TEHRAN – Construction of a long-awaited national museum of saffron officially began on Thursday with a ground-breaking ceremony in the northeastern Qaenat region which is famed for its ‘red gold’.

The ceremony was attended by several local officials, farmers, and cultural heritage lovers, IRNA reported.

The museum will be constructed in a land covering 970 square meters in Qaenat, which has been a major producer of saffron over the past 12 centuries, the report added. 

known as the “red gold”, Saffron is a magical ingredient in Persian culture, from aromatic foods and colorful desserts to physical and spiritual medicine.

Every year, the saffron harvest season begins in early November. While most other vegetation is gone, the bright purple flowers cover the fields and create an outstanding landscape in dry regions in Iran.

AFM