TEHRAN – Some tourist attractions and museums in the northwestern province of West Azarbaijan can be visited on virtual tours during the coronavirus outbreak in the country, said provincial tourism chief Jalil Jabbari, CHTN reported on Tuesday. 

People can visit the province’s historical sites, museums and natural sights live on Instagram with the presence of a tour leader, he added. 

West Azarbaijan embraces a variety of lush natural sceneries, cultural heritage sites and museums including the UNESCO sites of Takht-e Soleyman and Qareh Klise (St. Thaddeus Monastery), Teppe Hasanlu and the ruined Bastam Citadel.

The region was a center of several ancient civilizations. According to Britannica, it was conquered by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC and was named Atropatene after one of Alexander’s generals, Atropates, who established a small kingdom there. Ultimately, the area returned to the Persian (Iranian) rule under the Sasanians in the 3rd century CE.

Photo: Qareh Klise (St. Thaddeus Monastery)

ABU/MG