TEHRAN-The “Sari 2022” event aiming to introduce capacities of the Caspian Sea province of Mazandaran is scheduled to be inaugurated in the capital city of Sari on March 17, the provincial tourism chief has announced.

The opening ceremony will be attended by Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Minister Ezzatollah Zarghami and a number of ministers and representatives from the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), CHTN quoted Mehdi Izadi as saying on Wednesday.

The event will open in both formal and public sections on March 17 and 18, and this will mark the beginning of exhibitions, festivals, and other side-events, the official added.

Exhibitions of local food, handicrafts, and traditional arts, and flowers and herbs will also be held on the sidelines of the event, he noted.

Back in February, the official announced that the successful organization of the international event is of high importance for the country, and Mazandaran in particular.

“The province must introduce the capacities of the region in the international arena, with the participation of all institutions, especially the honorable people of Mazandaran.”

Iranian cities of Sari, the capital of Mazandaran province, and Ardabil, the capital of Ardabil province, were selected in 2019 as the cultural capitals for the Economic Cooperation Organization for 2022 and 2023 respectively.

Sari was selected as the tourism capital of ECO during the 3rd ECO Ministerial Meeting on Tourism, preceded by the 5th High-Level Experts Group (HLEG) on tourism, which was held on October 3-4, 2019, in Khujand, Tajikistan.

“Sari 2022” is considered the best opportunity for cooperation between Iran and ECO member states and, given this opportunity, all potentials can be used for the prosperity and branding in the field of tourism and economy.

Local officials believe Mazandaran, which is a top destination for domestic travelers, can be turned into a destination for foreign travelers as well through careful planning.

Sandwiched between the towering Alborz mountain range and the Caspian Sea, Mazandaran has a rich yet turbulent history. An early civilization flourished at the beginning of the first millennium BC in Mazandaran (Tabarestan).

Its insecure eastern and southeastern borders were crossed by Mongol invaders in the 13th and 14th centuries. Cossacks attacked the region in 1668 but were repulsed. It was ceded to the Russian Empire by a treaty in 1723, but the Russians were never secure in their occupation. The area was restored to Iran under the Qajar dynasty.

The northern section of the region consists of lowland alongside the Caspian and upland along the northern slopes of the Alborz Mountains. Marshy backlands dominate the coastal plain, and extensive gravel fans fringe the mountains. The climate is permanently subtropical and humid, with very hot summers.

ECO is an intergovernmental regional organization encompassing countries from Europe, Caucuses and Central Asia, Middle East and South Asia with more than 460 million inhabitants and over 8 million square kilometers connecting Russia to the Persian Gulf and China to Europe. According to the organization, its overall objective is to materialize the sustainable economic development of its member states and the region as a whole.

ABU/MG