TEHRAN  - Tourism directorate of the northern province of Mazandaran plans to revive a historical textile factory in the city of Qaemshahr, the provincial tourism chief has said.

The factory, which dates back almost 100 years ago, has been inscribed on the national heritage list in a bid to receive better protection and preservation, Sadeq Barzegar explained on Saturday.

In recent years, however, this factory has fallen from prosperity, causing great damage to the city's economy and livelihood, he added.

Reviving and utilizing its historical tourism potential, as well as placing it in the production cycle, will undoubtedly solve a lot of the region’s economic problems, he noted.

Sandwiched between the towering Alborz mountain range and the Caspian Sea, Mazandaran has a rich yet turbulent history. An early civilization flourished at the beginning of the first millennium BC in Mazandaran (Tabarestan).

Its insecure eastern and southeastern borders were crossed by Mongol invaders in the 13th and 14th centuries. Cossacks attacked the region in 1668 but were repulsed. It was ceded to the Russian Empire by a treaty in 1723, but the Russians were never secure in their occupation. The area was restored to Iran under the Qajar dynasty.

The northern section of the region consists of lowland alongside the Caspian and upland along the northern slopes of the Alborz Mountains. Marshy backlands dominate the coastal plain, and extensive gravel fans fringe the mountains. The climate is permanently subtropical and humid, with very hot summers.

ABU/AM