12 ancient sites to go in western Iran

TEHRAN – From the coasts of the Persian Gulf to the lush mountainous forests of the northwest, and from snow-tipped northern cliffs to scorching southern deserts, here is a pick of ancient sites to inspire, delight and motivate if willing to visit wild western Iran.

Imam Mosque: A grand, impressive jewel of Isfahan 

TEHRAN – At the southern end of Isfahan’s main square stands the big, grand and impressive Imam Mosque, which is not only impressive because of its sheer size and incredible decorations, but also helps to get a good impression of the needs and challenges of always on-going restoration works.

Travels banned to Iran’s “golden triangle” over virus fears

TEHRAN – Like many other destinations across Iran, its famed “golden triangle” of tourism, which is referred to the cities of Isfahan, Shiraz, and Yazd, has announced it will host no visiting tourists until further notice in a bid to curb the coronavirus outbreak.

Susa, once capital of Elamite, Achaemenid empires

TEHRAN – Now sprawling in the southwest of modern Iran, Susa is one of the oldest yet magnificent cities in the world.

Iran-Turkmenistan border crossing to host Noruz celebration

TEHRAN – Iran and Turkmenistan are scheduled to celebrate Noruz, the Persian New Year traditions shared between the two nations, during a joint event at their border crossing on March 27, CHTN reported.

Dutch FM visits Isfahan, says ready to deepen tourism ties

TEHRAN – Foreign Minister of the Netherlands Stef Blok said on Friday that his country is willing to expand economic and tourism relations with Iran, particularly with Isfahan province.

Discover Istakhr, ancient royal residence near legendary Persepolis

TEHRAN – The ancient city of Istakhr, which was once a royal residence for Sassanid kings of Persia, is located in the vicinity of the UNESCO-registered Persepolis.

UNESCO screens “Rona, Azim’s Mother”

TEHRAN – “Rona, Azim’s Mother”, a co-production between Afghanistan and Iran, was screened in a special session at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris last Thursday.

The wait is over: “Simurgh” named Iran’s national brand for tourism

TEHRAN – Finally the wait is over for many tourism lovers in Iran as the country has introduced “Simurgh” - a huge mythical bird of Persian legend credited with possessing great wisdom – as its national brand for tourism.

German sightseers visiting Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province

TEHRAN - A nine-member group of German sightseers has commenced an excursion to southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province, which is amongst Iran’s lesser-known destinations.

Tricky waterproof repairs cast doubt over fate of Iranian architecture masterpiece

TEHRAN – Many visitors to the 17th-centyry Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, a top masterpiece of Iranian architecture that stands tall in Isfahan, witnessed last month that its picturesque creamy dome was emerged split-face from a snowfall.

Discover “Dome of Soltaniyeh”, 14-century architectural marvel in Iran 

TEHRAN - The UNESCO-listed Mausoleum of Oljaytu, which is commonly known as “Dome of Soltaniyeh” (Soltaniyeh Cupola), is one of Iran’s must-visit destinations for those interested in traditional Persian and genuine Islamic architecture. 

UNESCO-registered Iranian, Spanish geoparks sign MoU

TEHRAN – Iran’s Qeshm and Spain’s Villuercas Ibores Jara geoparks, both registered on UNESCO Global Geoparks Network, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to expand cooperation in the field of ecotourism, IRNA reported on Saturday.

A glance at a lavishly decorated house in central Iran

TEHRAN – Photos depict scenes of the extravagantly decorated Mollabashi (Motamedi) house in Isfahan, central Iran, on January 20, 2020.

Iran proposes Croatia to join UN-recognition of Noruz

TEHRAN – Iran has put forward Croatia a proposal to join a multinational dossier for Noruz that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has approved for Iran and several other countries.

Sistan-Baluchestan: A must-see destination in southeast Iran  

TEHRAN – UNESCO sites both historical and natural, varied landscape, cozy guesthouses, rugged sea coasts, mouth-watering local dishes, reasonable prices, and above all, hospitable and welcoming people well contribute to make the lesser-known Sistan-Baluchestan a must-visit destination for any traveler to Iran.

Heritage museum inaugurated in ancient city of Izeh

TEHRAN – Iran’s deputy tourism minister on Friday inaugurated a cultural heritage museum in Izeh, southwestern Khuzestan province, with the aim of introducing the rich history and culture of the ancient city.

Gonbad Kavus museum features rare Turkmen rugs, carpets

TEHRAN – If you are a fan of hand-knitted rugs and carpets or pictorial rugs and planning to visit northern Iran, you may put Gonbad Kavus carpet museum into the itinerary of your journey to make it richer and more colorful.

Qeshm Island: A warm destination to escape the cold in winter

TEHRAN – Iran’s southernmost Qeshm Island is a top destination for whom dreaming of having a wintertime holiday under the sun in flip-flops and a swimsuit!

Majlis approves handicrafts are VAT-exempt

TEHRAN – The Iranian parliament (Majlis) on Tuesday approved a bill to exempt craftspeople and handicraft producers from paying value-added tax (VAT).

Cloudburst closes UNESCO-tagged geopark in Iran’s Qeshm

TEHRAN – Severe rainstorms over the past few days have led to the temporarily closure of Qeshm Geopark in the Persian Gulf, aiming to safeguard eco-travelers and visitors to the UNESCO-registered site.

Maymand: A very old village of troglodytes

TEHRAN - The term “cave dwellers” conjures up prehistoric images in your mind when caves served as one of the earliest dwellings for human beings. Here we want to take a look at Maymand, an exemplar manmade-cave dwelling in southeast Iran, where people made a living about five or six millennia ago.

U.S. unlikely to target Iran’s cultural sites, tourism minister says

TEHRAN - Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Minister Ali-Asghar Mounesan said on Wednesday that a U.S. attack of Iran’s cultural heritage is ‘unlikely’ to happen. 

UNESCO raps Trump, reminding U.S. committed not to harm cultural heritage

TEHRAN - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Monday rebuked U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent threats to target Iranian cultural sites, saying the United States has signed treaties committing it not to harm cultural heritage.

Trump’s threat to target Iranian cultural sites ‘a huge crime against the worldwide civilization’

TEHRAN - Cultural and tourism officials, activists and fans across Iran, have signed petitions and issued statements in the past two days over Donald Trump’s threat to target Iranian cultural sites, emphasizing that it equals a huge crime against the worldwide civilization.

By Afshin Majlesi

World reacts to Trump’s threat to raid Iranian culture targets as ‘a war crime’

TEHRAN - Donald Trump’s new threat to attack 52 important targets in Iran, including cultural sites, has provoked a strong backlash worldwide, with many calling it a “war crime.”

Kermanshah exports of handicrafts surge 40 percent, hit $15 million

TEHRAN – Handicrafts exports from western Kermanshah province reached some $15 million in the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2019), showing 40 percent growth year on year.

Iran exports $146m of handicrafts since March

TEHRAN – Handicraft exports from Iran reached $146 million since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2019), deputy tourism minister said on Tuesday.

ECO Cultural Institute seeks tourism boom, new president says

TEHRAN – The newly-appointed president of the Economic Cooperation Organization Cultural Institute said on Monday that development of tourism industry is a priority of her mission through launching joint projects with other member states.