TEHRAN – A total of 23 historical monuments in Semnan are currently under restoration as part of the province’s campaign to safeguard its cultural heritage for coming generations.

Currently, 23 historical monuments, including residential houses, mansions, inns, bathhouses, and other public places are being restored by teams of cultural heritage experts across the province, the provincial tourism chief said on Saturday.

Last September, the capital city of Semnan joined the International Tourism Alliance of Silk Road Cities, officially launched in China’s Jingdezhen as a tool to help broaden tourism cooperation.

The main populated centers of Semnan province lie along the ancient Silk Road (and modern-day Imam Reza Expressway), linking Rey (Tehran) with Khorasan (Mashhad). While few visitors spend much time in the area, driving through, you can easily seek out several well-preserved caravanserais (notably Dehnamak and Ahowan), cisterns (the Cafe Abenbar in Garmsar is a special treat), and ruined mud citadels (Padeh is lumpy but fascinating.). The large, bustling cities of Semnan, Damghan, and Shahrud (Bastam) all have a small selection of historic buildings and Semnan has a fine old covered bazaar.

Semnan is bounded by the provinces of Khorasan Razavi and South Khorasan on the east, Isfahan on the south, Qom and Tehran on the west, and Mazandaran and North Khorasan on the north.

AFM