TEHRAN — Garmsar Governor Ali Hemmati has announced plans to develop several salt mines into tourist attractions as part of the city’s priority programs.

He told ISNA that Garmsar’s salt mines boast high potentials in tourism sector in terms of natural attractions and proximity to the capital.

Hemmati mentioned the tourism industry as a lucrative industry, adding: “Introducing historical and natural attractions apart from their cultural function, plays a significant economic role for the local people.”

Pointing to the numerous tourism axes in this city, he added: “Promoting tourism in the salt mines and Qasr-e Bahram area is one of the priority programs of Garmsar governorship, which is being seriously pursued this year.”

He said that boosting tourism through turning salt mines into the tourism destinations can be considered a sustainable and attractive alternative in line of economic development. It can also generate jobs and preserve natural relics, he added.

Also, Head of Garmsar Cultural Heritage Department Milad Rezaei said that Garmsar Cultural Heritage Department has two short-term and mid-term projects for boosting the city’s tourism industry.

He gave news of activating travel agencies, adding that these agencies render services to the tourism activists. 

Rezaei continued that in the next step, filming and documenting historical tourist sites has begun with the aim of introducing Garmsar's tourism potentials and attracting tourists in the period before Nowruz and late summer.

Garmsar is a city in Semnan Province, bordered by Damavand to the north, Varamin to the west, Aradan to the east, and the central desert of Iran to the south. The region boasts a diverse array of natural attractions and sightseeing spots that are captivating. 

From the unique Martian hills to the salt tunnel, Garmsar attracts many tourists each year. With the largest mines and salt tunnels in the Middle East, Garmsar currently houses 40 salt tunnels, playing a crucial role in salt extraction in Iran.

Various countries worldwide, such as Italy, Germany, and Poland, harness the positive effects of salt by establishing specialized facilities for energy or salt therapy to promote medical tourism. Iran, blessed with plentiful salt mines, can leverage this natural wonder to boost tourism, especially during the winter season. Geological studies have examined the quality of water resources in the Hablehrud region of Garmsar.

Padeh, a village in the Aradan district of Garmsar in Semnan Province, stands out from other tourist attractions in the region due to its large salt tunnels.

The Kouhdasht Mine is situated in the southeast of Garmsar and to the east of Tehran. It is where salt domes covered with gypsum and salt emerge. Within these salt domes, oil traps are found.

One of these mines resembles a mountain, with the salt extraction process leading to the formation of a hand-dug cave.

In general, a specific pattern is employed for tunnel construction on roads to guarantee the strength, durability, and safety of the tunnel. However, for the excavation of the entrance and formation of this salt cave, only the height and width from the surface are taken into account, with the height roughly double the width and in a rectangular shape.

At the entrance of the cave, the walls are dark, but as you approach its depth, they gradually brighten. The proximity to these illuminated surfaces suggests that the excavation at that point in the cave is recent. 

Walking through these tunnels, visitors encounter walls constructed of salt, adorned with hanging stalactites of salt ice that enhance the beauty of the tunnels. Martian hills, domes, and salt tunnels are scattered across a vast area. Approximately 27 salt mines surround Garmsar, with these attractions specifically situated about 15 kilometers west of Garmsar and 90 kilometers from Tehran along the Eyvanekey and Garmsar road.

To visit the salt tunnels, you must obtain permission from the Traffic Police to access the salt mine roads with a bus.

In 2022, Iran selected Semnan to represent the country at a union of Silk Road cities based on an initiative launched by China to promote tourism along the ancient route that once linked Asia to the Western world.

The ancient Silk Road has existed for thousands of years, passing through empires, kingdoms, reigns, and societies throughout history. At certain times in its long history, traders could travel freely along these routes, whereas at others, travel was difficult or dangerous.

According to UNESCO, the Silk Road enriched the countries it passed through, transporting cultures, religions, languages, and material goods into societies across Europe, Asia, and Africa, and uniting them all with a common thread of cultural heritage and plural identities.

KD