TEHRAN – Over 5,000 foreign sightseers visited the UNESCO-registered Lut Desert in the barren heartland of Iran during the past Iranian calendar year (ended March 20, 2019).

“During the past year, over 5,000 foreign travelers visited parts of the Lut Desert that is situated in Kerman province and that is a sign of sustainable security in the region,” IRNA quoted provincial tourism chief Fereidoun Fa’ali as saying on Tuesday.

The Lut Desert, widely referred to as Dasht-e Lut (“Emptiness Plain”), is a large salt desert encircled by the provinces of Kerman and Sistan- Baluchestan, and South Khorasan. It is the world’s 27th-largest desert, and was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List on July 17, 2016.

The Lut Desert is teemed with giant dunes, shifting sands, salt plains and wind-hewn kaltus, offering visitors epic journeys of breathtaking beauty  and wilderness.

“New tourist routes can be defined in compliance with the criteria for safeguarding a World Heritage in order to facilitate visits to various parts of the World Heritage site,” he said.

The Lut Desert is teemed with giant dunes, shifting sands, salt plains and wind-hewn kaluts, offering visitors epic journeys of breathtaking beauty and wilderness. It is a destination for people who are in search of new adventures; outstanding scenery and unparalleled serenity

The scorching desert is also being considered as one of the top areas in the world for finding meteorites, thanks to its unique parameters. In recent years, significant finds have been made, with the efforts of national and international teams of researchers.

Seven years of satellite temperature data analyzed by NASA show that the Lut Desert is the hottest spot on Earth. Based on the research, it was hottest during 5 of the 7 years, and had the highest temperature overall: 70.7°C in 2005.

The big and sprawling Kerman province has long been a destination for globetrotters. Kerman has been a cultural melting pot since antiquity, blending Persians with subcontinental tribe dwellers. It is home to myriad historical sites and scenic landscapes such as Bazaar-e Sartasari, Jabalieh Dome, Ganjali Khan Bathhouse, Malek Jameh Mosque and Shahdad Desert to name a few.

AFM/MG