Makhunik - controversial village about the presence of

While Lilliput people are just fantasies, a dwarf village actually exists in the easternmost part of Iran.

About 500 years ago, the people of Makhunik village were thought to be only half the height of the average Iranian. This information comes when people discovered a tiny village in the East of Iran.

A lot of people have read through the novel by Jonathan Swift called 'Gulliver's Adventures' that will know that the novel tells the story of Dr. Lemuel Gulliver, the only person surviving when the ship unfortunately in the middle of the sea and then casually drifted to the island of Lilliput - the kingdom of the elves with a height of only 15cm.

Makhunik dwarf village.

It can be seen that Lilliput's tiny island seems to be in Swift's imagination, but there is a 'tiny village' that actually exists and is located in the East of Iran. It is known that more than a century ago, Makhunik is an ancient Iranian city located in the city of Shahdad, Kerman province, about 75km from the Afghan border, where the dwarf race inhabited 5,000 years ago with average height only about 50cm. It is called Shahr-e Kotouleha (Dwarf City).

Discover controversial mummies

In 2005, a 25cm mummy was found in the city of Makhunik. Smugglers want to sell it at a price of 80 billion Iranian Rial (about 2.5 million USD) in Germany. Information about the arrest of smugglers and the discovery of a strange mummy spread quickly throughout the province of Kerman and caused an international commotion when researchers reported that this mummy belonged to a juvenile dwarf and excavations of the old city reminded us of the city's architecture. Tiny.

There are also many archaeologists who determine that this mummy is just a newborn who died 400 years ago and marinated through natural processes. The Kerman Provincial Cultural Heritage Board and the police coordinated to determine the status of the mummy, and forensic results showed that the mummy was of a 17-year-old at the time of death.

Discovered controversial mummies in 2005.

Some other experts do not deny that this is a dwarf's mummy, but they claim that the mummy does not prove that Makhunik is 'a dwarf's city'. And for locals, they still think that the previous generations of residents in Makhunik were actually lower than usual.

The lost history of the Tiny

According to Dr. Susan Martinez, author of the book "Little History: Their Civilization of the Advancement of Souls Around the World" says, an ancient race of people of stature Small children once lived on Earth.

Susan Martinez also mentioned the legends and stories from many cultures to prove this, such as the dwarf gods of Mexico and Peru, the Hawaii Menhune workers, the Nunnehi of Cherokee, also like the African and Semang dwarfs of Malaysia .

At the same time, conclude the discoveries of small tunnels, small coffins, and low doors in mounds and dwelling-sized bungalows that are considered proof of this ancient race.

While Dr. Martinez's work suffers from both criticism and skepticism, many people have expanded their ideas. Short stories and legends about dwarves, or elves, appear very much in the world. There are always sensational news about this race. Even through his extensive research into the issues, Dr. Susan Martinez argues that the elves are the ancestors of civilization and one of the ancestors of human beings today.

The cause of the 'dwarf' phenomenon in Makhunik

This discovery has led many to believe that in a remote area of ​​Iran, there are 13 villages, including the village of Makhunik, once inhabited by an ancient "dwarf city" .

According to experts, there are many reasons for the 'dwarf' phenomenon in Makhunik. Firstly, it is the dissemination of same- sex marriage . Following the lack of protein and vitamins in the daily diet, mercury residues in drinking water, leading to malnutrition, are a significant part of the low Makhunik height.

Houses of stone and clay.

It is known that the livestock raising is very difficult because the surrounding land is completely dry and deserted. Makhunik villagers are able to cultivate tuberous plants such as radish, cereal, barley and fruit-like fruits (called jujube). And they only live on simple vegetarian dishes like kashk-beneh (made from milk and a kind of mountain chestnut) and pokhteek (a mixture of milk and dried radish).

In addition, the dietary abnormality is the most unusual in that Makhunik people never drink tea, even hate tea, while tea is one of the culinary characteristics and shows the hospitality of Iranian.'When I was a child, no one drank tea. If someone drinks tea, he will be told that he is addicted by the villagers, "Ahmad Rahnama said, saying that the truth of opium addicts always drank a lot of tea was ingrained in the subconscious. The 61-year-old Makhunik runs a museum of historical architecture and traditional lifestyle of Makhunik village.

It is known that in the middle of the 20th century, the construction of roads and the rise of vehicles allowed Makhunik residents to access foods in other Iranian neighborhoods, such as rice and chickens and pigs, "When the vehicles arrive, people have another source of food from the nearby towns, the quality of the diet is increasing, thereby improving somewhat the height of Makhuniks ," Rahnam said.

Detecting strange poison architecture

Now, almost 700 residents of Makhunik are of average Iranian height, but their ancestors' memories of their ancestors still circulate. Because of about 200 houses of stone and clay that make up this ancient village, 70 or 80 houses are especially low, only 1.5-2m high, many ceilings are even only 1.4m high.

Going deep into these 'tiny houses' it can be seen that the Makhuniks built their houses in a popular architectural style in the New Stone Age. Raw materials are mainly made from wood, mud, clay and straw. The entrance is also built at an altitude of 80-200cm. Also the tunnels are dug around to protect themselves from wildlife.

The area of ​​the house is usually only 10-14m ² wide, including "kandik" (where grains and wheat are stored), a 'karshak' (clay oven for cooking) and a room for sleeping. Inside the house, the wooden door to the south was built to catch more light and to protect the house's only room from the strong winds from the north. The special thing of the house is "sitting room" , because the ceiling is too low, so the person entering the room cannot stand upright.

The area of ​​the house is usually only 10-14m ² wide.

According to Rahnam, to build a small house like this is not simple and easy. And not because of their low stature, so the Makhunik build new houses. It is known that the animals that are large enough to pull carts are scarce, so the local people have to transport construction materials every km.

Small houses need less material, and therefore less effort. In addition, despite being crowded, these small houses are easier to heat and cool than large houses, and are easier to blend into the landscape, making invaders, if any, harder to detect.

Life in Makhunik village is still not easy; agriculture has been declining in recent years due to drought, forcing young people to look elsewhere.'Today, young people go to nearby cities to work and bring back money and food. Women do some textiles, but apart from that there is no job , ' Rahnama said. Meanwhile, older people rely heavily on government subsidies.

Despite the difficult life, Rahnama hopes that the interest in the village's unique architecture will attract tourists and archaeologists, historical researchers, thereby creating jobs to help Makhunik people have a better life.