A glance at a lavishly decorated house in central Iran

TEHRAN – Photos depict scenes of the extravagantly decorated Mollabashi (Motamedi) house in Isfahan, central Iran, on January 20, 2020.

Excavations shed new light on millennia-old hill in western Iran 

TEHRAN – A team of Iranian archaeologists has recently finished an archaeological season on Tepe Ghala, an ancient hill in western Iran with vestiges dating back to 800 BC.

Markazi province exports over $46,000 of handicrafts

TEHRAN - Handicrafts exports from Markazi province reached $46,400 during the first nine months the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2019), compared with $36,000 in the same period last year.

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.

Frozen waterfall attracts ice climbers

An ice climber challenges a frozen waterfall, which is situated adjacent to the prehistoric rock carvings of Ganjnameh, a can’t-miss destination in Hamedan, west-central Iran, January 17, 2020.

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.

Sorbonne experts confirm fossilized skull found in Iran belongs to Homo sapiens

TEHRAN – A team of researches and archaeologists from the Sorbonne University has confirmed a fragment of a fossilized skull, which had been found in an Iranian cave, belongs to Homo sapiens, the only extant human species.

Tens of illegally-kept historical objects seized in Tehran

TEHRAN - Iranian authorities have recently confiscated 448 historical objects which were illegally kept in a place in the city of Tehran, IRNA reported on Wednesday.

Foreign arrivals in Mazandaran surge 38 percent

TEHRAN – The number of foreign visitors arriving in Iran’s northern Mazandaran province surged 38 percent since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2019), compared with the same period last year, provincial deputy tourism chief has said.

22 tourism projects worth $60m inaugurated in Mazandaran

TEHRAN – A total of twenty two tourism projects, worth 2,515 billion rials (some $60 million at the official rate of 42,000 rials) have been inaugurated in northern Mazandaran province during the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2019).

New restoration season starts on historical mosque in Zanjan

TEHRAN – A fresh season of restoration has recently started on historical Mirzaei Mosque in Zanjan, west-central Iran, CHTN reported on Saturday.

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.

Iranians practiced farming, animal breeding 9,000 years ago, experts find

TEHRAN – A group of Iranian archaeologists and researchers have found that farming and animal breeding were practiced some 9,000 years ago around the historical Tepe Ahranjan in Salmas, northwestern Iran.

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. 

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.

Iraqi nationals top list of foreign tourist arrivals in Kordestan

TEHRAN – Iraqi travelers constituted the largest source of foreign arrivals in the western Iranian province of Kordestan during the first three quarters of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2019), compared to the same period last year, provincial tourism chief has said.

3,000-year-old silk spinning still practiced in Iran

TEHRAN – There are silk makers in different parts of Iran, mainly in northern Gilan and northeastern Khorasan Razavi provinces, that still practice the trade their ancestors did some 3,000 years ago.

World’s first curved glass suspension bridge inaugurated in Iran

TEHRAN – A suspension bridge made of curved sheets of glass, which is the first of its kind in the world, has officially been inaugurated in Ardebil province, northwest Iran, IRIB reported on Friday.

Porticos, arches, domes and gardens, key elements of Persian architecture

TEHRAN – Iran has inherited numerous architectural traditions over the course of history. The Elamite, Achaemenian, Hellenistic, and other pre-Islamic and Islamic-era dynasties have left striking stone testaments to their greatness, such as Chogha Zanbil and Persepolis—both of which were designated UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1979.

By Mohammad Ali Haqshenas

A peek into Christmas celebration in Iran

TEHRAN (MNA) – One may not expect Christmas celebration in a country where 99 percent of its population is Muslim, but surprise is awaiting you in the case of Iran.

Ancient Iranian wall among top 10 archaeology discoveries of 2019

TEHRAN – The discovery of a massive ancient wall in western Iran has been announced by Live Science as one of the top 10 biggest archaeology findings of 2019.

Iran’s civilization, history deserve to be seen, Italian tourism expert says

TEHRAN – A senior Italian tourism expert who has recently embarked on some tours across Iran believes that a gap exists between reality in Iran and the media image of the country worldwide, emphasizing that the country’s civilization and history deserve to be seen.

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.

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.

Historical potteries, human bones unearthed in Iranian town

TEHRAN – Fragments of potteries and human bones have accidentally been discovered during a construction project in Damghan, an ancient town in northcentral Iran.

By Afshin Majlesi

Put your skates on; Yalda is to knock the door!

A new Yalda Night is approaching the hearts of Iranians no matter which part of the globe they live. On that graceful night the winter chill is vanquished and the warmth of love embraces the entire family.

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”.

Austrian ambassador visits tourist sites in western Iran

TEHRAN – Vienna’s ambassador to Tehran Stefan Scholz on Tuesday visited several travel attractions in Kermanshah province, western Iran.

Russia’s 7 most beautiful lighthouses

TEHRAN - The first lighthouses in Russia were built under Peter the Great, known as the “father of the Russian Navy”. There are now roughly about a hundred operating and abandoned lighthouses left in Russia. We have put together a list of the most beautiful specimens. Let’s get started, or as the Russians say — Poekhali!

Iran seeks to foster ‘art tourism’ in partnership with handicrafts

TEHRAN – Iran aims to strengthen bonds existing between handicrafts and tourism in order to foster “art tourism”, deputy tourism minister Pouya Mahmoudian has said.