Iran is perhaps among the unique countries in terms of ecotourism attractions given its diverse climatic conditions in which all four seasons can be experienced at any given time of the year.
Although many natural attractions of the country are still pristine, the God-given blessings are looked after as they should be, the Persian daily ’Hamshahri’ reported.
One can dare say that among the cities on the Caspian Sea coastal belt, Ramsar is the only one where the distance between the forest and the sea is about one kilometer.
Ramsar has a diverse fauna and flora. In view of its thick forests and mountainous areas, Ramsar is a sanctuary for animals such as bears, leopards, goats, foxes, rabbits and wolves. In the not so distant past, tigers were also spotted in the forests of Ramsar.
History
Historians believe that the first inhabitants of Ramsar were native Asian tribes. Based on documents, the ancient name for Ramsar was ’Purestan’. Due to its favorable climatic conditions, Aryans migrated to Asia and the first Aryan tribe settled in Ramsar.
Many centuries ago, Ramsar was also known as ’Garmehroud’. Until the collapse of the Qajar dynasty in early 1900s, Ramsar was called ’Sakht Sar’. Sakht means rough in Persian and it refers to Ramsar’s limestone rocks and rough terrain.
Throughout history, residents of Ramsar never surrendered to invading forces and fought against them with all their might. However, during the reign of the first Pahlavi monarch Reza Shah, the people of Ramsar were tamed and hence the name Ramsar came to the fore. ’Ram’ means tame in Persian. From 1921 on, construction of beautiful buildings and new hotels began in Ramsar and the city was received greater attention by the rulers of the time because of its hot spas and picturesque landscape.
The population of the city is over 30,000. Among the important attractions of Ramsar, one can mention the Caspian Sea beach cabins, the old Ramsar Hotel, Tamashagah-e Khazar Museum, Markouh peak, Tomb of Aqa Seyyed Mohammad, Imamzadeh Seyyed Taqi, Abdol Baqi Khan Mosque, and Pare-e Nesa Castle.
Manager of Ramsar’s Azadi hotels, Mohammad Sharbatdar underlined the efforts of the staffers of the old Ramsar hotel in safeguarding the historical edifice.
“The hotel was built in 1934. Its designer was an Armenian architect of Iranian descent who had studied architecture in Germany. The architectural style of the hotel is a blend of pre-Islamic period and modern German. Given the importance of preserving the hotel as a historical edifice and its construction materials, which is mainly wood, as well as the high humidity of the area, we are trying our best to keep the edifice immune to any kind of damage,“ he noted.

Geography
In view of its unique geographical position and natural attractions, there are many attractive natural sites in or adjacent to Ramsar, including Safaroud Forest Park, which is located some nine kilometers from Ramsar on the Javaherdeh Road, Dalkhani Forest Park situated some 30 km southeast of Ramsar and forest hills, which are suitable for hunting and mountain climbing. Furthermore, the city is host to magnificent villas and citrus and kiwi orchards. The hot spas of the region can be used for treating muscular pain, diabetes, heart ailments, psychological problems and fluctuating blood pressure.
Unfortunately, most people who visit the area show little interest in protecting the environment and scatter litter in forest parks despite the abundance of garbage cans. Although Ramsar is not a big Iranian city, it has a library and many cultural and sports centers, which date back to over 40 years ago. Currently a plan is underway to renovate the old texture of the city.

Fields of wild poppy corn in Talesh, which are among the attractions of Gilan province, are on the verge of destruction.
Since ancient times, the slopes of Talesh, which are covered with wild mountain flowers, particularly wild poppy corn in May and June, have appealed to tourists.
However, given the trend of destruction of natural resources of the area, there is not much hope to see this beautiful site, particularly in the summer resorts located near Asalem, Khalkhal, Loorahooni and Subatan.
An agriculture expert, Mojtaba Heidari said that the poppy corn fields have been destroyed by pseudo-tourists who visit the area on the pretext of enjoying natural attractions, Mehr News Agency reported.
“Poppy corn grows in areas that have special climatic conditions while encroachment by humans and excessive grazing of cattle can destroy the magnificent poppy corn fields. Tourists who travel to the area by car destroy the topsoil and ecology of the area practically preventing the growth of plants,“ he noted.
The expert emphasized that requirements for sustainable protection of the environment and natural attractions must be set by officials to avert further destruction of the area.
It is crucial for the Department of Environment, Natural Resources Organization and other related institutions to cooperate and make proper planning schemes to protect the wild poppy cornfields of Talesh.

Shiraz is hosting seven important tourism conferences at the provincial and national levels during July 5-9, CHN said.
Deputy head of Cultural Heriatge, Handicrafts and Tourism Department of Fars province, Ali Reza Dejhbod said that the first national conference will study ways to launch tourist taxi system in major cities.
Senior officials from Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHHTO), as well as provincial and police officials and senior managers of the transportation sector will attend the event, he noted.
Another event, he said, is the provincial therapeutic tourism conference which will be attended by cultural officials and academicians from Shiraz Medical Sciences University.
Dejhbod further said that the conferences for organizing accommodation centers for tourists and the travel card plan are other events to be held during the period.
“Given its capacities in promoting the tourism industry, Fars province is perpetually viewed as a tourism pilot province.
Furthermore, in view of the potentials of the city of Shiraz in medical sciences, it is considered as an exemplary health tourism site. Holding conferences on heath tourism with the cooperation of ICHHTO and Shiraz University of Medical Sciences marks a turning point in promoting therapeutic and health tourism,“ pointed out Dejhbod.
He recalled that Shiraz is the first city of the country to launche tourist taxi system. “Following the contract inked between ICHHTO and State Taxi Organization, the plan was put in effect in Shiraz. Three taxi companies are implementing the plan. It is hoped that by holding the conference on conditions of tourist taxi system nationwide all obstacles will be removed and taxi service will be optimized for tourists,“ he concluded.