TEHRAN – Some 4,000 foreign travelers paid visits to Naseriyeh madrasa, an Islamic seminary situated on the southeast corner of Imam Mosque in Isfahan, during the first three months of the current Iranian year (started on March 21).).

“Nasiriyah madrasa, which is also an Islamic tourism school, is routinely visited by tourists from all over the world. This spring, nearly 4,000 tourists from 38 countries toured this seminary and talked with its missionaries,” Fars quoted the madrasa’s director as saying on Friday.

Most of the questions that foreign visitors have in their minds revolve around Islam's relationship with other religions, the political and social role of religion in Iran, and the position of women in Islam, Mohammad Zamani said.

Zamani said many foreign tourists considered their media's opinion about Iran confusing and far from reality. “This way, they usually advise the people of their own countries to travel to Iran.”

“In this regard, numerous video clips of foreign tourists have been prepared and are frequently uploaded on the Internet by the school personnel,” he said.

Talking about the nationality of international passengers in Isfahan, he said: “Travelers from Asian and East Asian countries, such as China, Malaysia, and Indonesia constitute the majority of foreign arrivals in Isfahan.

According to data compiled by Nasiriyeh madrasa, Russia, and Turkey constitute other top sources of foreign arrivals in Isfahan, he said.

Constructed in the Safavid era, the seminary has educated many prominent scholars over centuries.

As a tourist attraction, the school enjoys typical Islamic architecture. The decorations used in madrasas are tiles, muqarnas (a type of decoration consisting of a series of niches set in an architectural framework), carvings, and inscriptions.

Isfahan was once a center of international trade and diplomacy and is now one of Iran's top tourist attractions for good reason. It is full of architectural marvels such as peerless Islamic buildings, markets, museums, Persian gardens, and tree-lined avenues. This is a city for strolling, getting lost in maze-like markets, dozing off in beautiful gardens, and meeting people.

The ancient city is renowned not only for the abundance of great historical bridges but also for its ‘life-giving river’, the Zayandeh-Rood, which has long bestowed the city an original beauty and fertility. Isfahan has long been nicknamed as Nesf-e-Jahan which is translated into “half the world”; meaning seeing it is relevant to see half the world. In its heyday, it was also one of the largest cities in the region with a population of nearly one million.

The cool blue tiles of Isfahan’s Islamic buildings, and the city’s majestic bridges, contrast perfectly with the encircling hot, dry Iranian countryside. The huge Imam Square, best known as Naghsh-e Jahan Sq. (literary meaning “Image of the World”), is one of the largest in the world (500m by 160m), and a majestic example of town planning. Constructed in the early 17th century, the UNESCO-registered square is punctuated with the most interesting sights in Isfahan.

AFM