TEHRAN—A team of restorers has finished renewing cobblestone paths in the historical core of Laft, a southernmost Iranian village in the Persian Gulf.

“200 square meters of cobblestone paths have been installed in the historical core of Laft,” CHTN quoted Hormozgan province’s tourism chief as saying on Wednesday.

This was part of a vast restoration project aimed to safeguard Laft’s historical texture and its cultural heritage, the official said.

Perched on a rocky slope overlooking the Khoran Strait, Laft has a wonderfully photogenic roofscape of badgirs (wind towers) and minarets. Laft is one of the best places in Iran to encounter the fast-disappearing traditional culture of the Persian Gulf.

According to Lonely Planet, views are best from the hill near the ruins of the Portuguese-built Naderi Fort. “From this vantage point, you’ll also see dozens of ancient wells and a white-domed Ab-Anbar (water cistern).”

A few hundred meters north of Laft is one of Qeshm’s many Lenj-building yards. These traditional cargo boats are still used to carry goods back and forth across the Persian Gulf. Laft is also the place to go for a boat trip into the nearby Harra Sea Forest. Laft was registered on the national heritage list in 2006.

Qeshm embraces a wide range of ecotourism attractions such as the Hara marine forests and about 60 villages dotted mostly across its rocky coastlines. The island has an abundance of wildlife, including birds, reptiles, dolphins, and turtles as well.

Known as the province of islands, Hormozgan province is located on the northern coasts of the Persian Gulf. It embraces scenic islands, among which Kish, Hormuz, Hengam, and Qeshm are the most beautiful ones and top tourist destinations in southern Iran.

AM