IRNA � Any tourist will be fascinated with travel to Makhunik Village, on eastern Iran, by seeing life-style of the people in the absolute nature.

Located near the border of Afghanistan in Iran, Makhunik is about 300 years old and until recently lacked an access road.

The etymology of the word Makhunik is of interests. The original form of the word is Maad-khunik, in which Maad is a name of an Aryan tribe and khunik means "a cool place".

The village is surrounded by mountains and until recently there was no easy road out of the village.

The most important feature of the village is its ancient-looking architecture. Its houses are made with adobe and clay, with no windows and porches. More than half of the house is under the ground. Many residents still live in these houses.

They are totally different in some social customs and agriculture. Until 50 years ago, they didn�t drink tea, didn�t eat meat, and didn�t smoke. They wouldn�t let TV in. They called it "the Devil".

Ethically speaking, the residents are Afghans that came to live here a few hundred years ago. Marriages in their small community have caused then to have short stature. But in the past few years, things have changed a bit: people are receiving better nutrition and iron supplements.

However, because the village is located in a remote secluded point, their social traditions of marriage, their payers for rain, their holidays have not been affected by other cultures.

Until a few years ago, they used wooden shoes and canvas clothing, and knew nothing about progress outside their village. In the past few years, their ways were asphalted, they were provided with drinking water, electricity, health services, elementary school, baths, and several shops, such as supermarkets, bakery, motor cycle repair shops, and welding shop.

Apart from the village itself and its people, one can see other attractions too: Makhunik Petroglyph, the tower and keep, and some other places.