Tehran, Bern ink MOU on tourism co-op

TEHRAN – Iran and Switzerland have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to expand cooperation in the tourism sector, CHTN reported.

Traditional Russian textiles on show at Tehran exhibit

TEHRAN – On Monday, an exhibition of traditional Russian textiles, including handwoven needlework and embroideries, opened to the public at the Niavaran Cultural-Historical Complex in northern Tehran.

From generation to generation: The art of Tanbur in Kermanshah

Tanbur, a long-necked fretted lute, is an inseparable part of the lives of the Kurds in Iran, so much so that the children learn how to play it before they learn how to read and write.

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.

Khorramabad festival featuring tribal lifestyle, crafts and arts

TEHRAN – Various lifestyle, rituals, crafts and arts of Iranian tribespeople and nomads are under spotlight in a five-day exhibition, which is underway in Khorramabad, the capital of western Lorestan province.

By Mohammad Ali Haqshenas

Why you cannot afford to miss Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque

JAKARTA (MNA) – Sure there are many must-see destinations in Indonesia but one special mosque in Jakarta is a visit that will never be forgotten.

Iran to attend Tashkent international tourism expo

TEHRAN – A number of Iranian exhibitors will attend the 25th Tashkent International Tourism Fair (TITF 2019) --“Tourism on the Silk Road” – which will be held in the capital city of Uzbekistan from November 13 to 15, Fars reported on Thursday. 

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.

Tehran ready to relax visa policy for Kyrgyz tourists

TEHRAN – Iran is ready to ease visa regulations for Kyrgyzstani nationals in a bid to boost tourism, First Vice-President Es’haq Jahangiri has said.

Visits to North Khorasan’s museums jump fivefold in H1

TEHRAN – Visits to historical and cultural heritage museums in North Khorasan province jumped by fivefold during the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21), compared to the same period last year.

Austrian traveler tells of cycling adventures in Iran

TEHRAN – A quick online search for memories and travelogues by foreign nationals so far visited Iran easily shows that it is one of the most misinterpreted countries on Earth. A strong reason is that almost every outsider who has the opportunity to visit Iran falls in love with the ancient land, its warm and generous people!

Discover incredible rock formations in southern Iranian island 

TEHRAN – You can find one of the world’s most eye-catching nature’s creativities at its finest on Qeshm Island, southern Iran, where stunning rock formations are a sign of perpetual thumping of the waves, storms and raging winds.

Tehran, Muscat in talks to waive visas for visitors from Iran

TEHRAN - Iran has officially lifted the visa requirement for Omani nationals and now the two countries are in talks to do the same for Iranian travelers.

Iran’s Bandar Abbas, Sanandaj join UNESCO Creative Cities Network     

TEHRAN – The Iranian cities of Bandar Abbas and Sanandaj have recently been designated as UNESCO Creative Cities by the UN cultural body.

Newly-found petroglyph in western Iran may have link to Mithraism

TEHRAN – A newly-discovered rock-carving in western Iran could have a link to Mithraism, a prehistorical religion inspired by Iranian worship of the Zoroastrian god Mithra.

The Great Wall of Gorgan: longest ancient barrier between Central Europe and China

TEHRAN – Stretched for almost 200 kilometers along northern Iran, the ancient Great Wall of Gorgan was constructed from 420s CE to 530s as a northern frontier of the then mighty Persian Empire, which was then ruled under Sassanids.

UNESCO assessors to visit Uraman landscape in western Iran

TEHRAN - A team of experts affiliated with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is scheduled to visit Iran assessing Uraman landscape for possibly listing of the historical region as a World Heritage.

By Seyed Amin Saneey Mehri        

Fam trip, a new way to introduce tourist attractions of Iran

Nowadays, various countries are relying on influencers as an effective strategy in order to market their tourism capacities. Countries can display their tourism capacities with the help of influencers and this has been welcomed as a new method for marketing in different areas. 

IKIA plans to operate more flights from Salam Terminal

TEHRAN - Imam Khomeini International Airport plans to increase the number of daily flights from newly-established Salam Terminal by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 2020).

Iran prime source of tourism for Turkey in August

TEHRAN – A total of 276,000 Iranian nationals visited Turkey in August, making the Islamic Republic the main source of foreign arrivals in the neighboring country.

Iran, Oman seek to bolster health tourism ties

TEHRAN – Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Ali Asghar Mounesan on Monday met with his Omani counterpart Ahmed bin Nasser al-Mahrizi in Muscat, discussing ways to promote bilateral ties particularly in the arena of health and medical tourism.

Hamedan hosting national crafts exhibit

TEHRAN – Iran’s ancient city of Hamedan is playing host to a national handicrafts exhibit.

Iran is a hugely ‘friendly’ country despite propagandas, New Zealander professor says

TEHRAN - David Robie, a New Zealander author, journalist, media educator and retired university professor believes that Iran is a hugely friendly country despite propagandas by Western media.

By David Robie

Iran’s great global adventurers - around the lost world in 10 years

They have been dubbed the “Persian Indiana Joneses”. Their adventures are fabled and hair-raising, as shown by a Jivaro shrunken human head and relics from curious rituals on display from almost 70 years ago. But the Omidvar brothers from Iran were no gung-ho adventurers, merely gate-crashing hidden tribal and indigenous communities around the world. They were also no elitists.

Foreign visits to millennia-old Hasanlu on the rise

TEHRAN – Foreign visits to Hasanlu, a millennia-old archaeological site in northwest Iran, has been on the rise over the past couple of months, director of the historical site has said.

Sanctions no obstacle for Austrian tourists to visit Iran: envoy

TEHRAN – Vienna’s ambassador to Tehran believes that U.S. sanctions against Iran will be no obstacle in the path of Austrian tourists to travel to the Islamic Republic.

By David Robie

10 reasons why tourists must visit Iran

I stumbled on the scene by chance. Our host family in Iran’s second city Mashhad, a modern and beautiful metropolis that would comfortably fit in New Zealand’s entire population, was taking us on a drive to the outskirts to visit the tomb of the famous poet and chronicler Abul-Qasem Ferdowsi.

Cave bearing ancient human skeletons discovered near Tehran

TEHRAN – Iranian archaeologists have recently discovered remains of human skeletons reportedly dating back to ancient era in a cave in Lavasan region near Tehran.

Chabahar Free Zone seeks to attract more travelers

TEHRAN – Chabahar Free Zone Organization plans to develop tourism infrastructure in order to attract more travelers to the port area, which is situated in Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province.

Iran is a perfect destination to travel to, Dutch filmmaker says

TEHRAN – “Whenever Iran is in the news, it is about something negative. That made me skeptical — can a country be as bad as the media depicts it? I wanted to investigate for myself if Iran is open to foreigners and if it is a safe place to visit, and also share my travel experiences with the world,” Reinier van Oorsouw, a Dutch photographer and filmmaker has said.