TEHRAN – Visits to historical and cultural heritage museums in North Khorasan province jumped by fivefold during the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21), compared to the same period last year.

“34,515 people toured historical and cultural heritage museums of the province during the first half of the year and the figure is five times more than that of the same period in the past year,” provincial tourism chief Habib Yazdanpanah said Sunday, CHTN reported

With around 25,000 visits, Mofakham historical-cultural complex welcomed the highest number of visitors during the period, 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], the official explained.

Some tour experts say that revival of the complex may be a turning point for other abandoned buildings in the province to regain their former glory.

Lonely Planet says that 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.”

“Currently some 130 eco-lodges are active across the province and 20 new ones will come on stream by the end of the current Iranian calendar year,” a local tourism official said in July.

AFM/MG