Museums of Markazi province host an invaluable Iranian treasure. The province has a 7,000-year-old history and whenever its secrets were unveiled, the discovered artifacts were put on display at museums. Currently, Markazi province has seven museums each with a unique architectural style, IRNA reported. Chahar Fasl (Four Seasons) Museum in Arak, which is located in an unparalleled old bathhouse dating back to Qajar dynasty, is one of the cultural and tourism attractions of the province. The building consists of baths for men, women and religious minorities and a private bath. It is appealing to any tourist because of its beautiful tileworks and exquisite plasterworks. The edifice was registered as national heritage and transformed into a museum in 1994. The museum hosts ancient items such as weapons, coins, pottery and hunting tools, belonging to 2000 BC, the Islamic period and also the contemporary times.
There is an old brick house with colorful exterior decorations near the Old Bazaar of Arak. The building, constructed in 1955, had a private owner until 2004 when it was transformed into a handicrafts museum. Exquisite carpets, inlaid works, copper works, pottery, traditional musical instruments, mirror-works and samples of old clothing of Arak’s people are showcased in this museum. Sultanabad Museum was established as the first private museum of Arak in the bazaar area in 2007. The museum showcases a magnificent collection of calligraphy of the Islamic period.
Ashtian, located in the older section of Arak’s Bazaar, is another attractive museum in Markazi province. The building has two stories comprising a nocturnal prayer room, warehouse, and kitchen. Its wooden doors enhance the beauty of the edifice. A small pond is located in the middle of the building’s courtyard. The building was registered as a national heritage in 2006 when it was transformed into an anthropological museum. Manuscripts, pottery of the Islamic era, cooking utensils and agricultural equipment are among the items displayed at the museum.
Chahar Souq was transformed into an anthropological museum in Saveh in 2007. The building pertains to the Safavid era and has a unique architectural style.
The museum of the city of Khomein (in Markazi province) opened at Salar Mohtasham Castle in 2006. Old traditions of the area are displayed through exquisite decorative paintings of the museum. The anthropological museum has been received enthusiastically by the inhabitants of the region.
Plans are currently underway to transform Haj Abdolbaqi water reservoir in Naraq downtown into a water museum and establish anthropological museums in the old houses of Mahallat and Tafresh.

Given its diverse flora and fauna, the international wetland of Choghakhor in Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari province has enhanced the region’s tourism attractions.
Choghakhor wetland covers an area of about 2,300 hectares and is located in the highlands of Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari province. The water area of the wetland extends to about 1,500 hectares.
According to Mehr news agency, the wetland hosts 58 species of flora and fauna and has become a popular tourist spot in summertime.
The birds living in the area include different types of heron, duck, stork, flamingo and swan.
Carp, turtle, fox, wolf, boar and rabbit are also found in or near the wetland.
Spring and summer are the best seasons for visiting the unique wetland. The wetland freezes in winter which makes it amazingly beautiful.
Choghakhor was declared a no-hunting zone in 1999. It is located about 55 kilometers from Shahr-e Kord, the capital city of Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari province.

The Achaemenid dynasty arose from the ashes of the Elamite Empire in the 7th century BC. After the Elamite stronghold of Anshan had fallen to the Assyrians, it was King Teispes of Persia (reigned 675-640 BC) who took control of the city. It was his father, Achaemenes, who had trained and organized the army that made this possible and gave his name to the dynasty.
King of Babylon
According to Iranvisitors website, Cambyses (reigned 600-559 BC), the grandson of Teispes, already ruled over a sizeable kingdom when he married a Median princess and united the two royal lines. Thus, when his son, Cyrus II (reigned 559-530 BC) overcame the Median army of Astyages in 550 BC, he spared the Median capital of Ecbatana and was easily accepted as ruler of the combined lands and forces of both Persia and Media. On the site where he overcame Astyages, Cyrus established the Persian capital of Pasargad.
From this stage, Cyrus II began a conquest that resulted in the largest empire of the ancient world. The empire remained intact for two centuries until the successors of Alexander of Macedonia divided it among themselves.
Starting in the west, Cyrus halted the advance of the Lydian forces of Croesus and gained control of large parts of Asia Minor including the Lydian capital of Sardis and the wealthy Ionian cities, thus gaining access to the Aegean Sea.
Moving toward west, Cyrus captured Bactria, Sogdia, campaigned in India and seized Syria and Palestine. He took the city of Babylon in 539 BC, naming himself ’King of Babylon’.
Under Cyrus, the conquered nations were given a considerable amount of autonomy; some kingdoms were obliged to provide conscripts.
Cyrus died while battling in Central Asia. He left the throne to his son Cambyses II (reigned 528-522 BC). His body was cremated at Pasargad in 528 BC where his original tombstone is still lingering.
The Bisotoun inscription tells us that Cambyses, fearing the possibility of rebellion, had his own brother killed in secret before embarking on his Egyptian expedition. He is also said to have exhumed the corpse of the last pharaoh of Egypt and violated it in unspeakable ways despite his efforts to appear as an Egyptian pharaoh, just as Cyrus had presented himself as the King of Babylon.
Cambyses II was not, however, to return from his Egyptian exploits. In 522 BC, news of a rebellion spread throughout the kingdom and he was forced to cut short his stay in Egypt. As written in the Bisotoun inscriptions and the histories of Herodotus, a certain Magian priest named Gaumata usurped the Achaemenid throne, claiming that he was Smerdis, the son of Cyrus that Cambyses had put to death.
The absence of the true king and the repealing of three years of taxes and military service by Gaumata made it easy for the impostor and his allies to take power.
King of the Empire
Hearing the news, Cambyses began his journey homeward but only reached as far as Syria where he apparently died either of an accidental wound caused by his unsheathed sword or deliberately by his own hand. On his death, a general named Darius took over the leadership of the returning expedition and led the army against the forces of Gaumata.
Gaumata reigned for seven months before he was surprisingly killed by Darius and six of his allies at a Median stronghold to which the seat of government had been moved. This moving of the capital and the repealing of taxes and military service suggests that Gaumata was a Mede with little attachment to Persia.
After some debate, Darius was crowned as king of the empire. The reign of Darius I (reigned 522-486 BC) was an enlightened one. He enacted reforms of government, taxes and coinage and had roads and granaries built Ð all of which served to vitalize the Persian state and usher in an era of prosperity. The construction of new capital cities at Persepolis and Susa also date back to era of Darius I.
During wartime, Darius led expeditions eastward to India and westward as far as the Danube, waging a series of ultimately unsuccessful campaigns against the Greeks. Neither did his successors, Xerxes I (reigned 486-465 BC) and Ardeshir I (reigned 465-424 BC), managed to defeat the Greek army. It was not until Darius III (reigned 335-330 BC) that the Achaemenids succeeded against the Greeks and it was Darius III who was eventually defeated by the conquering army of Alexander of Macedonia.
At its peak, the Achaemenid Empire stretched from Pakistan in the East to the borders of Greece in the west and from the southern steppes of Russia to Egypt, Libya and the Arabian subcontinent.
Achaemenid Empire was the largest empire of the ancient world. A total of 28 different nations lived under one rule and spoke in the international language of Aramaic.

The first Corn Poppy Festival was held at Kalpoush corn poppy fields in the presence of tourists and admirers of nature.
The event coincided with the local wrestling (Alish) competition, which is usually held in spring or summer when wedding ceremonies are held in the picturesque, evergreen area.
Head of Shahroud’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Department, Reza Karimi said that the festival was aimed at promoting the rich tourist attractions of Kalpoush, which is particularly beautiful in spring because of its red corn poppy fields.
He said that natural tourism and folkloric music topped the festival’s agenda. “Upon construction of a dam in the area in the near future, its tourism attractions will be enhanced,“ he pointed out.
Kalpoush is located to the northeast of Shahroud in Semnan province. Tourists visit the area in spring every year due to its rich natural attractions, including it corn poppy fields. Kalpoush is also called the ’red paradise’.