World's oldest trees in Yazd

Yazd is the land of the oldest living organisms across the globe, and the history of its settlements is believed to date from before the third millennium BC.
Some of the historical texts believe that a number of its cities were founded in the time of famous figures and dignitaries: Meibod is attributed to the prophet Solomon, Yazd to Zahhak and Alexander the Great, and Akbar Kuh to the prophet Abraham.
The 5,000-year-old cypress tree in Akbar Kuh is perhaps among the most spectacular natural remains of the city throughout the long history of Yazd which confirms the old history of this region along with other desert trees. In the province of Yazd, over 50 old trees have been identified which are of various species like plane, ash, cypress and walnut; people still highly respect them and spend their holidays beside them into nights.
Most of the old trees in the province are between 800 and 1,500 years old and are recognized as symbols of permanence and stability by the people living in the harsh weather conditions of deserts. Perhaps that's why the Yazdi respect their old trees and call them sacred.
For instance, according to an old tradition some of the people in Tabas light candles for the sake of their sick by the cypress tree in Kharu on Thursday nights and tie pieces of cloth to it, demanding for their wish to come true. Also the locals of the neighboring villages of Mehriz, where there is a plane tree, believe that it catches fire automatically and shuts down again.
About the 1,400-year-old plane tree, Chek Chek, which is a holy tree for the elderly, it is said that it was broken twice as a result of landslides but it has grown again.
The residents of Darbid in Yazd also hang colorful strings down their old cypress tree and make a wish.
There are rumors about the tree in Aras Bajegan in the city of Bafgh; cutting down its branches will make it start bleeding. They treat the divine tree respectfully.
The second oldest tree in world
The 5,000 year-old-cypress tree in the city of Abar Kuh, the second oldest tree throughout the world, symbolizes vividness and beauty. Despite this all, many tourists are ignorant of the spectacular highlights in Yazd and the cypress tree located 120 km west of the city of Yazd.
The second oldest tree in world
The cypress tree in Abar Kuh, Abar Ghu, is known to be the second oldest living organism on the planet after the tree of Methuselah. Although known as the 5,000- year-old cypress in the country, Japanese and Russian scientists have measured an age of even 8,000 years old for the tree.
Hamdollah Mostofi in his book "Nozhat Olgholub," written in 740 AH says in this regard, there is a world-known cypress in there which is now taller and larger than the cypress trees in Kashmir and Balkh.
Alexander Roof, the Russian scientist, estimates it is between 4000 and 4,500 years old. Currently, the tree is about 28 m tall and the circumference of its trunk measures 1.5 m.
1,000-year-old tree in a house garden
The city of Abar Kuh boasts another old one, measured to be over 1,000 years old. It lies in a small garden in an old house and has received a cultural heritage plaque.
Darbid, a region 30 km northeast of Yazd, houses four old cypress trees The cypress tree, 2,500 years old with a height of 21 m, is a spot where the locals in the region hang down colorful cloth pieces to make their dreams come true. It is now drying as a result of expanding the open space and making stone pavements. Another 12 meter cypress tree stands in the place measured to be close to 1,000 years old. Also two old cypress trees, 150 to 200 years old, are seen there whose heights are 9 and 111 m.
The cypress tree of Mang Abad in Mehriz is among the old trees in the city, estimated to be over 2,000 years of age. On the trunk of the 14-m tree there are the signs of woodpeckers' beaks.
The plane tree in the village of Nasr Abad, 1,500 years old, is another highlight in the province of Yazd and its old trees. It is 37 km northwest of Taft. Inside, its trunk is empty due to a fire and now its old branches are replaced by young ones supported by strong wires.
The plane tree of Islamiyeh, almost 1,500 years old with a plaque by the cultural heritage, is located 10 km southwest of the city of Taft in the village of Islamiyeh. Its hollow trunk was used as a stand for polishing shoes in the past.
The villagers say that its branches were felled off by the headman to make doors and windows for a school.
The cypress in the village of Cham, 5 km northeast of Taft, near the villages of Zain Abad and Mobarakeh, is measured to be 1,100 years old.
It is registered on the cultural heritage list and carries a plaque. With a height of 18 m, it stands in the courtyard of the Zoroastrian fire temple. Near its trunk, there is a place to light candles. The elderly in the region recall the grasshoppers' attack on the tree about 60 years ago and drying due to severe wind about 50 years ago, which resulted in a crack in its body. Now it is supported by a firm towing wire.
The cypress in Zain Abad in Taft is measured to be 9 m tall and 900 years old. Behind it there is a very small fire temple.
The twin planes in the village of Mobarakeh in Taft are also measured to be 1,500 years old. They both joined the cultural heritage list. Nearby the trees there are the remains of a small fire temple.
The 900 -year-old plane tree in Tarzajan is another old one in the city of Taft and is located 27 km south of the city in the village of Tarzajan.
About the old ash tree, estimated to be 800 years old, the residents of Firuz Abad in the city of Meibod say, the tree has been cut down three times on the top to make palms, but it has grown again. They believe that since there is a strong intimacy between the tree and the created palms you can never carry them under the tree as they stick to the ever strong and firm tree, and that's why it is called the sacred tree.
The plane in Bajegan, in Bafgh is the next old tree. With 3 thick branches which include a circumference of 2.5 m each, the tree is about 700 years old and measures a height of 34 m.
Aras tree, which was also mentioned earlier, has survived thanks to the beliefs of people.
The cypress of Shadkam in Bafgh, 35 m tall, is another holy tree located inside a private garden.
The one in Takin Abad, treated with respect in the region, caught fire 950 years ago and burned almost to the top but regrew, according to the locals. Close to 5 years ago, a thick subsidiary branch was cut to make the show palm.
To this already long list, you should also add several others like the cypress in Bagh-eKhajeh garden in Taft, Sarv-e Ghandi in Ashkzar, sacred cypresses in the village of Kharu in Tabas, the cypress in Nosrat Abad Shahdiyeh, Pade Haruni in Akbar Kuh, mastic tree of Bodaf in the district of Bahman in Abar Kuh, the mastic tree in Dasht Shitoor in Bafgh, the planer and mastic tree of Asvij, the mastic tree in Komakuiyeh in Behabad, the plane trees in Karkhangan Khatam, and the plane tree of Jarmagh Oliyay-e Karkhangan to make a comprehensive and accurate list of the old trees in Yazd.