Rig-e Jinn Desert

Rig-e Jinn is a desert region full of sand dunes and is surrounded by salt marshes in the central desert of Iran. This desert is located in the southwest and west of Dasht-e Kavir, south of Semnan, southeast of Garmsar, east of Kavir National Park, north of Anarak, and west of Jandagh.

This area is one of the most impassable areas in the world. Due to its large size and lack of springs or water wells, this area was not a passage for caravans in the past, but in recent years, thanks to 4WD vehicles and technology such as GPS and detailed maps, adventurers have passed through the area.

In the past, the locals have known this area as cursed land and considered it a base for evil spirits and demons. Today, most of the surrounding towns and villages have this belief and have made up stories and beliefs for it, because they used to say that whoever enters this land may not survive or disappear; perhaps those who enter the area will either be trapped in salt marshes or killed by thirst and weakness.

An Erg is a broad, flat area of desert covered with wind-swept sand with little or no vegetative cover, which in Persian is known as “Rig”.

Applying the word “Rig” to this area gives the impression that this area is completely covered by flowing sands, while most of the Rig-e Jinn is covered by salt marshes and flat puffy deserts. The foundation of Rig-e Jinn is an eroded plain that is currently occupied by the sand dunes of Barkhan(crescentic), Qord (pyramid), Seif (sword), and Sialk (longitudinal).