TEHRAN – Iran has started to promote mining tourism by launching the first project in northwestern Zanjan province, IRNA reported. 

Anguran lead and zinc mine, located 130 kilometers west of the provincial capital of Zanjan, will be hosting tourists and sightseers in the near future, Amir Arjmand, the tourism director of the province said on Saturday.

Mining tourism is a new category in the tourism industry, which involves tours of both abandoned and active mines, and it is expected to have a great impact on the economy in the region, as well as tourism, develop and job creation, he added. 

Methods of exploration and extraction, underground tunnels, travertine mines, machines used for mining, and observing the ways of extracting minerals and rocks, especially precious stones can be engaging for the tourists, he stated.

He also noted that there will be some residential units for tours and individual travelers inside the complex. 

Anguran mine, which is considered to be the largest lead and zinc mine in West Asia, is one of the few active mines in the country. 

About 500 miners work in different sections of Anguran mine, which dates back to 1922. 

In recent years, Iran has developed new programs for tourism development in different branches of the industry including agritourism. 

Agritourism is a subset of a larger industry called rural tourism that includes resorts, off-site farmers' markets, non-profit agricultural tours, and other leisure and hospitality businesses that attract visitors to the countryside.

Zanjan is one of the cities founded by Sassanid King Ardashir I (180-242 CE). The province makes a base for wider explorations with the architectural wonder of Soltaniyeh, the subterranean delights of the Katale-Khor caves, colorful mountains, and the UNESCO-registered Takht-e Soleiman ruins are nearby.

In late January, Zanjan was designated as a “world city of filigree” by the World Crafts Council after the WCC assessors visited various craft workshops, stores, exhibits, and bazaars of a city in a two-day itinerary in last December.

Filigree consists of curling, twisting, or plaiting fine, pliable metal threads and soldering them at their points of contact with each other with a metal groundwork.

ABU/MG