TEHRAN – The ancient Tchogha Tappe (meaning Tchogha Hill) is one of the tourist attractions in Borujerd, the capital of western Lorestan province, which provides tourists with a 360-degree view of the city.

It holds the potential to become one of the country’s tourism hubs as well, ISNA quoted Hossein Arbabi, the director of the Touring & Automobile Club of the Islamic Republic of Iran, as saying on Friday.

Promoting Tchogha Tappe as a tourist destination can lead to sustainable employment as well as more investment by the private sector, the official added.

Located west of Borujerd, the hill is a rich resource of volcanic rocks, wild plants, and small animals.

According to locals, there was a fire temple on top of this hill that was a place of worship for the ancient people.

Historical relics, dating back to the Parthian era, were unearthed during excavations carried out on the hill in 2017. 

Over 1.5 million visits were paid to tourist attractions and museums in Lorestan during the past Iranian calendar year 1398 (ended March 20). Lorestan was inhabited by Iranian Indo-European peoples, including the Medes, c. 1000 BC. Cimmerians and Scythians intermittently ruled the region from about 700 to 625 BC.

The Luristan Bronzes noted for their eclectic array of Assyrian, Babylonian, and Iranian artistic motifs, date from this turbulent period. The region was incorporated into the growing Achaemenid Empire in about 540 BC and successively was part of the Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanid dynasties.

ABU/MG