TEHRAN – A festival dedicated to the traditional rituals and local games was held in Zabol, southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province on Friday.

Tug of war, traditional wrestling, and local game of Haft-Sang were parts of the one-day event, Zabol’s tourism chief Siavash Sanjarani explained on Sunday.

Sword dance and folk music were also performed on the sidelines of the festival, the official added.

An exhibition of local food and sweets was also organized on the sidelines of the event, he noted.

The collective province -- Sistan in the north and Baluchestan in the south -- accounts for one of the driest regions of Iran with a slight increase in rainfall from east to west and an obvious rise in humidity in the coastal regions. In ancient times, the region was a crossword in the Indus Valley and the Babylonian civilizations.

The province possesses special significance because of being located in a strategic transit location, especially Chabahar which is the only ocean port in Iran and the best and easiest access route of the middle Asian countries to free waters. The vast province is home to several distinctive archaeological sites and natural attractions, including two UNESCO World Heritage sites, namely Shahr-e-Soukhteh (Burnt City) and the Lut desert.

ABU/AM