TEHRAN–The tourism directorate of the western province of Lorestan plans to arrange tours of the plain of the inverted tulips in Aligudarz next spring, the provincial tourism chief has said.

The project aims to introduce and promote the plain as one of the region’s top tourist attractions, Ata Hassanpur explained on Sunday.

By paying attention to this capability, alternative tourism potentials will be properly introduced to the province, resulting in job creation and a strong tourism economy, the official added.

The plain of the inverted tulips in Lorestan has been inscribed on the national heritage list.

Inverted tulips or “Fritillaria” is one of the 120,000 identified plants in Iran. There are more than 170 species of tulips in the country. It is said that the tulip has some remedial use for arthritis and rheumatic pains.

Lorestan, which is a region of raw beauty, was inhabited by Iranian Indo-European peoples, including the Medes, c. 1000 BC. Cimmerians and Scythians intermittently ruled the region from about 700 to 625 BC. The Luristan Bronzes are noted for their eclectic array of Assyrian, Babylonian, and Iranian artistic motifs.

Lorestan was incorporated into the growing Achaemenid Empire in about 540 BC and successively was part of the Seleucid, Parthian, and Sassanid dynasties.

ABU/AM