TEHRAN—A national festival dedicated to the beauty of the Turkmen horse breed was held in a village in North Khorasan province, northeast Iran, on Thursday, the provincial tourism chief has said.

Some 130 horses from five provinces entered the one-day event, which aimed at developing and protecting this appreciated horse breed as well as activating existing horse industry capabilities within the country, Ali Mostofian explained on Saturday.

Horse breeding would help create sustainable employment, increase non-oil exports, eliminate deprivation and promote ecotourism as well, the official added.

It would also develop the fun and rewarding sport of horseback riding in the region, he noted.

The Turkmen horse is noted for endurance, bravery, smartness, and slender body. Many locals believe that breeding such horses is one of the toughest jobs in the world.

Such animals are dominantly found in the pasturelands of Turkmen Sahra, a region sandwiched between Iran and Turkmenistan.

Iran and Turkmenistan seek to put forward the Turkmen horses and their safeguarding practices as a candidate for inclusion in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Local travel insiders believe that traveling in North Khorasan is gaining momentum by degrees, creating lucrative opportunities for the tourism industry.

According to Lonely Planet, most foreign tourists pass straight through North Khorasan in transit between Mashhad and Gorgan, but if you have time to explore, it's worth diverting south from the capital, Bojnurd, towards Esfarayen, famed for its wrestling tournaments, the remarkable citadel of Belqays and the partly preserved stepped village of Roein some 20km north.

ABU/AM