Iran’s famous “twins village” of Shahrabad, a tiny community in Abarkuh county in central Yazd province, did not emerge in verified reporting as a protest flashpoint, but residents faced the same nationwide disruptions, including communications restrictions and economic strain, that accompanied Iran’s ongoing unrest.
Shahrabad became a national curiosity after Iranian outlets reported that about 40 of the village’s roughly 240 residents were twins, an unusually high proportion that earned it the nickname “the twins village.” The story circulated for years in Iranian media, including features describing how neighbors rarely confused twins because “everyone knows everyone” in a small place like Shahrabad.
Iran’s Mehr News Agency quoted a local official, Iraj Zarei, head of Shahrabad’s village council, describing the unusual demographics: Shahrabad “has about 240 residents, and around 40 of them are twins,” adding that the twins are “so similar” that people “often mix them up,” which has produced “interesting stories” in village life.
A later feature on Asr Iran, based on reporting that included interviews with residents, captured the everyday reality behind the viral nickname. One resident, identified as Narges, said that because “the village is small” and “everyone knows each other,” the twins “don’t get mistaken for each other much.” Another resident, Sediqeh Sadeqzadeh, a mother of twins, recalled that visitors once came “to see and take photos,” but “nothing happened,” meaning “the village situation didn’t change.”
A small village, a big national storm
In the last two weeks, Iran’s news cycle shifted sharply to nationwide protests, a crackdown, and a near-total internet shutdown, according to international reporting. Authorities later eased some restrictions, allowing mobile phone calls abroad while keeping blocks on other services, according to an Associated Press update.
While Iranian state-linked and independent outlets alike carried extensive coverage of the unrest, a targeted, village-specific “latest update” from Shahrabad itself did not appear in credible, accessible reporting during this search window. What did appear were broader signs of unrest in Yazd province and beyond, including footage and reports indicating demonstrations in the provincial capital, Yazd.
The “twins village” narrative
The most detailed reporting on Shahrabad in recent years continued to focus on the demographic oddity, not politics. A 2022 report, republished by multiple Iranian outlets, said the village’s “viral fame” did not translate into a meaningful economic boost and described ongoing practical problems, including water challenges and out-migration for work. Older coverage also highlighted the local elementary school, often described as having a striking number of twins among its students.
A more recent 2025 recirculation of the “twins village” story repeated the same central claims and pointed again to the school as a symbol of the phenomenon.
With no verified reporting tying Shahrabad directly to protest events, the clearest link ran through national conditions that affected villages and cities alike, including communications disruptions and economic pressures.
Reuters reported that Iranians used Starlink to circumvent the internet blackout during the unrest, illustrating how the shutdown reshaped daily life across the country, including far from major city centers. The Associated Press similarly described a partial easing of communication restrictions while noting ongoing blocks on other channels.
For a village such as Shahrabad, whose public profile was built on human-interest curiosity rather than political activism, the protests’ most immediate imprint appeared to be indirect: disrupted connectivity, heightened uncertainty, and the broader economic pressures described in national reporting.