Qaleh Bala, the Wildlife-Friendly Village Where People Celebrate Iran's Endemic Bird

Narges Fazeli, an ecotourism expert, wrote in a note: The people of Qaleh Bala village have been holding the celebration of the journey to the habitat of the Pander's ground jay for wildlife-loving tourists for 14 years, and this celebration is part of their conservation program to honor a bird that lives only in Iran. The Pander's ground jay, which the old people of the village call 'Ahmagh Doavan', with the scientific name (Podoces pleskei), is a bird with a yellowish-brown color that lives in the plains and shrublands of desert and semi-desert areas, especially in the sandy 'Gich Raz' regions. The people of Qaleh Bala, due to this village being the gateway to Turan National Park, Iran's largest biosphere reserve, have a peaceful coexistence with this bird and a variety of unique animals such as the Asiatic cheetah, the Iranian gazelle, and others. Qaleh Bala village is located in the northeast of Iran's central desert, in Semnan province, Shahroud county. This village is situated in a foothill area with a hot and dry climate, and its attractive architecture, using local materials such as adobe, mud, stone, and wood, has given an authentic and traditional appearance to the houses. This year's Pander's ground jay celebration was also held in this charming village; a celebration that came to life with the presence of local residents in traditional attire, tourists from various provinces, environmental activists, birdwatchers, rangers from Turan National Park, and a number of local and national officials. In the main square and central alleys of the village, a collection of ancient indigenous rituals such as a traditional wedding, the 'Tal and Mahtal' rain-asking ritual, wooden dance, local music performance, and puppet show were held; rituals that each revived a micro-narrative of the cultural identity and intangible heritage of the people of Qaleh Bala. This year's event also clearly demonstrated the villagers' efforts to introduce themselves as an environment-friendly village. Actions included the unveiling of a statue of the Pander's ground jay made from scrap metal, sending a clear message from the village artists about recycling and reducing waste production, and raising awareness about the importance of conserving resources, especially the Pander's ground jay. The use of cloth bags embroidered with designs of the Pander's ground jay and other traditional, natural, and local symbols of the village, which are recognized as one of the village's three-hundred-year-old handicrafts, serves as a replacement for plastic and single-use bags. These are made by the women of the village and showcase the art, culture, and business of the women of Qaleh Bala. Local village markets, with the participation of local residents, offer local products based on pomegranate, apple, plum, grape, etc. (including grape molasses, pepper sauce, fruit leather, pomegranate paste and sauce, jam, syrup, vinegar, etc.), rosewater and other distillates, medicinal plants, and more. In some of the stalls, the diversity of wildlife in Turan National Park was introduced by local youth and ecotourism activists. On the day of the festival, tourists stay in the ecotourism houses of Qaleh Bala village for a real experience of local life; a village that is among the first areas in the country to develop ecotourism accommodations. After the United Nations project began in 2002 to protect the Asiatic cheetah, some villagers donated part of their land for conservation to Turan National Park and, in return, engaged in tourism and the creation of ecotourism houses. In these mud houses, tourists experience the warmth and sincerity of rural hospitality with various authentic village dishes such as local 'Abgoosht', 'Gandom Polo', and oily and traditional breads, along with dishes like 'Dano', 'Ashkeneh', 'Digi', 'Ghorooti', and local soups, and natural herbal teas made from thyme, 'Kâkooti', mint, and 'Gol Mohammadi'. Among these, the special dish 'Dano' is the most popular dish of the festival and is served to tourists every year on the Pander's ground jay festival day. On the sidelines of this celebration, the annual Pander's ground jay conservation calendar was unveiled, which includes a set of educational and cultural programs, and infrastructure projects such as responsible birdwatching tours, training and empowering local communities, monitoring birds in Turan National Park, implementing cultural programs, building a Pander's ground jay statue, naming village streets and squares, and more.