TEHRAN - The head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department in East Azarbaijan said on Tuesday that Tabriz is ready to host tourism delegations from Kazakhstan as the two countries seek to expand cooperation in tourism, museums, handicrafts and cultural exchanges.

Ahmad Hamzehzadeh made the remarks during a meeting with Kazakhstan’s ambassador to Iran, Ontalap Onalbayev, ILNA news agency reported.

Hamzehzadeh said the historical and cultural ties between Iran and Kazakhstan provide a basis for developing joint tourism projects.

He said the provincial tourism department is prepared to receive specialized tourism delegations, travel agency representatives and tour guides from Kazakhstan to visit Tabriz and explore opportunities for designing joint travel packages and increasing tourism exchanges.

Hamzehzadeh also proposed pursuing a sister-city agreement between Tabriz and a city in Kazakhstan, saying such cooperation could strengthen cultural, tourism and economic relations between the two sides.

He said East Azarbaijan is home to more than 4,800 identified historical sites, including more than 2,200 nationally registered monuments and six UNESCO World Heritage sites, making it one of Iran’s leading tourism provinces.

The official also proposed cooperation between museums in the two countries, including joint exhibitions and exchanges of historical artifacts in line with professional regulations.

He said the Azarbaijan Museum in Tabriz, Iran’s second-largest archaeological museum [after the National Museum of Iran], is ready to host exhibitions featuring historical objects from Kazakhstan, citing shared historical links, particularly during the Timurid period.

Hamzehzadeh said similarities between Kazakh handicrafts and Tabriz carpets also provide opportunities for joint exhibitions, exchanges of expertise and broader cooperation in traditional crafts.

Tabriz, the capital of East Azerbaijan province in northwestern Iran, is home to several historical landmarks, including the UNESCO-listed Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex, the Jameh Mosque of Tabriz, the Arg of Tabriz and the Blue Mosque. The city served as the capital of the Ilkhanid ruler Mahmud Ghazan and later became the capital of the Kara Koyunlu Turkmen before remaining an administrative center during the Safavid dynasty until the capital was moved to Qazvin in 1548.

AM