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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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Rasht is located 327 kilometers from Tehran. It is one of the metropolises of Iran, the center of Gilan province in northern Iran and also the largest and most populous city among the three Caspian Sea provinces; Gilan, Mazandaran and Golestan.

Climate

It is one of the greenest provinces of Iran and most of its popularity is due to its unique climate. The weather in Rasht is moderate and semi-Mediterranean, with warm and sultry summer and humid and cold winters. It has the first rate of rainfall in Iran and is known as City of Rain.

Rasht has been also named the city of silver rain due to rate of rainfall. Lowest precipitation is in the summer months especially in August, and most of it is in September and November.

The continuous rains in Rasht and Guilan have forced the people of these areas to use appropriate coverings in their roofs. The best and most appropriate cover for their roofs was the use of pottery.

The minimum temperature is 11° C and the maximum 20° C in Rasht.

Culture

Although Gilan is one of the smallest provinces in Iran but it is a province with ethnic and dialectal diversity. Different ethnic groups in Rasht and other areas of Gilan have peaceful coexistence which has created a common culture.

People of Rasht has different and various rituals which have caused the city’s reputation and cultural excellence among different ethnic groups in Iran.

Rasht has been playing a major role in Iranian history. It was Iran’s gateway to Russia and Europe; therefore it was influenced by western architecture. Iran’s first public library was built here and it was the first city in Iran where girls were allowed to go to school.

Iran has designated January 2 as Rasht Day to commemorate the historic city of Rasht.

Language

The people of Rasht speak Gileki; it is a Caspian language and a member of the northwestern Iranian language branch, however Persian is the official national language.

Traditional Foods

Rasht has got UNESCO’s recognition as one of the best places in the world for its gastronomy. Its gastronomy sector benefits from a rich variety of natural resources and rely on the exploitation of local resources, especially various species of fish and in-season products. Rashti cuisine has not only carried on ancient recipes, but also unique cooking utensils and methods.

Rasht is full of traditional and local foods. Sour Kebab (Kabab Torsh in Persian) and Mirza Ghasemi (a vegetarian eggplant, tomatoes and egg dish) are two of the well-known foods in Rasht.  Baghali ghatogh is also quite popular which is a stew made of vegetables, garlic, beans and eggs.

Souvenir

The most common souvenirs from Rasht areolives, olive oil, fish, pomegranate molasses, Lavashak (sour fruit rolls) and handicrafts.

Rasht city of the first

–          The first branch of Bank Sepah of Iran was established in Rasht in 1925

–          The First Girl’s School in Iran was established in Rasht

–          The first day & night pharmacy in Iran was established in Rasht

–          The first sanatorium for the elderly and disabled in Iran was established in Rasht

–          The first National Hospital of Iran was established in Rasht

–          The first National Library of Iran was established in Rasht in 1920

–          The first Iranian Theatre hall was established in Rasht

–          The first city in which the sewage system was established

–          Iran’s first railway was in Rasht

–          The first bus arrived in Rasht

–          The first city in which the Russian, British, French, and Ottoman governments opened their consulates and had political representatives.

Rasht Tourist Attractions

Rasht has a lot of monuments due to its long history. Unlike many smaller Iranian cities, Rasht has great nightlife and you’ll see tons of people hanging out in the big squares by night time.

Rasht is known for its famous building of municipality located in a square called the ‘Square of Municipality’ which was constructed about 1900. It is Rasht’s most identifiable landmark, its colonial style tempered by a token mini-dome topping a distinctive whitewashed tower. It looks great when floodlit at night. This historical square dates back to Pahlavi dynasty and is one of the modern places of Iran from the past up to now. Today, some historical parts like Telegraph Museum, Old hotel, Clock Tower and other buildings can be seen here. Existence of markets and stores in this square has made here one of the destinations of people for walking and disporting.

‘Rasht Bazaar’ is one of the attractions in Rasht. It is hypaethral place and the variety of products, their quality and their freshness is one of the most important reasons for the popularity of this bazaar among people and tourists. It is the largest open roof bazaar in the country.

‘Tomb of Mirza Kuchak Khan’, reputedly known as Sardar-e-Jangal is located in the south of Rasht. This simple and at the same time beautiful monument enjoys high respect of all who visit the vicinity.

‘Gilan Rural Heritage Museum’ is located 18 km south of Rasht; an open air museum which is devoted to the rural and ancestral life, is the first one in Iran and remains so far the unique museum of this type in Iran and beyond in the Middle-East and the Central Asia.

‘Saqalaksar Dam Lake and Village’ is located 15 kilometers south of Rasht behind an embankment dam in Saqalaksar Village. Saqalaksar Village is a picturesque area where tourists can see villagers work hard in rice paddies.

‘Qadiri House’ in Rasht is one of the historical buildings of the province that is related to late Qajar period and early Pahlavid period.

‘National Library’ the first public library of Iran is another places in Rasht which attracts visitors.

‘Saravan Natural park’ is one of the oldest forest fields of Gilan which for its various plant species is rare across the country and even across the world. There is a small pond at the entrance of Saravan forest park which is incredibly beautiful. This pond has a wooden platform and two swan shaped boats for wandering on the water.

Eynak lagoon (glasses lagoon) is located in the west of Rasht, it is considered as the second largest pond of Gilan province. This pond is called Eynak (glasses) as it is seen as one in aerial photos.

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The cave dates back to Jurassic period (120 million years ago) and it had a lot of natural and artificial changes during this period. It was discovered about 67 years ago by a group of Iranian cavers. One of the Zanjani members of the group named Seyyed Asadullah Jamali has registered this cave.

In some western parts of Iran, “Katale” is reffered to low altitude mountains and the appellation of this cave is probably due to its existence in one of these mountains. Khor has Avestan root which means Sun. Therefore, Katale Khor means “mount of Sun”.

At first, cavers had to crawl to enter the cave 700 meters. This cave was residence of ancient people so that bones of about 80 people are still preserved. Then the region was excavated and a route was created for walking. Researchers found a strange route in this cave which shows Katale Khor is connected to Ali Sadr Cave in Hamedan Province, at distance of 100km.

Katale Khor and Ali Sadr Cave are roughly homogeneous and created at the same time, but there are two main differences: the Ali Sadr Cave is water cave where you sit in a boat and watch the view but Katale Khor is almost dry. The second distinction of this cave with Ali Sadr Cave is that Katale Khor’s limes are purer which makes it more transparent. Lime stalactites and stalagmites, as well as huge halls and corridors which are mainly dry have added to the beauty of the cave.

One of the features that made this cave one of the unique caves in the world is that the cave has 7 floors but so far only 3 floors have been discovered and there are waterfalls on its different floors. The stalactites in this cave are beautifully shaped and some of them are named after those shapes. Some of the most famous parts in this cave are bride and groom, marriage cloth, sleeping lion, hound, lion paw and elephant’s foot.

There are two visiting routes inside the cave; 3km open to the public and another 4km available only for experienced cavers. Tourists can visit 2850 meters of the cave in the first floor and visitor are asked to stop touching the stalactites and stalagmites to avoid and devastating.

The best season to visit Katale Khor cave is in spring and summer. Visiting this cave will take half a day.

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She quoted the director general of Performing Arts Department as saying that as many as 120 performances go on stage every night in Tehran, voicing hope that the budget would help increase the quality of theatrical works, and serve as an incentive for young playwrights who are mostly unknown but highly talented.

The parliament member also added that her committee is seeking to propose a bill on establishing a guild for the theater sector that could better channel governmental funds into developing the sector.

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