TEHRAN- A new eco-lodge unit near the UNESCO-tagged Pasargadae in Fars province, southern Iran, has recently been inaugurated, CHTN reported.

The seven-room Kuroshk eco-lodge, as the 141st unit in the province, has a capacity for hosting 20 people, Seyyed Mo’ayed Mohsennejad said on Monday.

The private sector has allocated six billion rials (about $143,000) for the project, the official said, adding that a total of seven billion rials has been spent on the project.

Back in April, provincial tourism chief Mosayeb Amiri announced that a total of 25 eco-lodge units will come on stream in Fars province by the end of the current Iranian year (March 20, 2021).

“We intend to escalate the number of eco-lodges in Fars as ecotourism-related accommodation is a way to develop tourism in lesser-known areas (of the southern province),” the official noted.

Situated in about 50 km north of Persepolis, Pasargadae embraces outstanding examples of the first phase of royal Achaemenid art and architecture and exceptional testimonies of Persian civilization.

Cyrus was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire which at its greatest extent stretched from the Balkans to the Indus Valley, spanning 5.5 million square kilometers. The Persian king declared the world’s first charter of human rights, also known as the Cyrus Cylinder.

Despite the minimal nature of the ruins, they make a good introduction to the wonders of Persepolis, some 60km to the south. Best visited en route from Yazd or Isfahan to Shiraz, most people fit them into an extended tour from Persepolis with stops at Naqsh-e Rostam and Naqsh-e Rajab.

The tourism ministry has set a target to help build 2,000 eco-lodges by 2021, believing such guest houses could cater to sustainable development and job creation in the countryside and rural areas.

Experts say each eco-lodge unit generates jobs for seven to eight people on the average so that the scheme could create 160,000 jobs.

The culturally-diverse country never disappoints visitors when it comes to eco-tourism, sightseeing and even tribal tourism as it is home to many regional people including ones with Turk and Arab elements in addition to the Kurds, Baloch, Bakhtyari, Lurs, and other smaller minorities such as Armenians, Assyrians, Jews, and others.

ABU/MG