TEHRAN – Over five million travelers visited Iran’s Bandar-e Anzali, a port city located in the northern Gilan province, during the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2019).

“Bandar-e Anzali hosted 5,259,967 travelers in first half of the year, which shows a 2.49 percent growth year on year,” provincial tourism chief Shahroud Amirentekhabi said on Wednesday, CHTN reported.

For centuries Anzali has served as a gateway to Europe, connecting the economies of the East and West. Not surprisingly the customs authority of Anzali is at least 300 years old.

Fishing is one of the leading occupations in Anzali, which is the main producer of caviar in the country. Rice cultivation and farming are the other traditional professions of Anzali inhabitants.

Some historical attractions of the city include Pahlavi-era Mian Poshteh Palace which is now a military museum, Qajar-era (1785-1925) St. Mary Church, Anzali Clock Tower, which was originally a lighthouse, and the five-deck Mirza Kouchak Khan Cruise Ship.

Anzali Lagoon and Sorkhangol Wildlife Refuge are among the city’s top natural attractions. Anzali Lagoon divides the city into two parts and is home to various indigenous and migrant birds and fish, and also draws is many tourists because of its lotus flowers and water lilies. Sorkhangol Wildlife Refuge is a heaven for birdwatchers in the wintertime.

Anzali wetland: a heaven for birdwatchers

Anzali wetland, neighboring the Caspian Sea, has long been a heaven for nature lovers and birdwatchers. Covering some 20,000 hectares, the lagoon bears international importance as being a refuge for diverse wintering water and shore birds. It is also home to all-embracing reed beds, submerged and floating vegetation. However, the wetland, like many other of its counterparts, is suffering from environmental pollution.

AFM/MG