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rumoured to only eat macaroni
Dec. 9th, 2003 11:17 amDwarf rumour squashed
Officials in the central Iranian town of Khomein, where Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was born, have been forced to publicly quell a bizarre rumour apparently aimed at bringing down property prices.
According to a report in the Jomhuri Eslami newspaper, rumours have been flying for around a month, even among local officials, that a group of 14 male dwarfs were living in the town's old citadel.
The dwarfs were also rumoured to only eat macaroni and speak only at the time of Azan (call to prayer).
Under local folklore, dwarfs are seen as akin to spirits and should therefore be shunned.
"This rumour was probably started by those who wanted to decrease the price of the land around the citadel," an official in the Khomein governor's office was quoted as saying by the paper.
The paper said local officials and police had all denied the rumour.
--AFP
Officials in the central Iranian town of Khomein, where Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was born, have been forced to publicly quell a bizarre rumour apparently aimed at bringing down property prices.
According to a report in the Jomhuri Eslami newspaper, rumours have been flying for around a month, even among local officials, that a group of 14 male dwarfs were living in the town's old citadel.
The dwarfs were also rumoured to only eat macaroni and speak only at the time of Azan (call to prayer).
Under local folklore, dwarfs are seen as akin to spirits and should therefore be shunned.
"This rumour was probably started by those who wanted to decrease the price of the land around the citadel," an official in the Khomein governor's office was quoted as saying by the paper.
The paper said local officials and police had all denied the rumour.
--AFP
