TEHRAN – Gurash, a traditional wrestling style being practiced in the northeastern province of North Khorasan, has recently been inscribed on the National Heritage list.

In this sport, which is mainly popular among Turkmen people, the wrestlers use towels to hold their opponents, and their goal is to throw their opponents off the feet.

Some more 7 items in the region including skills of making Chapati bread, silk weaving, Monadikhani ritual, and reciting elegies were also added to the National Heritage List, IRNA quoted deputy provincial tourism chief Ali Mostofian as saying on Sunday.  

Though North Khorasan province may not be the first choice of travelers, its tourism is getting momentum.

According to Lonely Planet, most foreign tourists pass straight through North Khorasan in transit between Mashhad and Gorgan, but if you have time to explore, it's worth diverting south from the capital, Bojnurd, towards Esfarayen, famed for its wrestling tournaments, the remarkable citadel of Belqays and the partly preserved stepped village of Roein some 20km north. Although a lot of new building spoils the effect in parts of the village, Roein is considered Khorasan’s answer to the well-known Masuleh and is a possible starting point for hikes to little-visited mountain villages.

ABU/MG