TEHRAN - Kerman province is set to celebrate its rich agricultural heritage and promote tourism with two upcoming harvest festivals and a rally of camping enthusiasts.

The events will be held in Bam county, which is renowned for its historical significance and UNESCO-listed sites.

Masoud Qamari, head of Bam’s cultural heritage and tourism office, announced that Bam will soon host three tourism events: a date harvest festival, a pistachio festival, and a camper rally.

The annual date harvest festival will take place from September 13 to 19. As in previous years, the festival marks the end of the date harvest season and will feature a range of cultural and artistic events, celebrating one of the region’s most important agricultural products.

This year, Bam will also host its pistachio festival on September 6 in the village of Abareq, Qamari stated, adding the event aims to highlight the region’s pistachio-growing areas and promote better utilization of this valuable local resource.

The rally, named “Khesht to Khesht”, will see a gathering of around 300 nature and cultural heritage enthusiasts as well, the official said.

The event, organized by the Kerman’s touring and automobile club, will begin in Bam on September 13, and involve a caravan of 100 camper vehicles. “Participants will enjoy two nights of public displays and tours of the historical Bam Citadel and Arg-e Jadid before continuing their journey to other sites in Kerman province, including Rayen, Mahan, and Rafsanjan.”

Bam, located 185 kilometers east of Kerman city, is home to three UNESCO World Heritage sites: the historic Bam Citadel and the Akbarabad and Qasemabad qanats.

The ancient citadel of Arg-e Bam has a history dating to around 2,000 years ago, to the Parthian Empire (248 BC–224 CE), but most buildings were built during the Safavid dynasty.

Kerman is something of a cultural melting pot, blending various regional cultures over time. It is also home to rich tourist spots and historical sites, including bazaars, mosques, caravanserais and ruins of ancient urban areas.

It is bounded by the provinces of Fars in the west, Yazd in the north, South Khorasan in the northeast, Sistan-Baluchestan in the east, and Hormozgan in the south. It includes the southern part of the central Iranian desert, the Dasht-e Lut.

AM