Tehran Times - Construction of a permanent handicrafts marketplace officially began on Wednesday with a ground-breaking ceremony in the city of Sarbisheh, South Khorasan province, eastern Iran.

The ceremony was attended by governor general and several other provincial and local officials, CHTN reported.

�Covering 700 square meters, the marketplace will be constructed in close collaboration with the provincial tourism department and Sarbisheh Municipality,� provincial tourism chief, Hassan Ramezani said.

The marketplace will be dedicated to local artists and artisans to offer their products and souvenirs to the public, Ramezani added.

Sarbisheh is a gateway to Makhunik, a nearby mysterious village commonly known as Iran�s �Lilliput�. It was inhabited by people of very short stature until about a century ago. Currently, it is home to roughly 200 adobe dwellings, many of which are of exceptionally low height.

There are clusters of ancient vertical-axis windmills, which are locally known as Asbads, across the provinces of South Khorasan, Khorasan Razavi, and Sistan-Baluchestan. It�s noteworthy to mention that Iran eyes to have them registered on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

AFM/MG