TEHRAN – Visits to archaeological and cultural heritage museums in North Khorasan province have increased by fourfold during the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 21), compared to the same period last year.

“Over 32,000 people toured historical and cultural heritage museums of the province during the first four months of the year and the figure is four times more than that of the same period in the past year,” provincial tourism chief Habib Yazdanpanah said  on Wednesday, CHTN reported.

“6557 people paid visits to museums in the four-month period last year,” he added. 

Hosting 24,039 sightseers, Mofakham historical-cultural complex received highest number of visitors during the first four months of the current year, he said.

The [Qajar-era] complex [which is located in Bojnurd], was closed for restoration purposes for one year and a half after it was damaged by an earthquake [in May 2017], Yazdanpanah explained.

Though North Khorasan province may not be the first choice of travelers, but its tourism is getting momentum.

For the time being, 133 eco-lodges are active across the province and 20 new ones will come on stream by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (Mach 19, 2020), a provincial tourism official said earlier in July.

According to Lonely Planet, most foreign tourists pass straight through North Khorasan in transit between Mashhad and Gorgan, but if you have time to explore, it's worth diverting south from the capital, Bojnurd, towards Esfarayen, famed for its wrestling tournaments, the remarkable citadel of Belqays and the partly preserved stepped village of Roein some 20km north. Although a lot of new building spoils the effect in parts of the village, Roein is considered Khorasan’s answer to the well-known Masuleh and is a possible starting point for hikes to little-visited mountain villages.

AFM/MG