TEHRAN –The northern city of Ramsar in Mazandaran province has recorded over 1.3 million overnight stays during the two-week new year (Noruz) holidays, which ended on April 2, the city’s tourism chief has said.

There were a significant number of Noruz travelers in Ramsar city, proving that the city remains a popular tourist destination, Nader Saharkhiz explained on Monday.

However, it would be beneficial for the city and its people to plan better for tourism and improve infrastructure, the official added.

Sandwiched between the towering Alborz mountain range and the Caspian Sea, Mazandaran has a rich yet turbulent history. An early civilization flourished at the beginning of the first millennium BC in Mazandaran (Tabarestan).

Its insecure eastern and southeastern borders were crossed by Mongol invaders in the 13th and 14th centuries. Cossacks attacked the region in 1668 but were repulsed. It was ceded to the Russian Empire by a treaty in 1723, but the Russians were never secure in their occupation. The area was restored to Iran under the Qajar dynasty.

The northern section of the region consists of lowland alongside the Caspian and upland along the northern slopes of the Alborz Mountains. Marshy backlands dominate the coastal plain, and extensive gravel fans fringe the mountains. The climate is permanently subtropical and humid, with very hot summers.

ABU/AM