The fascinating ski resort inspired by an igloo... in IRAN: Skeleton-like hotel features guest rooms shaped like caves and smooth curves to blend into a snow-capped mountain

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This striking ski hotel features one of the most fascinating designs in the world, but it's not found in the glamorous Swiss Alps, breathtaking Rocky Mountains of North America or near the snow-capped volcanoes of Japan.

Blending into the snowy landscape, the skeleton-like Barin Ski Resort is nestled in the Alborz mountain range of northern Iran, around an hour's drive north of the capital, Tehran.

Its location may come as a surprise, as Iran isn't thought of as a destination for skiing. But the steep slopes nearby rise as high as 10,000ft and offer thrilling and challenging runs for even the most advanced skiers.

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The skeleton-like Barin Ski Resort is nestled in the Alborz mountain range of Iran, around an hour's drive north of the capital, Tehran

The location may come as a surprise, as Iran isn't thought of as a destination for skiing, but the slopes nearby rise as high as 10,000ft

The innovative ski hotel resembles a winter palace carved from snow, with cave-like guest rooms and pebble-shaped windows

Less than a mile from Shemshak, Iran's second-largest ski resort, the hotel embraces the snow-capped mountains in its design

Barin Ski Resort was inspired by an igloo, a domed shelter made of snow that is traditionally associated with inhabitants of the Arctic

With smooth and fluid surfaces and white curves, Barin Ski Resort was inspired by an igloo, a domed shelter made of snow that is traditionally associated with the indigenous inhabitants of the Canadian Arctic.

Designed by RYRA Studio in Tehran, the hotel resembles a palace carved from snow, with cave-like rooms and pebble-shaped windows that may remind some visitors of the stone houses in the animated series The Flintstones.

Given that it's less than a mile from Shemshak, Iran's second-largest ski resort, the hotel embraces the snow-capped mountains in its design.

The 10-storey structure has 67 guest rooms, ranging from studios almost 500 square feet in size to a penthouse with nearly 3,000ft of space.

The 10-storey structure has 67 rooms, ranging from studios almost 500 square feet in size to a penthouse with nearly 3,000ft of space

Inside, the igloo theme continues with blank white surfaces and round holes in interior walls and ceilings to welcome natural light 

RYRA Studio was asked to redesign the ski resort in 2008 as a cosy and warm place where young people could relax after skiing

Inside, the igloo theme continues with blank white surfaces and round holes in interior walls and ceilings to welcome natural light.

Each guest room has a balcony with a sliding glass door, a TV built into the wall, pod chairs, an unconventional bed and a small kitchen.

RYRA Studio was asked to redesign the ski resort in 2008 as a cosy and warm place where young people could relax after skiing in extremely cold weather.

At the time, the base had already been completed and the main structure and ceiling had been built in a classic cube shape, but the architects felt the rectangular shape was alien to the sloping mountain formation, said RYRA Studio's Farinaz Nikoo.

Each guest room has a balcony with a sliding glass door, a TV built into the wall, pod chairs, an unconventional bed and a small kitchen

The pebble-shaped windows may remind some visitors of the stone houses in the animated series The Flintstones

RYRA Studio's Farinaz Nikoo said the hotel looks almost as if it was windswept onto the mountainside like an iced rock formation

Nikoo said: 'This location is defined by snow-covered landscapes, so they didn't want the building to be indifferent about its surrounding but as a part of nature embracing that.

'The Barin Ski Resort picks up on the philosophy of designing buildings so that the form emulates the immediate environment in a fluid way.

'It looks one with the snow-covered mountain, almost as if windswept onto the mountainside like an iced rock formation.'