TEHRAN – Golestan’s governor-general has said the northern Iranian province, which is home to various tribes and ethnic groups, is an exemplar of unity for the country.

“The coexistence of different ethnic groups in this province, together with peace, purity, and intimacy, is a model for the whole country,” Ali-Mohammad Zanganeh said on Friday.

He made the remarks addressing a tribal festival that is currently underway in Gorgan, CHTN reported.

“The type of life of ethnic groups in Golestan is linked with unity and cohesion… and now, the presence of different ethnic groups in this province is an example for the whole country,” the official explained.

“Golestan is the rainbow of Iran’s tribe people and the gateway to Central Asia,” he said.

The ancient county is home to many regional people, including ones with Turk and Arab elements, in addition to the Kurds, Baloch, Bakhtyari, Lurs, and other smaller minorities such as Armenians, Assyrians, and Jews, among others.

According to data compiled by the Nomads Affairs Organization of Iran, the nomadic inhabitants of the country have decreased from 38.6 percent of the whole Iranian population in the Iranian year 1245 (1866) to 9.6 percent in the year 1345 (1966) and around one percent currently.

Visitors may see true contentment in their children's tanned yet happy faces and pride in their modest lifestyle. Some say the bright colors of the nomads’ glittering clothes contrast with the dull fashions of our modern fashion.

Accompanying nomads during their migration, even for a day or two, can be a life-time experience. As a traveler, you have the chance to visit, live, eat and sleep in a nomad camp with a real nomad family. Colorful clothing, huge black curtains, children with colorful eyes and rosy cheeks, a modest lifestyle, a picturesque landscape and local food are probably among the joys of such visits.

Indigenous language, music, cuisine, clothing, songs, anecdotes, crafts, performances and local rituals such as celebrations and wedding ceremonies have always inspired many people to discover life among the tribes.

AM