In Khorasan Province, the Bakhshis are renowned for their musical skill with the dot?r, a two-stringed, long-necked lute.

UNESCO: Culture

Backing this up, tens of thousands of army and Revolutionary Guard troops have been deployed along the Afghan border in Khorasan province.

ECONOMIST: Iran��s war on fundamentalism

In Mashhad, the capital of Iran's eastern province of Khorasan and home to some 400, 000 refugees, the provincial governor accuses local Afghans of drug-running and kidnapping.

ECONOMIST: Iran