With round-the-year tourism attractions of diverse weather, time-tested civilisation, scintillating geographical features, antiquities like porcelain and intricate and anesthetic carpets, and above all, the highly hospitable people, Iran, aka Persia, is a sure bet for a year in tourism.
Iran is known as the land of four seasons, pulsating history and culture, a wide variety of souvenirs, and authenticity, because it is blessed with diverse cultural sites in addition to different tribes with different and fascinating traditions and customs, which make the land of countless monuments a treasury of tangible and intangible heritage.
"We can undoubtedly say that there is hardly any country or landmass that is, in one way or another, untouched by the aspects of Iranian civilisation," says Dr. Shiqayat Pervez, a thinker and expert in world politics.
"Iranian civilisation and culture have influenced almost every human being on the planet. However, how and since when it started to influence is to a great extent, where we need to focus our research," adds Shiqayat.
A look at three of the most attractive places, according to Kylen Yarzbavk, a travel and tourism enthusiast, are the capital city of Isfahan, Kish Island, and the city of Shiraz.
Isfahan, also known as Esfahan, is Iran's capital of culture and boasts of many attractions. Scenically beautiful while traditionally aesthetic, Isfahan welcomes tourists during every season with its opulent palaces and gardens, its markets, and its bazaars.
This city is also popular for its finest decorative arts and marvellous bridges and is home to globally renowned mosques such as the Imam Mosque, Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, Ali Qapu and Chehel Sotun Palace, besides monumental places like Naqsh-e Jahan Sq, and the like.
Kish Island is Iran's answer to the beautiful yet traditionally kept secret of an island which is known as 'The Pearl of the Persian Gulf'.
Kish is known to have some of the most beautiful hotels and resorts in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, is highly modest in its approach towards tourists and other visitors, and is effectively connected with the GCC. Like in mainland Iran, the people of Kish are friendly and hospitable and treat guests with high regard.
Kish Island, which doesn't need an entry visa for outsiders, has a plethora of popular tourist attractions on this beautiful island that can only be experienced and felt.
The city of Shiraz is a land of historic events and historic personalities, as well as acclaimed poets. The graves of Hafez and Sa'di, major pilgrimage sites for Iranians are located in Shiraz, and is the birthplace for a wide variety of plants and flowers.
The city of Shiraz is embellished by exquisite mosques and the much popular Persepolis, which is the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire between 550 and 330 BC and is today the area's major tourist destination.
Hospitality of Iranians:
For Iranians, hospitality is in their DNA and the people are generous, kind, empathetic, and unconditionally loving, which make visitors feel at home.
They give hospitality a broader and deeper meaning and they are some of the most genuinely hospitable people a traveler can ever meet.
A tourist might be offered to stay with a random local person that he just met a few minutes ago, and chances are visitors from outside the country will be pampered by the local populace because they believe visiting their town means being their special guest who should be taken care of to the fullest.
They would also generously offer their food and snacks without expecting anything back, and no doubt Iran is a place where you would not have to worry about accommodation, food, or safety.
HM visit to Iran in the eyes of a scholar:
Ali Rashid Abdullah al Dahmani, Educational Supervisor, Ministry of Education and a scholar of international relations says that the visit of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq to the Islamic Republic of Iran with the aim of strengthening the historically rooted relations and to continue the special relations that connect the two countries since the reign of the late Sultan Qaboos, may God bless him, is a highly ambitious one as far as the people of both countries are concerned.
"The Sultanate of Oman has been and continues to be a messenger of peace and a reliable source of security in the region and the world and Iran has reposed great hopes on Oman for it can play a crucial role in stabilizing regional tensions and establish peace," said Dr Ali, adding, "This confirms the depth of the good relations and continuous developments between the two countries. Political and even military,".
Oman has already been committed to its constant efforts to maintain good-neighborly relations and cooperation between the countries of the region because of the settlements and the prosperity of the peoples.
”There is no secret about one of the pivotal roles played by the Sultanate in bringing together the viewpoints and solving the relationship issues between Iran and some Gulf and Arab countries, not least the rapprochement and growth of relations between Tehran and Riyadh, as well as the situation with Abu Dhabi and Manama,”adds Dr Ali Rashid Abdullah al Dahmani, Educational Supervisor, Ministry of Education and a scholar of international relations.
Photos from Iran Tourism and Touring Organisation
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