By Afshin Majlesi 

Masuleh, a scenic village where roofs and yards become one

With at least a millennium of history, Masuleh is one of the most famous and spectacular villages in Iran.

77 historical relics, sites identified in plains of Kerman

TEHRAN – A total of 77 historical relics, places, and sites, including ruined fortresses, farmhouses, (archaeological) hills, tombs (or cemeteries), kilns, solo structures, have been identified on the outskirts of Fahraj in Kerman province, southeast Iran.

Archaeologists to save relics before Iron Age cemetery submerged in dam waters

TEHRAN – A team of archaeologists, cultural heritage experts, and diggers plan to recover ancient human remains and relics from an Iron Age cemetery in Mersin, Semnan province, before the cemetery is disappeared under the waters of a nearby dam.

Iran should jump-start COVID-hit tourism under health protocols: VP

TEHRAN – First Vice-President Es’haq Jahangiri on Saturday tasked the tourism ministry with implementing strategic plans to help jump-start the country’s traveling sector ravaged by the coronavirus over the past couple of months.

Deformed skull of ancient human unearthed in Isfahan

TEHRAN – Iranian archaeologists have recently unearthed a deformed skull of an ancient human in a prehistorical mount in the central city of Isfahan.

Iranian tourism, ancient civilization on show at China exhibit

TEHRAN – A delegation of Iranian crafters and tour operators are attending China International Tourism Industry Expo (CITIE), promoting tourism destinations, arts, and rituals of the ancient land to visitors. 

Archaeological survey finds prehistorical hatch to Apadana Palace in Persepolis

TEHRAN – Archaeologists have recently discovered a prehistorical hatch to Apadana Palace, a majestic ruined royal complex within the UNESCO-registered Persepolis, southern Iran.

UNESCO assessor to visit Uraman landscape in western Iran

TEHRAN – A senior expert affiliated with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization will arrive in Iran in September to visit and review the current status of the Uraman rural landscape in western Iran, which is a candidate for becoming a World Heritage site in 2021.

Newly-unearthed ‘Parthian lady’ to be transferred to Isfahan museum

TEHRAN – A human skeleton which has recently been discovered during excavations at Tepe Ashraf in Isfahan and is believed to belong to a Parthian-era (247 BC – 224 CE) lady, will be transferred to the city’s Museum of Decorative Arts.

A brief history of locks, locksmiths in Iran

TEHRAN – Available evidence suggests that locks have been made in Iran since at least the second millennium BC.

We have to hire 300,000 workers to enhance cultural heritage protection: minister

TEHRAN – Iran’s tourism minister has said that his ministry must hire 300,000 workers in a bid to enhance the protection of cultural heritage sites, relics, and monuments.

Ancient human settlement found in Qazvin

TEHRAN – Iranian archaeologists have discovered a human settlement, believed to be prosperous during the medieval Islamic times (6 to 7 AH), in Qazvin, west-central Iran.

Travelogues: tapping into the past hearing Muharram rituals from Europeans visiting Persia

TEHRAN – Travelogues, inscribed by European travelers to Persia (Iran) over the past centuries, is a good source to hear about Muharram mourning ceremonies from the point of view of Westerners, experts say. 

Advanced digital mapping starts at UNESCO-tagged Tchogha Zanbil, Haft-Tappeh

TEHRAN – A new digital mapping has been commenced at the UNESCO-registered Tchogha Zanbil and its nearby archaeological site, Haft-Tappeh, using an advanced low altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Profit or loss? 81 historical sites up for auction to be ceded to private sector

TEHRAN – A total of 81 historical sites and monuments across Iran will soon be up for grabs in an auction to be temporarily ceded to the private sector reportedly aimed at achieving higher productivity and better maintenance.

By Afshin Majlesi

A peek into cemetery tourism in Iran

Tourism is one of the fastest-growing phenomena in our modern world. It always makes new changes to have unforgettable experiences, to create new travel motivators, and to reach new markets. Such a trend results in new tourist spots which were unthinkable only a few years ago!

Jameh Mosque of Saveh undergoes partial restoration

TEHRAN – A partial restoration and renovation work has been commenced on the 12th-century Jameh Mosque of Saveh, which is sometimes referred to as “a museum of Islamic architecture”.

Archaeologists find Paleolithic sites in southeast Iran

TEHRAN – A team of Iranian archaeologists has recently discovered first-hand Prehistorical human settlements believed to date back to the Paleolithic era on the outskirts of Fahraj in Kerman province, southeast Iran.

Coronavirus costs Iran’s tourism $2.8b so far, minister says

TEHRAN – Iran’s travel sector has suffered a loss of 12 trillion rials (some $2.85 billion at the official rate of 42,000 rials) since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, tourism minister Ali-Asghar Mounesan said on Monday.

400-year-old cistern restored in Isfahan

TEHRAN - The historical Tudeshk cistern, a vast subterranean reservoir for storing water in Isfahan province, has been fully restored and is ready to be toured by visitors, researchers, and architecture enthusiasts.

Kuhdasht cave has ample evidence of prehistorical dwellers: archaeologist

TEHRAN - Kuhdasht cave in the western province of Lorestan bears ample evidence of prehistorical dwellers and it has vast potential to be a tourism hub, an Iranian archaeologist has said.

‘Half the world’ Isfahan to embrace another tourism hub

TEHRAN – Tepe Ashraf, the sole archaeological hill in Isfahan, which has recently yielded significant evidence of ancient life in the central Iranian city, will be turning into a new tourism destination particularly for researchers, history buffs and people interested in archaeology.

Safavid-era caravanserai in Semnan being restored

TEHRAN – A team of cultural heritage experts and restorers has commenced work on a Safavid-era (1501-1736) caravanserai, which is located in Lasjerd, north-central Semnan province.

By Afshin Majlesi

The absolutely magnificent ‘Gold Bowl of Hasanlu’: Sixty-three years later

TEHRAN – Sixty-three years ago, an Iranian man, named Emamqoli Mohammadi Hasanluei, unearthed a millennia-old gold bowl in the debris of a burned building, part of the major architectural complex at Teppe Hasanlu near the city of Naghadeh in the northwestern province of West Azarbaijan, a short distance south of Lake Urmia.

Jameh Mosque of Urmia undergoes new round of excavation

TEHRAN – An archaeological project has been commenced on the eastern side of the centuries-old Jameh Mosque of Urmia, which stands tall in the city of Urmia, the capital of northwestern East Azarbaijan province.

Another restoration season comes to end on Iran’s ‘Lilliput’

TEHRAN – The fourth season of restoration work has recently been completed on the mysterious village of Makhunik, which is commonly known as the country’s ‘Lilliput’.

By Afshin Majlesi

20 wonderful, must-see cultural sites in Iran

If you ask foreign visitors to Iran about the most characteristic future they discovered during excursions in the ancient land, the most possible answers may be somewhat like these: “It is the friendliest country on Earth with loads of warm-hearted welcome!”; “It is the jewel in Islam’s crown in terms of architecture”; “Being home to fascinating cultural heritage sites”; or “a land where echoes of ancient civilizations still resonate down through the ages!”

Skeleton of another ‘Parthian lady’ discovered in Isfahan

TEHRAN – A team of Iranian archaeologists has found what they say is the skeleton of the second Parthian-era (247 BC – 224 CE) lady at the ancient Tepe Ashraf in Isfahan, hoping new range of discoveries offer novel clues about the history of the central Iranian city.

Corona is a reality but it cannot stop traveling, tourism minister says

TEHRAN – Iran’s tourism minister on Tuesday said that it is true that the coronavirus pandemic is a [bitter] reality but it cannot bring traveling to a complete standstill.

Obsolete textiles being revived in South Khorasan province

TEHRAN – Several [once] obsolete ways of making traditional textiles and their related businesses and workshops have been revived across the eastern South Khorasan province.