Makhunik is known to LILIPUT land because of its dwarf residents and the tales around them; people who have an Afghan nationality and migrated to the area several hundred years ago. Most of its inhabitants were hardly taller than one meter in the past. However, experts say only a handful of dwarf residents still live there. Researchers believes that marriages between close relatives, poor diet and drinking water laced with mercury had left the inhabitants of Makhunik half a meter short than the average height of that time. Makhunik’s residents have inherited short stature disease from their fathers, generation by generation.

It is said that, an Afghan man, along with his family left Afghanistan and came to Iran about 400 years ago. They sought refuge in the Makhunik area in search of a place to live and they settled in this land.

But this is not the only attractive feature. Makhunik is also popular for its ancient-style architecture as well as its unique tradition and culture. The residents of Makhunik built their houses based on architectural styles in the Neolithic Era. The buildings’ color once served as camouflage; it was impossible to spot them from the mountains at a distance.

If you walk through the narrow alleys of the village, you will see small adobe houses with very tiny walls and doors. These tiny houses have been built next to each other into the earth hollows on the slopes of the hills. They have been built of stone and soil, and their roof is covered with foliage and a short entrance gate.

Building small houses was not only for lack of height, it meant fewer building materials were required, which was convenient as domestic animals large enough to pull wagons were scarce and proper roads were limited. Smaller houses were easier to heat and cool than larger ones due to climatic conditions. Firewood was insufficient in the region and the inhabitants had serious problems in warming their homes. They made very small windows to prevent the cold weather from entering the homes. The tiny windows also allowed the day light into the homes.

Inhabitants of Makhunik did not drink tea until 50 years ago, hunt and eat meat because of considering them as guilt. There are also no TVs anywhere, as the villagers believe that they are from the Satan.

The residents of the village mostly depend on pasturing their livestock and also agriculture. Some of them work in a mine near the village. Most of their agricultural products include wheat, garlic, turnip, beetroot, carrot, tomato, onion and saffron.

They speak in Persian with the special accent of the area. Nobody smokes in this village. People of Makhunik consider smoking as taboo and dangerous for the community.

About a hundred years ago people found out about the existence of this village, so that the connection was made and vehicles opened their way to the village. In the past, the lack of animals such as donkeys, cows, and horses in the area did not allow people to travel far to bring materials for building as well as foods. The village now has water, electricity, a health house, a primary school, a bathroom and several shops including grocery stores, butchers and bakers.

The inhabitants are now of average height and children have become taller as life standards improved in the region from the mid-20th century when construction of roads and growing numbers of vehicles have lessened their isolation. They have abandoned their ancient homes and moved into brick houses. The younger people go to nearby cities for work and women do some carpet weaving.

Important parts of Makhunik to visit are Sang Siah (Petroglyph of Makhunik), tower and castle building, Gol Anjir tower, astray house, Nader morde (Nader is dead).

A mummified body measuring 25cm was discovered in 2005. Experts said the mummy belonged to a baby who died about 400 years ago. The mummy showed that previous generations of Makhunik residents were shorter than the average human being.

The best time to visit Makhunik is spring. Summer is quite hot and winter is cold, so they are not good time to visit the village at all.

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Originally constructed in c. tenth century, Jameh Mosque of Na’in is was one of the first mosques built in Iran and is unusual in that it doesn’t conform to the usual four-iwan pattern of its time (for instance Jameh Mosque of Isfahan).

Though may seem very modest at the first sight, the exterior facade and minaret are austerely beautiful and many parts of the interior (including the mihrab) are decorated with finely detailed stucco work.

Mihrab is a semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that points out the qibla, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca and hence the direction that Muslims should face when praying.

The mosque has a central rectangular courtyard that is surrounded with hypostyles on three sides. At one of these hypostyles the mihrab of the mosque is located.

Further interesting features include the exquisitely carved wooden minbar (a pulpit where the imam — prayer leader — stands to deliver sermons), which bears an inscription that identifies as being 700 years old.

There is also an underground prayer hall, designed to keep the faithful cool in summer and warm in winter. Alabaster casements have been set in the ceiling of this dug-out basement, which allows natural light to come through.

The terms “Jameh Mosque” or “Masjed-e Jameh” or “Friday Mosque” is used in Iran for a grand communal mosque where mandatory Friday prayers are performed: the phrase is used in other Muslim countries but only in Iran does it designate this purpose.

Na’in lies 170 km north of Yazd and 140 km east of Isfahan. Like much of the Iranian plateau, it has a desert climate, with a maximum temperature of 41 °C in summer, and a minimum of -9 °C in winter.

During the ancient times the city was at the junction of a desert road that connected Tabas and Mashhad, it used to be an important crossroad on converging trade routes since Sassanid times. Na’in was known for its ceramics and textiles; today it’s primarily known for fine hand-knotted carpets and for hand-loomed camel-wool cloaks, which are produced in the neighboring villages.

Under travelers’ eyes

Here is a select of comments that visitors to the mosque have posted to TripAdvisor, one of the most popular travel websites in the world:

“Great and different”

If you travel around Isfahan and Kerman and Yazd provinces defiantly you’ll see variety of mosques with almost the same design but this one is totally different .Different material different interior design. (Shervin1359 from Huntington Beach, California; Reviewed July 2019)

“At the third oldest mosque in Iran”

While travelling from Yazd to Isfahan, the old city of Na’in will be certainly on your way. A short stop and a visit to the “third” oldest mosque in Iran: the Jame Mosque of Na’in! This mosque dates probably from the 9th or 10th centuries and was built in the famous “Khorasani” architectural style, which combines perfectly Islamic and pre-Islamic influences. It is still used as a congregational mosque! Don’t miss the pulpit, the wood and stone carvings, the alabaster works, the central courtyard with beautiful porches, the fantastic brickworks and the 28m high minaret. Visit also its basement, with tunnels and water channels, which is believed to have housed – centuries ago – a Zoroastrian Fire Temple. Just amazing! But remember, the breathtaking mosques are way ahead, right at your next stop: the awesome city of Isfahan. Enjoy! (LuizDutraNeto from Rio de Janeiro, RJ; Reviewed February 2019)

“Historic aspect of Iran”

This is one of the oldest mosques of Iran and one of the oldest mosques in the world considering it is from the 8th century. It is filled with history. There are some ruins next to it, probably from the same era. No entrance fee. If you are going from Isfahan to Yazd, Na’in is on the way. (JeLundgren from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Reviewed October 2018)

“One of the oldest mosques in Iran”

Historically very interesting. It was originally built as a Sunni mosque and has no dome and (originally) no minarets. The main courtyard of the mosque features several half-meter squares of alabaster the purpose of which is only clear when one descends into the cool subterranean part of the mosque which it lit by the sun passing through the alabaster squares. (MikelMarshall from Valdemorillo, Spain; Reviewed August 2018)

Reporting by Afshin Majlesi

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Iran is a country of immense beauty, charm, and ancient-world mystery. From the Caspian Sea in the north to the Persian Gulf in the south, Iran is filled with numerous tourist attractions–mostly untouched.

Among many attractions, astronomy tourism, a type of tour which can flow a big sum of money to the sector’s pockets, has garnered a lot of attention lately.

Iran – a land covered with wide deserts in the eastern and central parts, where the melody of the wind is the only sound that reaches the visitor’s ears – offers some of the most pristine star-gazing conditions in the world.

To make the pest of such opportunities, travel agencies have been trying to organize tours on this ancient fascination to allow interested individuals to witness the beauty of the night sky it all its glory, far away from cities’ light pollution.

Worth to mention, the deserts of Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut provide clear skies for astronomy enthusiasts, making them some of the greatest places on the planet to witness the Heavens, and learn about the mythology of the stars, find constellations in the sky, listen to their stories in an interactive experience.

There are many other ancient sites in the country used to be the centers for mathematical astronomy. It should come as a little surprise that such places have now become top travel destinations for the aficionados.

Mathematical astronomy was used to build multistory ziggurat towers, such as Chogha Zanbil in Susa (in present-day Khuzestan province), dating back to the Elamite Era. Ziggurats functioned as observatories; at seven-floors high, ziggurats were used by astronomers to observe and record the movement of celestial bodies. Tables with astronomical computations of the distances between stars have been preserved and contain information on the basic fixed stars and constellations, their relative positions, and periods of the solar rising and settings, among others.

Ka’ba-ye Zartosht in Naqsh-e Rostam (located in present-day Shiraz), which was built during the Achaemenid Era, bears surprisingly detailed inscriptions of the cycle of days.

In the following centuries, more advanced structures called Chahar Taghi (meaning ‘four arches’ in Farsi) were used by astronomers to create calendars and almanacs. The most famous of such structures are the Niasar Chahar Taghi, Isfahan Province and the Radakan Chahar Taghi, Khorasan Razavi Province.

Sadly, not everyone has the time to take an astronomy tour; life has a habit of getting in the way of living; so, the stars have been brought to the city.

Gonbad-e Mina Planetarium

The Gonbad-e Mina Planetarium, located in the Abbasabad Hills area of Tehran, is designed to show the night sky in all its glory – even during the day.

The planetarium makes sure everyone gets a chance to gaze upon the starts without the nuisance of light pollution.

Featuring a full-dome 3D planetarium, Gonbad-e-Mina is said to be the largest in the Middle East. It provides astounding views of the sky reflected upon the ceiling.

There is a projector at the center of the planetarium and separate projectors for the Sun, the Moon and other planets and stars. It has been primarily built for presenting educational and entertaining shows on astronomy.

One of the most intriguing star shows at the planetarium is the projections of the night sky at various latitudes and longitudes at any moment in the past. Visitors are also treated to the position of unique constellations as seen from the northern and southern hemispheres.

The projection system, paired with the digital surround sound channels provide a surreal experience as you are taken on a journey through space.

The planetarium also houses a museum, showcasing ancient artifacts used thousands of years ago to observe and study the sky. One such artifact is the 2000-year-old Parthian Battery – discovered in the ancient city of Ctesiphon in 1936 – which is said to have been used as an electrical storage device. Another item of note is an astrolabe; a very ancient astronomical computer for solving problems relating to time and the position of the Sun and stars in the sky.

Other projects

There are a few other projects underway across the country to boost astronomical tourism capacities.

A major one is the Iran National Observatory in Kashan, Isfahan province.

The observatory is currently under construction and is slated to become operational by Autumn 2020.

Its design includes three stations with one large and two smaller telescopes, making it possible for the aficionados to enjoy looking deep into the skies.

The government is paying special attention to the tourism sector in line with the policies to diversify its revenue sources and reduce reliance on selling crude oil.

According to World Travel and Tourism Council’s annual research, the travel and tourism sector grew at 1.9% to contribute 1,158 trillion rials ($8.83 billion) or 6.5% of overall GDP and 1,334 jobs (5.4% of total employment) to the economy in 2018.

The WTTC report also shows international visitors spent 168,954 billion rials ($1.28 billion) in Iran in 2018. The council expects the number of international arrivals to stand at 6.5 million in 2019.

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Badab-e Surt includes two springs with different natural characteristics in terms of color, smell, taste and volume of the water. The first spring has very salty water that gathers in a small natural pool; its water is useful for medicinal properties, especially as a cure for rheumatism and some types of skin diseases, migraine and foot pain. It is appropriate at summer and also, will not freeze in winter due to its salt.

The second spring located in the northwest of the first spring has a sour taste and is mostly orange and red mainly due to the large iron oxide sediments at its outlet. In one part of a floor of the pond, there is a deep hole is called the Bermuda Erost. The depth of this hole is estimated 98 meters.

Badab-e Surt was recorded as the second Iran’s natural heritage list in 2008. It is the second largest salt spring of the world after Turkey’s Pamukkale. It is one of the most important programs of Iranian authorities to register it on UNESCO World Heritage List as a unique natural place.

There are only six somewhat similar spring like Badab-e Surt in the world; Pamukkale in Turkey, Bagni San Filippo in Italy, Agoura El Hierro in Mexico, White-Water Terraces (Baishuitai) in China, yellow stones in the US and The Pink Terraces(Otukapuarangi) in New Zealand.

The place gets its name from a combination of the Persian words for “gassed water” and the old name of the nearest village, which means “intensity.”

The best time to visit Badab-e-Surt is April and May, Although it is beautiful in all seasons. The most breathtaking scenes and wonderful view of light reflection on the ponds are during sunset or sunrise. When the lights shine the traces, it makes the ponds glow with red, orange, brown and yellow.

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Years ago, storks have managed to find a way of living with humans, preferring human settlements and rooftops for nesting to more natural habitats like treetops, and surprisingly, humans also have rarely attacked or persecuted them.

Myths about the storks’ immunity goes back to ancient beliefs; in Egypt it was believed that their souls were human, while in the ancient Greece beliefs storks have been protectors of elderly people and take care of the aged parents while living on their roofs. The Greeks also held that killing a stork could be punished by death.

The storks were also revered in Islamic beliefs which held that storks were thought to go on pilgrimage to Mecca, where they headed for after staying in Iran.

Some of the long-established folklore linked the arrival of newborns with the long-legged bird.

In Iran, residents in western and southwestern regions encourage storks to nest on their rooftops even by constructing purpose-built high platforms, which not only benefits the birds, but attracts many tourists coming to the villages in spring and summer expressly to see the storks.

Mousa Madhajji, an environmental expert told ISNA that the greatest population of storks and storks’ nests in the country is in southwestern Khuzestan province, as this year 57 active nests have been identified in the province, which belong to white storks.

Temperate species like the white stork, black stork and yellow-billed stork live in Iran who undertake long annual migrations in winter, he said, adding, stork population started to decline in the country and some areas which were once home to flocks of storks are not witnessing even a pair of them such as Ahvaz city.

Although, there have been times when the population had fallen to fewer than some pairs in the entire country, even in places identified with the white stork for centuries, conservation measures successfully increased the population of birds thanks to the locals’ efforts, he stated.

The nests are typically used for years, so nest change is often related to a change in the pairing and failure to raise young the previous year, and younger birds are more likely to change nesting sites, he noted.

Dezfool city currently holds the highest number of active nests in the province, which are mainly set up on the power towers, he stated.

He went on to say that due to the birds’ tendency to nest on high settlements specially electricity towers or lamp posts, electricity distribution companies can turn to bird-friendly associations and build them safer man-made nests on the power towers.

This can flourish the stork’s population in the province of Khuzestan and to expand in other areas favorable to these species, he highlighted.

With the start of summer, locals started to build tens of nests for storks in the western city of Marivan, Kordestan province, which attracted many of the storks to stay during the warm season.

Bird population increase over time mostly demonstrate a direct relationship between the flourishing of bird species with human flourishing; storks are also likely to expand whenever the buildings and human-inhabitation expands, however, there have been cases that human population raise have resulted in bird species population decline, yet historical ecology may be a reminder to realize that how much blessing “birds” can bring us and how human must reconcile with nature.

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The village is located some 15 kilometers north of Vardavard which is the most western region of Tehran. Located in an altitude of 1850 meters above sea level, Vardij is part of Tehran’s District 22, and home to some 705 people according to 2016 consensus.

En-route to this destination, if lucky, you may see seasonal waterfalls on different corners of mountains. Springs join together in wet seasons to form a river which can even flow to southwestern sections of Tehran. The water flow and its beauties in the valley are mostly hidden to those who are traveling by road. Many come to the valley in the weekend on foot to enjoy the many waterfalls in the path.

Going further by car on the road which meanders in the mountain, one will see on the left side a host of soft rocks that can scare you at first glance. These monster stones lie just on top of Vardij village.

Taking a closer look at these strange rocks, you can see different types of monsters. Human skulls and animal bodies can be recognized among the crowded hill of stone giants.

There are numerous stories behind these figures. Some locals believe that these rocks are ghosts that are turned into stones. However, science tells us that the rocks have been shaped by hundred-thousands of years of erosion.

If you are eager to have an hour-long on-foot trip, you can also see one the tallest waterfalls in Tehran; Lat Mall. The impressive cascade consists of three waterfalls the first two of which are something around 5-7 meters high. The third waterfall is 35 meters tall and flows down like stairs.

The best season to visit Vardij is in spring and summer as you can even taste its delicious fruits of cherry, apple, and walnut among others. It is not a favorite destination in autumn and winters since it gets so cold that even 90 percent of its population abandon it for warmer and more secure regions.

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 Kish Free Zone Organisation has officially joined the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), a United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and universally accessible tourism.

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