TEHRAN – The international event of Sari 2022 is aimed to put the spotlight on a variety of touristic sites and in particular the Trans-Iranian Railway.  

The opening ceremony is scheduled to be held on May 10 in the presence of ambassadors from member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), IRNA reported.

The event will turn the spotlight on the Trans-Iranian Railway, parts of which pass through Mazandaran province, the official said.

“The introduction of national touristic capacities of Iran is among cultural programs of the event titled Spring Nights of Iran,” Mehdi Izadi, the tourism chief of Mazandaran province, told the news agency on Thursday.  

It is arranged that the foreign guests of Sari 2022 ride the rails on the way back to Tehran to get acquainted with some of the province's rail tourism attractions, CHTN quoted Izadi as saying on Friday.

Furthermore, Sari 2022 is to introduce off-the-beaten routes and lesser-known rituals, the official noted.

The 1,394-kilometer-long Trans-Iranian railway was completed in 1938 after 11 years of massively challenging construction as it crosses four distinct climates, linking the glittering shores of the Caspian Sea to the fertile plains of the Persian Gulf.

Moreover, the railway joins together a striking tapestry of landscapes from soaring mountain ranges, deep gorges, salt deserts, old-growth forests, and plains. That was why experts from around the globe were presented with a technical challenge since the proposed route would cross four distinct climates.

More amazingly, chains of lengthy slopes take the single-track railway high into the mountains on either side of Tehran, which itself sits on a high plateau.

On July 25, 2021, the massive railway network was one of 33 new sites awarded World Heritage status by UNESCO, joining world eminent locations such as Venice, Machu Picchu in Peru, Yellowstone National Park in the U.S., and Ecuador's Galapagos Islands.

As mentioned by the UN cultural body, the railway is notable for its scale and the engineering works it required to overcome steep routes and other difficulties. Unlike most early railway projects, the construction of the Trans-Iranian Railway was funded by national taxes to avoid foreign investment and control.

Some 224 tunnels of more than 76 kilometers in length; 174 viaducts and 186 smaller bridges were constructed between 1927 and 1938 to carry the railway across deep ravines and river valleys as it climbs to two 2,134-meter summits, a feat made possible by more than 70,000 workers, extensive mapping, and aerial photography.

When it comes to tourism, highlights for those able to experience it include the Se Khat Tala (Three Golden Lines) spiral, where the line can be seen at three different heights thanks to loops and tunnels that help it to gain height, and the spectacular Veresk Bridge in the Alborz mountains.

AFM