TEHRAN— Barren deserts may initially seem like some of the scariest places for travel. However, there has been a growing appeal for flocking to the arid regions on the Iranian plateau.

In that line, South Khorasan province, which is bounded by the UNESCO-registered Lut Desert on its south edge, is to hold a national festival dedicated to desert tourism within the next month.

“It would be South Khorasan’s first national event on desert tourism aimed to highlight its untapped potential when it comes to hiking, camping, rock climbing, and natural photography,” a local official said on Thursday.

“The four-day is expected to take place in the month of Azar (Nov. 22-Dec. 21),” the official said.

Central Iran is home to vast deserts known worldwide, of which UNESCO-registered Lut, Rig-e Jenn, and Maranjab deserts are more famous.

Lut Desert is filled with towering dunes, shifting sands, salt flats, and wind-carved kaluts that offer visitors epic journeys of breathtaking beauty and wilderness. It is a destination for people looking for new adventures; superb landscapes and incomparable serenity.

Furthermore, Lut is considered one of the best areas in the world for searching for meteorites, thanks to its unique parameters. Seven years of satellite temperature data analyzed by NASA show that the Lut Desert is the hottest place on Earth. Based on the study, it was the hottest for five out of seven years and had the hottest temperature ever: 70.7C in 2005.

Rig-e Jenn ("Dune of the Djinn") is an arid, desolate place dominated by huge dunes that challenge adventurers and motorists. Rig-e Jenn takes its name from someone who believed he was haunted by ghosts and the devil.

And finally, the Maranjab Desert is popular among adventurous travelers for short and long treks, desert mountain biking, and camping.

AM