Gahar Lake: A Beautiful Tourist Resort in Iran’s Lorestan
TEHRAN – Gahar is located beside the Oshtorankouh mountains in Zagross Range in Iran’s western province of Lorestan. It is 2360m above the sea level, 1700m long and 500m wide. Depth of the lake is 28m maximum. The area is one of the few ones in Iran that has been under good protection lately so […]
Kandovan Village, A Rocky Architectural Oddity in Iran
TEHRAN – Kandovan is an extraordinary ancient village in the province of East Azarbaijan, near the city of Tabriz, Iran. Kandovan is a village that is not only famous for its scenic beauty, but also for its uniqueness that comes from the fact that many of its homes have been made in caves located in […]
Iran Sees Drop in Tourism Arrivals
TEHRAN – Iran’s international tourism arrivals over the last year dropped by 5.6 percent compared to 2015. According to UNWTO (World Tourism Organization) tourism highlights 2017 edition, 4.942 million tourists have visited Iran in 2016. The figure for 2015 stood at 5.237 million. The country’s tourism receipt in 2015 hit $3.868 million but the report […]
Ganjali Khan Complex Evokes Everyday Life in Safavid-Era Iran
TEHRAN – With its lavishly decorated structures and abundant wax dummies clad in indigenous outfits, the historical Ganjali Khan complex evokes traditions, culture and everyday life in Iran during Safavid dynasty. Located in Kerman, southeastern Iran, the complex is composed of a madrasa, a mosque, a caravanserai, a bathhouse or hammam, a water reservoir and […]
Fahraj Mosque amongst Oldest Islamic Structures in Iran
At over 1400 years old, Jameh Mosque of Fahraj still stands tall in a township of the same name in Yazd province, central Iran. Some archeologists believe that the mosque is the oldest surviving Islamic structure in the country, erected following the conquest of Persia (637–651) by Muslims that put an end to the mighty […]
A village that needs approval to enter
In Fiji’s isolated villages, custom holds that a visitor needs to ask permission to enter by offering a tangled bundle of kava roots as sevusevu, a gesture of respect. By Diane Selkirk 31 August 2017 As sailors planning to spend a couple of months exploring Fiji’s outer islands, my family of three needed to be […]
Bijar: A Protected Area in Iran’s Kurdistan Province
TEHRAN – The “Bijar” protected zone is located in the northeast of Iran’s western province of Kurdistan, 15 kilometers from Bijar city. The region is an expanse of natural landscapes and an ideal place for research, exploration and sightseeing. The Bijar region with an area of 72 thousand hectares was proclaimed as a protected zone […]
A Historically Important Cave in Iran
TEHRAN – Kalmakareh Cave is located 20km southwest of Pol Dokhtar in the western province of Lorestan. It is situated in a historical and ancient valley known as Darreh Bagh on the heights of Kouh Mahalleh. The cave holds great importance, as it contains remnants of ancient civilizations. Vast spaces and crevices create a mysterious […]