TEHRAN – An anthropology museum is under construction in Haftash to let visitors find a path into understanding the everyday lives, culture and arts of people living in the western Iranian village and its surroundings. 

"A museum dedicated to the anthropology of Haftash village in Baneh county of Kordestan province will be launched in near future," a provincial tourism official said on Wednesday.

A budget of 550 million rials (about $13,000 at the official exchange rate of 42,000 rials per dollar) has been allocated to the project, Sadollah Rahimikhah added. 

Such projects could help develop rural tourism in the region, which leads to economic prosperity for the locals, the official added. 

Rural tourism takes place in non-urbanized areas such as hiking or camping in countryside areas, national parks, forests, oasis and desert villages, and mountain areas.

Experts believe that rural tourism can help to disperse tourism in countries with dense populations, directing holidaymakers away from some of the more well-known, busy destinations, and providing economic opportunities in alternative areas. It also lessens the wave of migration from villages to cities.

Iran enjoys a wide variety of natural terrains, unspoiled landscapes, tribes, and ethnic people, giving visitors opportunities to encounter a wide range of lifestyles, handicrafts, and cultures. Sightseers may stay with a rural or nomadic family for a while or enjoy an independent stay and assist them with day-to-day life. It also opens up an opportunity to feel rustic routines, their agriculture, traditions, arts, and culture.

The name Kordestan refers to the region’s principal inhabitants. After the Turkish invasion of Iran in the 11th century CE (Seljuq period), the name Kurdistan was applied to the region comprising the northwestern Zagros Mountains. It was during the reign of Abbas I the Great of Iran’s Safavid dynasty (1501–1736) that the Kurds rose to prominence, having been enlisted by Abbas I to help stem the attacks of the marauding Uzbeks from the east in the early 17th century.

ABU/AFM