Sistan-Baluchestan: A must-see destination in southeast Iran  

TEHRAN – UNESCO sites both historical and natural, varied landscape, cozy guesthouses, rugged sea coasts, mouth-watering local dishes, reasonable prices, and above all, hospitable and welcoming people well contribute to make the lesser-known Sistan-Baluchestan a must-visit destination for any traveler to Iran.

Heritage museum inaugurated in ancient city of Izeh

TEHRAN – Iran’s deputy tourism minister on Friday inaugurated a cultural heritage museum in Izeh, southwestern Khuzestan province, with the aim of introducing the rich history and culture of the ancient city.

Gonbad Kavus museum features rare Turkmen rugs, carpets

TEHRAN – If you are a fan of hand-knitted rugs and carpets or pictorial rugs and planning to visit northern Iran, you may put Gonbad Kavus carpet museum into the itinerary of your journey to make it richer and more colorful.

Qeshm Island: A warm destination to escape the cold in winter

TEHRAN – Iran’s southernmost Qeshm Island is a top destination for whom dreaming of having a wintertime holiday under the sun in flip-flops and a swimsuit!

Majlis approves handicrafts are VAT-exempt

TEHRAN – The Iranian parliament (Majlis) on Tuesday approved a bill to exempt craftspeople and handicraft producers from paying value-added tax (VAT).

Cloudburst closes UNESCO-tagged geopark in Iran’s Qeshm

TEHRAN – Severe rainstorms over the past few days have led to the temporarily closure of Qeshm Geopark in the Persian Gulf, aiming to safeguard eco-travelers and visitors to the UNESCO-registered site.

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.

U.S. unlikely to target Iran’s cultural sites, tourism minister says

TEHRAN - Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Minister Ali-Asghar Mounesan said on Wednesday that a U.S. attack of Iran’s cultural heritage is ‘unlikely’ to happen. 

UNESCO raps Trump, reminding U.S. committed not to harm cultural heritage

TEHRAN - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Monday rebuked U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent threats to target Iranian cultural sites, saying the United States has signed treaties committing it not to harm cultural heritage.

Trump’s threat to target Iranian cultural sites ‘a huge crime against the worldwide civilization’

TEHRAN - Cultural and tourism officials, activists and fans across Iran, have signed petitions and issued statements in the past two days over Donald Trump’s threat to target Iranian cultural sites, emphasizing that it equals a huge crime against the worldwide civilization.

By Afshin Majlesi

World reacts to Trump’s threat to raid Iranian culture targets as ‘a war crime’

TEHRAN - Donald Trump’s new threat to attack 52 important targets in Iran, including cultural sites, has provoked a strong backlash worldwide, with many calling it a “war crime.”

Kermanshah exports of handicrafts surge 40 percent, hit $15 million

TEHRAN – Handicrafts exports from western Kermanshah province reached some $15 million in the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2019), showing 40 percent growth year on year.

Iran exports $146m of handicrafts since March

TEHRAN – Handicraft exports from Iran reached $146 million since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2019), deputy tourism minister said on Tuesday.

ECO Cultural Institute seeks tourism boom, new president says

TEHRAN – The newly-appointed president of the Economic Cooperation Organization Cultural Institute said on Monday that development of tourism industry is a priority of her mission through launching joint projects with other member states.

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.

17 tourism projects worth $35m to get off the ground in Ardebil

TEHRAN – Seventeen tourism projects, worth 1,500 billion rials (some $35 million at the official rate of 42,000 rials) will be inaugurated in northwestern Ardebil province in the near future.

Step into the ‘House of Hercules’ in western Iran!

TEHRAN – Iran’s western Kordestan province is teemed with hundreds of historical sites, many of which well worth a visit. One of the most famous is the Caves of Karaftu, a series of chambers carved into a cliff facing a mountain. The caves are formed naturally but have been modified by inhabitants over the past centuries.

Iran celebrates Hyrcanian Forests becoming World Heritage

TEHRAN – Iran on Thursday held a ceremony to officially celebrate Hyrcanian Forests for being designated as a World Heritage site. Experts say that parts of the woodland date back some 50 million years.

Iran to unveil national brand name for tourism

TEHRAN – Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Minister has said that the national brand for tourism will be unveiled on February 11, 2020.

Vocalist Shahram Nazeri to record videos to promote tamboura  

TEHRAN – Vocalist Shahram Nazeri plans to record three music videos to promote tamboura, a string instrument native to Kermanshah that is the homeland of the world-renowned artist.

Magnetic survey reveals two stone structures in Pasargadae

TEHRAN – A recent magnetic survey conducted by a team of Iranian and French interdisciplinary experts suggests that two historical stone structures exist beneath the UNESCO-registered Pasargadae in southern Iran.

Iranian provinces tasked to expand own overseas tourism markets

TEHRAN – In order to promote decentralization in the domestic tourism industry, each Iranian province is tasked to develop its own tourism market abroad, particularly for visitors from nearby countries.

Yalda is a beautiful manifestation of Iran’s cultural heritage: tourism minister

TEHRAN – Iran’s tourism minister has said that Yalda Night is a beautiful manifestation of Iran’s intangible cultural heritage.

WCC experts assessing Shiraz as ‘a world city of handicrafts’

TEHRAN - World Crafts Council-Asia Pacific Region Director Ghada Hijavi along with a fellow expert arrived in Shiraz on Tuesday to follow up on their assessment to name the southern Iranian city “a world city of handicrafts”.

Iranian airline to start Ahvaz-Sohar route

TEHRAN - Iran’s Qeshm Air has announced it will launch a flight service between Ahvaz, capital of Khuzestan province, and Oman’s port city of Sohar, in January 2020.

“Sports for All” meeting held in Tehran

TEHRAN – “Sports for All – fostering inclusion of persons with disabilities” meeting was held in National Olympic and Paralympic Academy of Iran on Monday.

Tehran intl. conference to discuss tourism digital marketing

TEHRAN – A number of international academia and experts have been invited to deliver lectures at the 6th Digital Marketing & Tourism Industry Conference, which will be held at Tehran’s Espinas Palace Hotel on January 17, 2020.

Travelers’ camp to bring comfort to visitors of Saint Thaddeus monastery

TEHRAN – A travelers’ campsite is to be established adjacent to the Monastery of Saint Thaddeus, northwestern Iran, in order to bring comfort to the visitors of the UNESCO-registered place of worship.

Iran seeking to win four joint UNESCO tags in 2020

TEHRAN – Iran is seeking to secure four world heritage status jointly with other countries in 2020.

Recovered Achaemenid ‘guard’ to go on show at Milad Tower

TEHRAN – A limestone relief of an Achaemenid Persian guard, which was brought back home from the U.S. last year, will go show in a month-long exhibit at Tehran’s Milad Tower.