TEHRAN — Ardakan, a historic city in northern Yazd province, has unveiled a comprehensive tourism roadmap aimed at shifting its image from a transit point to a destination where visitors stay.

According to Miras Aria, Mohsen Talei, deputy head of Ardakan’s governor, said that the goal of this plan is to transform the mandatory stopover of travelers into a chosen stay and create a memorable experience of the desert hospitality; a transformation that has begun with a comprehensive shake-up of the entrance and accommodation infrastructure.

Talei emphasized: “Our most important focus is organizing the first image that travelers receive of Ardakan. The instability and confusion of the past years must be transformed into an opportunity for attraction and guidance.”

He announced the establishment of equipped stations at the two main entrances to the city, as well as at the entrances to the historical parts of Kharanaq and Aqda; stations that, with the presence of trained guides, provide travelers with comprehensive tourism brochures and guide them to the best routes.

Talei added that a fundamental review of the traffic and geometric designs of busy roads, a ban on heavy vehicles on the Yazd-Tabas axis during peak travel days, and extensive cooperation between Municipality, Traffic Police, Cultural Heritage Department, and non-governmental organizations are the other axes of this huge project.

Also, Mojahed Karbasi, head of Ardakan Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Department, said that the goal is to turn tourist visits into a deep and lasting experience.

He considered upgrading the historical caravanserais with eco-lodge facilities and eliminating deficiencies in basic services such as the lack of sanitary facilities as priorities.

Karbasi also emphasized the establishment of guide stations and the introduction of historical capacities such as Kharanaq Castle and the Now Gonbad caravanserai, adding that the measures are aimed to move travelers from rapid transit to peaceful  stay in these areas. 

With its historical brick texture, the Grand Mosque, Kharanaq Castle and Caravanserai, the Now Gonbad caravanserai in Aqda, sand dunes, and diverse handicrafts, Ardakan is ready to make Nowruz 1405 into a turning point in the experience of traveling to the Iranian desert.

KD