12 ancient sites to go in western Iran

TEHRAN – From the coasts of the Persian Gulf to the lush mountainous forests of the northwest, and from snow-tipped northern cliffs to scorching southern deserts, here is a pick of ancient sites to inspire, delight and motivate if willing to visit wild western Iran.

By Afshin Majlesi

Rig-e Jenn: An extraordinary landscape named after elves!

TEHRAN – Eastern Iran is dominated by vast deserts known worldwide for having harsh sun-scorched landscapes, parts of which more attractive for adrenaline chasers.

Visit majestic Ameri House while making excursion to central Iranian oasis, desert

TEHRAN – Many visitors to Ameri House (also called “Khaneh-ye Ameriha), which in fact constitutes one ring of a circle of historical mansions in Kashan, say it is a must-see destination while making an excursion to the oasis city that lies on the margins of a central Iranian desert.

German sightseers visiting Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province

TEHRAN - A nine-member group of German sightseers has commenced an excursion to southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province, which is amongst Iran’s lesser-known destinations.

Maymand: A very old village of troglodytes

TEHRAN - The term “cave dwellers” conjures up prehistoric images in your mind when caves served as one of the earliest dwellings for human beings. Here we want to take a look at Maymand, an exemplar manmade-cave dwelling in southeast Iran, where people made a living about five or six millennia ago.

Italian tourism group visiting Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan

TEHRAN - A group of seventeen Italian sightseers have commenced an excursion across the southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province, which is amongst Iran’s lesser-known destinations.

Coastal, forest tourism development plan being prepared

TEHRAN – The Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts is preparing a comprehensive plan for developing tourism around coastal areas and forests in the country.

Media help alter mental image of travelers towards Sistan-Baluchestan

TEHRAN – Media have helped change the mental image of people towards Sistan-Baluchestan province, which was being shunned by many potential foreign and domestic travelers.

Swiss traveler astonished by charms of Kerman province

TEHRAN – Swiss globetrotter Lola Bernardoni, who has recently toured Kerman, says she was astounded to find such top tourist attractions across the southeastern Iranian province.

French, British sightseers visiting Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan

TEHRAN – A group of ten French and British sightseers have commenced a ten-day tour across Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province.

Sisterhood agreement to bring Yazd, Lviv closer

TEHRAN – The Iranian city of Yazd and the Ukrainian city of Lviv are slated to sign a sisterhood agreement, IRNA reported on Sunday.

Iran’s prehistoric Hyrcanian Forest still unknown to many

TEHRAN – Iran’s UNESCO-registered Hyrcanian Forest (also known as Caspian Forest), dating back some 50 million years, is a unique place that is still unknown to many.

Kerman’s H1 foreign arrivals up 16% y/y

TEHRAN - International tourist arrivals in Iran’s southeastern Kerman province rose 16 percent in the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21) from a year earlier.

New train tour launched to Iranian desert

TEHRAN – Iran’s Raja Rail Transportation Company has launched a new weekly train tour to the central Iranian desert and its neighboring historical and natural attractions, Mehr reported.

Foreign arrivals in Aran-Bidgol jump 50% in 7 months on year

TEHRAN - The number of foreign arrivals in Aran-Bidgol soared 50 percent in the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 21) from a year earlier, governor of the Iranian oasis town said on Saturday.

Visit ‘Owpart’ where jungle borders desert in Iran

TEHRAN – Amongst wanders of the nature is sudden climate change when you pass Iran’s northern Mazandaran province for Semnan in its south. Here the Owpart region acts like an elevated natural barrier, dividing lush jungles from the harsh, sun-scorched desert lands.

Where is the hottest place in the world?

TEHRAN- Have you ever thought about the hottest place in the world? What have you heard about that? Did you know that it is actually in Iran? YES!!

A wild, remote adventure to tour Iran’s giant dunes

TEHRAN – Shahdad, a major part of the UNESCO-registered Lut desert, has long been a destination for adventurers, nature lovers, off-roaders and trekkers.

Conference to discuss tourism growth in eastern Iran

TEHRAN – Six eastern Iranian provinces are scheduled to discuss ways to expand tourism in a conference which will be held in the city of Mashhad on October 10, CHTN reported.

UNESCO-tagged Lut Desert draws 5,000 foreign visitors a year

TEHRAN – Over 5,000 foreign sightseers visited the UNESCO-registered Lut Desert in the barren heartland of Iran during the past Iranian calendar year (ended March 20, 2019).

Museum of meteorites opens in Tehran

People look at outer space rocks in a museum of meteorites, which officially opened to the public at Tehran’s Azadi Tower (Borj-e Azadi) on July 2, 2019.

Intl. conference to discuss sustainable tourism in Lut Desert

TEHRAN – The University of Birjand, which is edged by the UNESCO-tagged Lut Desert, will be hosting an international conference on sustainable tourism in the vast desert, ISNA reported.

Largest ever meteorite exhibit opens in Tehran

Iran’s largest ever exhibition of meteorites opened its doors to the public at the UNESCO-registered Golestan Palace in downtown Tehran, April 28, 2019.

Iran to host its largest ever meteorite exhibit

TEHRAN – The largest ever exhibition of meteorites in Iran will open on Sunday at the Museum of Anthropology of the UNESCO-registered Golestan Palace in Tehran.

Europeans topmost travelers to Shahdad desert

TEHRAN – Europeans have constituted the highest number of arrivals in Iran’s Shahdad desert since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21), ISNA reported.

Iranian Silk Road Ultramarathon announces winners

TEHRAN – Winners have been announced for the 3rd Iranian Silk Road Ultramarathon, which commenced on September 29 as a tourism event across the UNESCO-registered Lut Desert famed for being one of hottest places on earth.

Hottest place on earth: Iran to hold ultramarathon to promote tourism

TEHRAN – A number of national and international runners will compete in the 3rd Iranian Silk Road Ultramarathon to be held across Iran’s UNESCO-registered Lut Desert, known as one of the hottest places on earth.

Lut Desert’s World Heritage base renovated

TEHRAN – A refurbishment project has been recently completed on the World Heritage base of Iran’s UNESCO-registered Lut Desert in a bid to encourage tourism, IRNA reported.

Iranian cyclist to defy hot desert, eying world record 

TEHRAN – Iranian cyclist Hassan Khorashadi is slated to ride across Rig Yelan desert, deemed as one of the hottest spots on Earth, to try and set a Guinness World Record, Mehr reported on Saturday.

Sistan-Baluchestan seeking foreign expertise to boost tourism

TEHRAN – In addition to utilizing domestic resources, tourism authorities of Sistan-Baluchestan are seeking foreign expertise to unlock maximum potential of the vast southeastern province.