TEHRAN – On October 18, tens of Turkmen horses will compete in a traditional beauty pageant that brings together breeders, owners, and trainers from various Iranian provinces.

Participants from 18 Iranian provinces will take part in the event, which will be held in Aliabad-e-Katul county of the northern Golestan province, CHTN reported.

The annual festival seeks to boost local tourism and rural economy and help safeguard the genetic heritage of the Turkmen horses, according to organizers.

The event is aimed to help identify and preserve Turkmen horse genetic resources, strengthen the economy of horse breeders, attract investors, and attract more tourists to the province, a local official said.

The Turkmen horse is noted for endurance, bravery, smartness, and slender body. Many locals believe that breeding such horses is one of the toughest jobs in the world.

The horse breed is dominantly found in the pasturelands of Turkmen Sahra, a region sandwiched between Iran and Turkmenistan.

Iran and Turkmenistan are set to jointly put forward the Turkmen horses and their safeguarding practices as a candidate for inclusion in UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Golestan is reportedly embracing some 2,500 historical and natural sites, with UNESCO-registered Gonbad-e Qabus – a one-millennium-old brick tower – amongst its most famous. Narratives say the tower has influenced various subsequent designers of tomb towers and other cylindrical commemorative structures both in the region and beyond. The UNESCO comments that the tower bears testimony to the cultural exchange between Central Asian nomads and the ancient civilization of Iran.

AFM