TEHRAN – The Turkish consul general in the city of Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi province, has said that his country is ready to hold joint programs such as cultural weeks and exhibitions with Khorasan Razavi’s cultural heritage department.

Fatih Topçu made the remarks during a meeting with Khorasan Razavi province’s tourism chief Abolfazl Mokarramifar on Wednesday, CHTN reported.

Mokarramifar, for his part, welcomed the idea, saying that holding such events could boost tourism between Turkey and the Iranian northeastern province.

Referring to the documentary on the tourist attractions and cultural heritage of Khorasan Razavi, which was broadcast on Turkey’s Channel 7, he also noted that the province’s cultural heritage department is eager to cooperate on producing more documentaries for Turkish TV channels.

Before the coronavirus puts everything on lockdown, the province’s capital city, Mashhad, played host to thousands of travelers and pilgrims who come from various Iranian cities, neighboring countries, and even across the globe to visit the imposing, massive holy shrine complex of Imam Reza (AS), the eighth Imam of the Shia Muslims.

Almost 40 million Iranian pilgrims and travelers visited the city during the last Iranian calendar year (ended March 19).

Dozens of five-star hotels and hostels are dotted around the holy shrine. The city has also the highest concentration of water parks in the country, and it also embraces a variety of cultural and historical sites that are generally crowded.

ABU/MG