TEHRAN – Over 20,000 travelers toured Ilam province over the past 12 months, CHTN reported on Saturday.

Of the figure 13,936 domestic travelers and 1,335 international vacationers made overnight stays in hotels, hostels, eco-lodge unites, and guesthouses during the period, the report said.

Some experts and officials believe the lesser-known province has immense potential to be put on the tourism map.

On September 24, Iranian President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi paid a visit to Ilam where he urged his administration to make extra efforts to fully develop the tourism-related economy in the southwestern province.

“We must fully develop the tourism economy of Ilam province to eliminate unemployment and create respected employment for the youth of the province,” Raisi said.

Ilam is located on the foothills of the Zagros Mountains in the western region of Iran. Unlike The north and northwest part of this province which is mountainous, the west and southwest are flat. It is a suitable place for nomad life since the geographical conditions are favorable for summer and winter relocation.

The common handicrafts of this province include carpet, rug, drugget, felt, and coarse blanket weaving. The majority of the people in Ilam are Kurds, Laks, and Lurs, they speak in Laki, Kurdish, and Luri. Based on the archeological excavations in Ali Kosh ancient area, the civilization of this province dates back to New Stone Age circa 8000 BC.

The land which is called Ilam now was a part of the ancient Elamite civilization that was formed circa 3000 BC and was destroyed by Assyrian King Ashurbanipal in 640 BC.

Elam was an ancient pre-Iranian civilization centered in the far west and south-west of what is now modern-day Iran, stretching from the lowlands of what is now Khuzestan and Ilam provinces as well as a small part of southern Iraq.

AFM