Kolookhi, a small and unassuming village nestled in the Sistan and Baluchestan Province of Iran, is the kind of place where not much ever seems to happen. 

Life moves at a slower pace, and the rhythm of daily existence is generally uneventful. Yet, over five decades ago, this quiet village played a small but significant role in the early life of a man who would eventually become the President of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian. 

Fifty-one years ago, a young Pezeshkian served his military service here and now he has returned as the nation's leader.

As President Pezeshkian made his second provincial visit to Sistan and Baluchestan last week and visited the place he called home for two years during his twenties, images of the humble house where he spent his military service began circulating online. 

The Tehran Times spoke with Ali Ebadi, the president's special cameraman, who accompanied him throughout his Sistan and Baluchestan trip. Ebadi shared that before President Pezeshkian arrived at his former home, the camera crew had gotten there ahead of him and managed to speak with some of the villagers.

"It really felt like an old friend was returning," Ebadi explained. "They addressed him by his first name, Masoud, and talked about the time he had spent there with their families and children. This is because Dr. Pezeshkian served as a teacher there while completing his military service."

Ebadi quoted one villager saying, "We're so pleased that the young teacher from those years, now the President, has returned to the village where he served. It feels like our children's friend has come home to share memories of the past. He used to stand by a small a small water and teach our children how to properly Wudhu.” Wudhu is a ritual washing performed by Muslims before prayer. Pezeshkian had made poems to teach the kids about the Islamic ritual. Some of those students who are now grown adults with children of their own, still remember the poems to this day.

Another villager told the cameraman, "I remember how, back then, when our fathers donated land to build a mosque and school for Dr. Pezeshkian, he worked tirelessly alongside the villagers to help with the construction. Those buildings still stand today." The villager also noted the stark changes time had brought. "The Kolookhi of today is vastly different from the village of his service," he added. "It was once a vibrant, green oasis, but relentless drought has taken its toll, leaving it far behind its former glory."

Ebadi mentioned he couldn't understand much of the conversation between Pezeshkian and the owner of the house he used to live in. "They were speaking in the local dialect, which the President seemed to be able to speak well. I only noticed that throughout their conversation, the owner, who was an elderly woman, asked the President about his children. Dr. Pezeshkian's daughter then joined them, sitting next to her father after pushing her way through the crowd."

This visit comes less than two months after the President's first trip to Sistan and Baluchestan, a land often described as one of "palm trees and sun." When leaving the Kolookhi village on the day he was wrapping up his second trip to the region, the president appeared to look emotional for a few second. "He asked her daughter to pray that he can return the kindness of the villagers now that he is the country’s President."