SAEDNEWS: Aradan is a quiet village nestled on a mountainside, home to some seven thousand residents. Part of the village’s land belongs to the family of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran’s former president, who was born here—in what he describes as “a remote village.”
According to the Political Service of Saed News, citing Asr Iran, the small grocery shop—effectively the village council’s meeting place—is run by Hossein, the grocer and Ahmadinejad’s cousin. Here, the elders gather to discuss the affairs of their tiny community, which, as they themselves put it, has nothing but a mosque and “a world of kindness” to its name.
Report on Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Birth Village in Semnan Province:
Years ago, a group of Arab pilgrims descended from the Prophet Muhammad, en route to visit the Eighth Shiite Imam in Mashhad, grew exhausted in the desert and stopped to rest at Aradan—where some of them died and were buried. Today, the village greets visitors with a few palm trees adorned in yellow and green fluorescent lamps, a handful of concrete and plaster deer and parrots, and a small garden to beautify its grounds.
Aradan is a silent village on a mountain slope with seven thousand inhabitants. Some of its properties belong to the family of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former conservative president of Iran, who says he was born here “in a remote village.”
But what is Aradan really like?
“Here, apart from a mosque, there is nothing else—no historical monument, no hotel, no restaurant, no cinema, no café, not even a bazaar.”
“In return,” says Hossein, dressed in a yellow shirt buttoned to the top, “we have honest, hardworking people—and that’s not nothing!” This frail-looking elder, known as the village’s “wise man” and cousin to the former president, transforms his little grocery store into the council of elders within minutes. The men sit on rice sacks and oil cans, listening attentively as Ali Shah‑Hossein speaks.
“Everyone here knows Ahmad, the president’s father. Before he moved away to become a blacksmith, he ran the village grocery. When Mahmoud left this village, he was very young, and since then he only returns for family gatherings.”
But what was “little Mahmoud” like?
“Very serious and diligent. He loved teaching everyone around him—very much like his father. Ahmad was illiterate but memorized the Qur’an and held Qur’an classes in his home every Ramadan. His mother was the epitome of a devout woman, teaching her children virtuous values from an early age.” One by one, those present recount how the future president helped his neighbors and even strangers in need.
Since Ahmadinejad became president, what do the villagers consider his greatest achievement? They all agree: “He defended our fundamental right to nuclear energy on the world stage”—even though none of them have ever traveled abroad.
“Mahmoud Ahmadinejad truly embodies this village, even though he only lived here briefly. We are deeply revolutionary and religious people.”
Masoumeh, Hossein’s wife—wearing a chador—adds: “Ahmadinejad is a content man. He eats whatever is on the table and is always satisfied. He loved everything: agriculture, education, mechanical work, and politics. He was always learning. Even as a child, we were sure his knowledge would take him far.”
But what villagers emphasize most is Ahmadinejad’s revolutionary spirit. Aradan residents once protested against the Shah and sacrificed twenty martyrs in the Iran–Iraq War of the 1980s. Today, the martyrs’ cemetery is a place where villagers bond with their own children.
Hossein continues: “When I hear Ahmadinejad speak, I feel as if Imam Khomeini himself is delivering the speech. He upholds revolutionary values—helping the poor and social justice—which have faded in society today. You can go to Tehran and see that he never gave government jobs to relatives or friends.”
Hojjatoleslam Mohammad‑Reza Rahimizadeh, Friday Prayer Leader of Aradan, insists that Ahmadinejad is Imam Khomeini’s heir and embodies the village’s religious spirit. A local veteran recalls Ahmadinejad’s statement that “Israel must be wiped off the map,” saying: “If someone invades and occupies your home, would you stand idly by? Palestine is in that situation. Holocaust is a lie—it never happened. Why should Palestinians pay for the Germans’ crimes?”
On Aradan’s main street, “Mehdi” sells Disney cartoon dolls. When asked if these are Islamic, he shrugs: “Children love them.”
Since Ahmadinejad’s election as president, the village has not changed at all. The grocer’s cousin says: “We want no special privileges. There are many poorer people in Iran than us.”
Do tourists visit this village? The former president’s cousin replies: “No one comes here—not even the president himself! Ahmadinejad has traveled across Iran and around the world, yet he has not returned to Aradan. Maybe he’s forgotten it.”
