TEHRAN–Following months of extensive restoration, the “world’s biggest” boutique hotel was finally inaugurated in Kerman, ISNA reported on Saturday.

Originally a vast mud-brick caravansary, the monument is temporarily ceded to provide investors with special conditions to gain higher productivity and better maintenance.

Famed as Vakil Caravansary, the structure embraces arrays of cozy chambers meticulously laid out around a vast courtyard. It easily evokes spirits of the past for modern trippers.

The opening ceremony on Saturday was attended by tourism minister Ezzatollah Zarghami, Kerman’s Governor General Mohammad-Mehdi Fadakar, Kerman’s tourism chief Freydoun Fa’ali, and several other local officials and travel insiders, the report said.

Speaking at the ceremony, Fadakar said Kerman is still unknown despite having high tourism capacities. “Despite having five airports and very good capacities in the field of tourism, including seven UNESCO-designated sites, Kerman province has unfortunately not been introduced (in a proper way) and remains unknown,”

Mining and agriculture have somehow overshadowed tourism in this province through appropriate measures have been taken in the field of traveling and tourism, Fadakar added.

The provincial tourism chief reminded attendees of a policy in which illegible investors are allowed to repurpose historical buildings into accommodation and cultural centers within a certain period.

“The strategy of Kerman’s directorate is to use the capacities of the province in the direction of revitalizing and restoring its historical buildings.

Iran has submitted an inclusive dossier on its caravanserais to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. The dossier comprises obligatory data about a selection of 56 caravanserais, which are scattered across the ancient land. And the shortlist includes qualified caravanserais located in at least 24 provinces.

Kerman has long been a cultural melting pot since antiquity, blending Persians with subcontinental tribe dwellers. It is home to myriad historical sites and scenic landscapes such as Bazaar-e Sartasari, Jabalieh Dome, Ganjali Khan Bathhouse, Malek Jameh Mosque, and Shahdad Desert, to name a few.

AM