TEHRAN – A local festival dedicated to orange blossoms in northern Gilan province has recently been added to the national heritage list. 

One of the main objectives of this festival is to introduce subcultures related to orange blossom in the traditional rituals of the people of this region, the provincial tourism chief has said.

It also aims to introduce tourists to the various attractions of Gilan province, Vali Jahani explained on Wednesday. 

The festival is one of the celebrations held in gratitude for this immense and fragrant blessing in the province, the official added. 

It provides tourists with a chance to breathe in the fragrance of orange blossoms, and it serves as a catalyst for the development of tourism, entrepreneurship, and the creation of an identity for this area, he noted. 

Gilan is known for its tourist attractions and warm-hearted and hospitable people. The people of Gilan from different ethnic groups, including Gilak, Talesh, and Tat, have come together and formed a very rich and diverse culture and customs.

The northern region was within the sphere of influence of the successive Achaemenian, Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanian empires that ruled Iran until the 7th century CE. The subsequent Arab conquest of Iran led to the rise of many local dynasties, and Gilan acquired an independent status that continued until 1567.

Besides, its sophisticated capital city of Rasht has long been a weekend escape for residents of Tehran who are looking to sample the famous local cuisine and hoping for some pluvial action–it's the largest and wettest town in the northern region. Gilan is divided into a coastal plain, including the large delta of Sefid Rud and adjacent parts of the Alborz range.

ABU/AM