Hamedan is asserting itself on the tourism map and strongly competing with popular cities of Shiraz and Isfahan.

Tourist arrivals in the western province of Hamedan have increased by 20 percent since March 21 compared to the same period of last year, deputy head of Hamedan Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department said.
Talking to ISNA, Mohammad Rahim Ranjbar stated that Ganjnameh inscriptions and Avicenna memorial building draw the largest number of sightseers.
He noted that foreign visitors of Alavian Dome outnumber domestic ones, adding 75 percent of the visitors come from other countries.
The official put the number of foreign nationals touring the western province at 6,000 per annum.
Ranjbar explained that formerly the majority of tourists used to travel to the cities of Isfahan and Shiraz. However, travelers have started to recognize other Iranian destinations in recent years.
In related news, an official in charge of tourism facilities with the department stated that projects conducted to improve welfare amenities in the province this year have created jobs for over 1,000 people.
Hamed Mohammadi added that the department has recruited 265 individuals; while 800 others have been indirectly employed in tourism-related businesses.
The official listed the 18 projects carried out in Hamedan as construction of roadside service areas, one hotel apartment, one hotel, two inns, a traditional restaurant and the purchase of an aircraft to be used for the air taxi service.
He noted that the department is working on 36 other projects some of which are building five motels, 12 service plazas, eight inns, an amusement park, five travel agencies, one hotel apartment, three recreational complexes as well as Ganjnameh Cable Car Project.
According to Mohammadi, maps and brochures of Hamedan tourism fascinations and historic heritage will be published and distributed in the city’s public places and squares.

Fourteen development, services and tourism projects were inaugurated in the northern Golestan province during the Government Week (August 24-30), director general of the provincial Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department said.
In an interview with IRNA, Mahmoud Rabiei added that the projects were aimed to help flourish provincial tourism.
He stressed that the industry has to be developed in Golestan which boasts various natural, cultural, historical and biological potentials. The northern province is also home to a variety of Iranian ethnic groups.
Located near the Caspian Sea, Golestan province has several shrines, thick forests, recreational and tourism parks, picturesque sceneries, riveting springs, rivers, waterfalls and wetlands.
Meanwhile, highlighting the importance of the projects, deputy head of the department, Fereydoun Fa’ali, stated that of the 14 scheme, eight were development and six were services projects.
Over 2.7 billion rials has been spent on tourism projects including installation of pews and arbors in Golestan forest parks, implementation of watershed schemes, asphalting forest roads, as well as revival of woodlands.
More than 24 million rials has been expended on six services projects.
Lush Golestan province is one of the three northern provinces which host a great number of tourists from across the country, especially in summer.

One of the pavilions in Moallem Park of Maragheh, East Azarbaijan province.

A summer festival featuring tourism attractions of southern Sahand region is underway in Maragheh’s Moallem Park in East Azarbaijan province, IRNA wrote.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the festival, the city’s governor noted, “Events as such can play a significant role in introducing the ancient history and culture of cities in this northwestern province including Maragheh, Bonab, Malekan and Ajabshir.“
Aliyar Rastgou said the event aims to encourage public involvement in preserving historical monuments.
He continued that over 800 historical and natural appeals have already been identified in these cities, 150 of which have been inscribed on the National Heritage List.
The official went on, “Enjoying infrastructural facilities such as airport and railroad, traveling agencies, museums and historical relics and miscellaneous souvenirs, the region is considered as a major domestic tourism destination.“
The festival was launched on Aug. 24 and will last through Aug. 31. It is open to visitors from 19:00 to 23:00.

Dezful city in southeastern Khuzestan province has about 60 mosques, with Jame’ Mosque being one of the oldest. The Jame’ Mosque of Dezful is situated in the city’s center. A remnant of the 9th century, the mosque has repeatedly undergone restoration and repair work throughout its history. The restorations have led to the expansion of the mosque. Inscriptions located in the mosque indicate that it has received a makeover during the Safavid (1502-1736) and Qajarid (1794-1925) dynasties. A date inscribed on the eastern wall known as Gharibkhaneh implies that this part had been repaired during the Safavid king Sultan Hossein (1694-1722).
The monument comprises the main entrance, porches, a vast courtyard and Shabestans to the south and east.
Shabestans are basically underground space that can be found in traditional architectures including mosques, houses, and schools in ancient Persia. These spaces were ventilated by wind towers and qanats (aqueducts) and were therefore used as the summer residence.
The mosque has four small entrances, three of which are blocked. The northwestern facade dates back to the 18th century. It is adorned with arches and tile work. The main part of the current mosque is its southern pillared Shabestan. The brick dome of the Shabestan sits on stone pillars. It is the oldest part of the mosque. The eastern porch was constructed during the Safavid era.
The mosque was expanded during Safavid and Qajar dynasties. Its northern part and entrance were destroyed in 1981 during the Iran-Iraq war.

Remnants of Anahita Temple in Kermanshah province dating back to 200 BC, (Fars Photo)

Lebanon proposed tax relief and other measures to help its tourism industry recover from a “disaster“ that cost it an estimated one billion dollars in losses from a month of Israeli bombing.
Before the 34-day war that began July 12 between Israel and the Hezbollah Shiite militia, Lebanon was anticipating $4.4 billion in revenue and investment in its tourism and tourism infrastructure this year.
“Now all this has gone,“ Tourism Minister Joe Sarkis told AFP. Direct and indirect losses are estimated at $1 billion, he said.
Under the recovery plan, tourism operators are being asked to fill in forms to give officials a more detailed assessment of the losses.
Tax breaks and discussions with financial institutions are also being talked over “in order for the institutions to remain working during this difficult period,“ he said.
As some hotels have begun laying off staff, the recovery plan also calls for a fund to help tourism operators pay workers’ salaries. “We are afraid that if we do not succeed in paying their salaries, these workers will leave and go elsewhere in Arab countries where they will find jobs,“ he said.
The ministry is opening an account with the Lebanese central bank to receive donations. “Lebanon by itself will not be able“ to cope, he said.
Sarkis added that the tourism ministry also plans to cooperate with the environment ministry over recovery from a massive oil spill that officials say has polluted about 150 kilometers (93 miles) of the Lebanese coast and spread north into Syrian waters.
“Fifty to sixty percent of tourism activity is based on the sea,“ he explained. The spill occurred when Israel bombed a power plant south of Beirut.
The ministry also wants to launch a campaign to lure back Arab tourists.
Arabs form the majority of visitors to Lebanon, which Sarkis said had received 630,000 tourists by July 12.
“Our expectation was for 1,600,000 tourists during the full year 2006. We would have met that and even more. So we were on the right track.“
Beirut hotels that saw occupancy levels of 90 percent or more before the war now report around 30 or 40 percent of the rooms empty.

Director general of Mazandaran Fisheries Department unveiled that more seafood restaurants would be set up across the province, ISNA reported.
Hassan Habibnejad noted that the restaurants would be launched along the busy routes in a bid to encourage holidaymakers to consume seafood.
Two seafood restaurants have already been launched in the cities of Babol and Sari, he said.
Referring to ways to increase demand for protein-rich seafood meals, he said the department plans to raise public awareness with the cooperation of Tabarestan local TV channel.
Seafood is absent from the menu of most Iranian restaurants. There are just a few seafood restaurants across the country.
Greater publicity is required to make the people aware of the nutritional advantages of seafood.

Shams-e Tabrizi Tower in Khoy, West Azarbaijan province

Chairman of Khoy Islamic City Council proposed that the tomb of Shams-e Tabrizi, the guru of the great Iranian poet Molana Jalaleddin Rumi, be turned into an international tourism and cultural complex.
Gholamali Sharifi told IRNA that the tomb of the great Iranian Sufi mystic located in Khoy’s Imamzadeh district is capable of turning into a key tourism destination for culture lovers and boosting the northwestern city’s economy.
The official highlighted that Shams-e Tabrizi is an internationally known personality, especially due to key role he played in inspiring Rumi and driving him into Islamic mysticism.
He called for official support to convert the tomb into a tourism-wooing memorial venue.
Some 300 million rials has been spent on restoration and revival of Shams-e Tabrizi Tower in the current year (started March 21).
Shams-e Tabrizi Tower registered on National Heritage List is situated in northwest of the city. The tower was constructed during the reign of Safavid King Ismail I (1502-1524).
The cylindrical building has a height of 12 meters. Within the structure lays the old gravestone of Shams-e Tabrizi.
The border city of Khoy with a population of 356,000 is located 130 km to the north of Orumiyeh, the capital of West Azarbaijan province.
Shams-e-Tabrizi was born in Tabriz, East Azarbaijan. He is immortalized by Rumi’s poetry collection Diwan-e Shams-e Tabrizi. Shams lived with Rumi in Qonya, in present-day Turkey, for several years.
A few years later, Shams disappeared unexpectedly. Whatever became of him was never known. It is generally believed that he was murdered by one or more of Rumi’s associates, or perhaps even his son. The mysterious circumstances of Shams’ disappearance and the alleged involvement of members of Rumi’s inner circle lead many to think that they were envious of their teacher’s devotion to Shams. Rumi’s love for Shams, and his bereavement at his disappearance, found expression in an outpouring of lyric poems.