TEHRAN –Introducing and promoting the rich cultural heritage of the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan needs the support of the private sector, the province’s governor-general has said.

It is essential to engage the private sector in promoting Sistan-Baluchestan’s ancient civilization and culture to the people across the province as well as the other parts of the country, CHTN quoted Hossein Modares Khiabani as saying on Friday.

Like Isfahan, Yazd, and Khuzestan, this province could become a tourist and travel destination with the help of knowledge-based companies, creative ideas, and the presence of the private sector, he added.

However, the province’s authorities must first eliminate indicators of deprivation and create job opportunities for its residents, he stated.

The collective province —Sistan in the north and Baluchestan in the south— accounts for one of the driest regions of Iran with a slight increase in rainfall from east to west and an obvious rise in humidity in the coastal regions. In ancient times, the region was a crossword of the Indus Valley and the Babylonian civilizations.

The province possesses special significance because it is located in a strategic transit location, particularly Chabahar, which is the only ocean port in Iran and the best and easiest access route of the middle Asian countries to free waters.

The vast province 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.

ABU/AM