TEHRAN – Fars province, which is home to countless cultural, historical, and archeological sites in southern Iran, has registered more than 10,000 visits to those attractions within a month.

“10,472 foreign nationals visited cultural, historical sites as well as cultural heritage museums of Fars province from Khordad 20 to Tir 16,” the provincial tourism chief said on Tuesday.

Talking about the most visited destination, the official said: “Over 3,000 international travelers visited the UNESCO-registered Persepolis during the period.”

“Hafez mausoleum with 2,295 foreign visits and the UNESCO-designated Pasargadae with 2,121 international visits ranked second and third respectively,” the official added.

The ancient region of Fars also spelled Pars, or Persis, was the heart of the Achaemenian Empire (550–330 BC), which was founded by Cyrus the Great and had its capital at Pasargadae. Darius I the Great moved the capital to nearby Persepolis in the late 6th or early 5th century BC.

Celebrated as the heartland of Persian culture for over 2000 years, the capital city of Shiraz has become synonymous with education, nightingales, poetry, and crafts skills passed down from generation to generation. It was one of the most important cities in the medieval Islamic world and was the Iranian capital during the Zand dynasty from 1751 to 1794. Moreover, Shiraz is home to some of the country’s most magnificent buildings and sights. Increasingly, it draws more and more foreign and domestic sightseers flocking to this provincial capital.

Eram Garden, Afif-Abad Garden, Tomb of Hafez, Tomb of Sa’di, Jameh Mosque of Atigh, and Persepolis are among the historical, cultural, and ancient sites of Shiraz that are of interest to domestic and foreign tourists. The ancient city is also home to some magnificent historical gardens such as Bagh-e Narenjestan and Eram Garden, which are top tourist destinations both for domestic and international sightseers.

AFM