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In the ethnic patchwork of Transylvania, the eastern Carpathians are traditionally the home of the Szekely (pronounced "Saik-aihy"), a people closely related to the Magyars who speak a distinctive Hungarian dialect and cherish a special historical identity. For a long time it was believed that they were the descendants of Attila's Huns - who had entered the Carpathian basin in the fifth century, five hundred years before the Magyar conquest. There are traces of Central Asian shamanism in Szekely arts and crafts, and their ancient runic alphabet is similar to that of the Turkic nomads of western China. However, most modern historians and ethnographers believe that the Szekely either attached themselves to the Magyars during the latter's long migration from the banks of the Don, or are simply the descendants of early Hungarians who pushed ever further east into Transylvania, having been assigned the task of guarding the frontiers by King Laszlo in the twelfth century. Whatever the truth of their origins, the Szekely feel closely akin to the Magyars who, in turn, regard them as somehow embodying the finest aspects of the ancient Magyar race, while also being rather primeval - noble savages, perhaps. The Szekely retained a nomadic, clan-based society for longer than their Magyar kindred, and were granted a large measure of autonomy by the Transylvanian voivodes. They were recognized as one of the three "Nations" of Transylvania during the Middle Ages, gaining privileges that the Hapsburgs later attempted to abolish, culminating in the massacre at Madefalva (1764); this prompted many Szekely to flee to Moldavia and Bucovina, where they founded new villages with names such as "God Help Us" and "God Receive Us". Today, their traditional costume is close to that of the Romanian peasants, the chief difference being that Szekely men tuck their white shirts in while Romanians wear them untucked and belted. For visitors, the chief attractions of the region are likely to be the Szekely culture and the scenery. Religion plays an important part in Szekely life, as shown by the prevalence of walled churches , the fervour displayed at the Whitsun pilgrimage to Miercurea Ciuc , and the continuing existence of Szekely mystics. Traditional Szekely architecture is well represented throughout the Szekely Land (Szekelyfold); it is epitomized by tiny hill-top chapels and blue-painted houses with carved fences and gateways, incorporating a dovecote above, the best examples of which can be found in Corund. The landscape gets increasingly dramatic as you move through the Harghita mountains, particularly around the Tusnad defile and St Anne's Lake to the south, and Lacu Rosu and the Bicaz gorges just before the borders of Moldavia.
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