TEHRAN –Kordestan province has attracted over three million tourists since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 21), up 22 percent from a year earlier, the provincial tourism chief has said. 

The travelers also made some 500,000 overnight stays in the official accommodation centers across the western province during the mentioned time, which depicts a 25 percent rise compared to the same period in the past year, Mansour Mehrzad explained on Saturday. 

The increase in the number of tourists visiting the area has positively impacted the region’s economy, resulting in the creation of new job opportunities, the official added. 

The name Kordestan refers to the region’s principal inhabitants. After the Turkish invasion of Iran in the 11th century CE (Seljuk period), the name was given to the region comprising the northwestern Zagros Mountains.

It was during the reign of Abbas I the Great of Iran’s Safavid dynasty (1501–1736) that the Kurds rose to prominence, having been enlisted by Abbas I to help stem the attacks of the marauding Uzbeks from the east in the early 17th century.

ABU/AM