TEHRAN—Semnan governor gave news of planning for holding the millennium festival of the minaret of the Jame’ Mosque of Semnan concurrent with Semnan Day.

Addressing the reporters of the city on Sunday, Mehdi Samimian said that this is the first time that a celebration will be held under the name of Semnan Day, ISNA reported.

He called the minaret as one of the most important symbols of Semnan, adding that over 85 percent of the city’s historical monuments pertain to Safavid and Qajar eras. But Semnan Jame’ Mosque and its magnificent minaret are works of the Seljuk period and are 1027 years old. 

Saying that National Semnan Day will be held in national level, he added: “We seek to hold a luxurious program worthy of the name and history of this city. Of course, it is expected that all institutions will have the necessary cooperation with us in this regard.”

Samimian evaluated and clarified that the basic solution to Semnan’s water shortage is inter-basin transfer. The water resources necessary to quench the thirst of Semnan city and province must be achieved through inter-basin transfer, whether through the Caspian Sea or the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, he added.

Pointing to the efforts of the provincial officials for completing the Finesk Dam project in Semnan, he said that implementation of the project can help supply water for the provincial cities. 

On necessity of proper water management, he said: “This year, with the management of consumption and the public cooperation, we have not had any water shortages in Semnan so far fortunately. However, a solution must be found to fundamentally solve the problem of water shortage.”

In another part, while praising the media's cooperation with the city officials, Samimian said that this year, for the first time, a meeting of city journalists was held with the governor's focus and the cooperation of some agencies, which is worthy of appreciation. He added that Semnan has 119 official media. 

In 2022, Iran selected Semnan to represent the country at a union of Silk Road cities based on an initiative launched by China to promote tourism along the ancient route that once linked Asia to the Western world.

The ancient Silk Road has existed for thousands of years, passing through empires, kingdoms, reigns, and societies throughout history. At certain times in its long history, traders could travel freely along these routes, whereas at others, travel was difficult or dangerous.

According to UNESCO, the Silk Road enriched the countries it passed through, transporting cultures, religions, languages, and material goods into societies across Europe, Asia, and Africa, and uniting them all with a common thread of cultural heritage and plural identities.

KD