Bagh-e Sangi

Southeastern Iran


Possibly Iran's most mind-blowing work of contemporary art was haphazardly created over decades by deaf/non-verbal shepherd Darvish Khan Esfandiarpur, who hung a square patch of some 150 dead fruit trees with a series of dangling rocks – some weighing as much as 30kg apiece. Later famed as the subject of Parviz Kimiavi's classic film Garden of Stones, Khan died in 2007. His lonely creation, in semi-desert 6km east of Balvand, is still maintained by his son.

The site is 2km off the Sirjan–Baft road, turning 45km east of Sirjan. The access lane is signed and recently asphalted.