TEHRAN – Nikshahr, a lesser-known city in Sistan-Baluchestan, has considerable potential to become one of the tourism hubs of the southeastern province, the provincial tourism chief has said. 

On Monday, Alireza Jalalzai added that the development of tourism infrastructure inside the city and its travel destinations is a prerequisite for such an evolution. 

“There are many tourism and handicraft capacities there being neglected due to inadequacies in the development infrastructure and the lack of accurate and correct introduction of tourist attractions,” the official added.

Boosting tourism infrastructure in this city will assist in balancing the distribution of tourists in the province due to its proximity to the port of Chabahar and its location on the transit road, he noted. 

Sistan-Baluchestan was previously shunned by potential foreign and domestic travelers though it is home to several distinctive archaeological sites and natural attractions, including two UNESCO World Heritage sites, namely Shahr-e-Soukhteh (Burnt City) and Lut desert, parts of the latter is situated in Kerman province. 

In ancient times, according to Encyclopedia Britannica, the Baluchistan region provided a land route to the Indus Valley and the Babylonian civilizations. The armies of Alexander the Great marched through Baluchistan in 326 BC on their way to the Hindu Kush and their return march in 325 experienced great hardships in the region’s barren wastes.

ABU/AFM