TEHRAN – Iran’s 14th edition of the International Festival of Tribes Culture has commenced virtually due to the outbreak of coronavirus.

Hosted by the northern city of Gorgan in Golestan province, the festival seeks to promote the vibrant nomadic cultural heritage of the country, Golestan’s governor-general Hadi Haqshenas said, addressing the opening ceremony on Thursday.

Although the previous editions of the festival were popular among the foreign and Iranian participants and guests, this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the festival is decided to be held online, he explained. 

Transmitting and promoting customs and traditions of the tribes will lead to boost cultural identity, he noted. 

Some 23 music ensembles are scheduled to have live performances during the festival, which will come to an end on Sunday. 

The festival will also host different exhibitions of regional arts, handicrafts, souvenirs, and culinary traditions.

Golestan is reportedly embracing some 2,500 historical and natural sites, with UNESCO-registered Gonbad-e Qabus – a one-millennium-old brick tower – amongst its most famous.

Narratives say the tower has influenced various subsequent designers of tomb towers and other cylindrical commemorative structures both in the region and beyond. The UNESCO comments that the tower bears testimony to the cultural exchange between Central Asian nomads and the ancient civilization of Iran.

ABU/AFM