat, which reflect the richness of its vegetation.