Exploitation of 230 thousand years old cave for museum and restaurant in Gilan

Based on archaeological excavations, the record of human settlement in the ancient cave in Darband, Rishi village (with national registration number 13218) goes back to about 230 thousand years ago, and now the news has arrived that this cave will be used as a museum, restaurant and craft market. It was handed over to the private sector. Nearly 115 caves have been identified in Gilan, 15 of which have been visited by domestic and foreign tourists, and Rishi, Avishu, Darband, and Diyar Jan Dilman are among the most famous of these caves. Darband Rishi cave is located around the site of Siahroud Rudbar, the oldest human settlement in Iran. It has been identified for more than 230,000 years, which indicates the long-term presence of humans in this area of ​​forests.

The results of paleolithic studies in Darband Rashi Rudbar cave have been published in the international journals of Harvard University, French universities, Iran’s specialized journals of archeology and geology, and these achievements have been published in Iran’s specialized conferences in terms of their importance.

Tourism investment opportunities in Gilan, a model for the country

Less than a month has passed since the conference and exhibition of tourism investment opportunities in Gilan with the participation of 46 municipalities in the form of 60 booths in November, where each city presented tourism opportunities that were unknown to investors and this exhibition presented 250 The investment opportunity ended with the presence of Seyyed Ezzatullah Zarghami, Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts.
The establishment of the said conference was announced as a model for all general managers of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts of the country while appreciating the minister.

Capitalist and investment is a blessing

The Minister of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts at the closing ceremony of the conference and exhibition of tourism investment opportunities in Gilan in Rasht, emphasizing that the investor is not to blame, this wrong attitude and culture must be corrected, he said: We have a wrong culture that I myself have fallen into. We think that everyone who has money is already accused, while this approach and attitude should be changed.
Seyyed Ezzatullah Zarghami added: “We ourselves have given strange socialist slogans over the past years. Now that we have come forward, we have realized that this is not the order of Islam, nor logic, nor Sharia, but capitalism and investment is a blessing. This view should be positive and everyone Investment issues in the province and the country should be resolved.
Emphasizing that the 13th government is the government of removing obstacles, he said: “Part of our authority has been delegated to the governors of the provinces and they should follow the investors’ cases with prejudice and not create problems with the planning council of the provinces.”
Zarghami stated: Most of the missions of the ministry have been delegated to the provinces and there is no need for investors to enter the labyrinth of the corrupt administrative system that has fallen on the country like a fortune for years and prevents any simple and productive work.
He said: The director general has all the missions of the minister. The ministry should provide facilities and the best performance in note 18 is cultural heritage and tourism because we don’t have cash, we invested in this field and this year we have 10 thousand billion tomans of credit for note 18 and we will present any amount in this field to the banks without any ceiling. This facility is handed over and we have no obstacles.
Zarghami called Gilan a small Iran which is a showcase for big Iran and added: The advantage of this province is its forests and I request you not to destroy the forests, gardens and environment of Gilan.

Organizing the ancient Darband Rishi cave

And now, after several days of Gilan Tourism Investment Opportunities Conference, the Director General of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of the province announced: The organization of the ancient cave in Rashi Band of Rahmat Abad and Blocks of Rudbar is on the agenda of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage. , tourism and handicrafts of the province.
But Jahani, stating that there is a history of converting caves into restaurants in the world, including European countries, in an interview with IRNA reporter, added: With the preparation and presentation of the plan by the private sector investor and considering that the organization of the caves of the province and optimal exploitation It is one of the priorities of the General Administration and one of the main demands of the people and officials of the province. After issuing the necessary permits and going through the administrative procedures, it is planned to turn the Darband Rishi cave into a restaurant, museum and create a craft market next to it for the first time (proportionate and completely in accordance with the ecology of the region) to form one of the unique tourism centers at the level of the province and the country.

He stated that the protection of the environment, the cave and its surrounding areas along with the advantage of using integrated historical and natural attractions and introducing them to domestic and foreign tourists, sustainable development, creating direct and indirect employment are among the important points of the plan. The implementation of which can play a significant role in the growth and prosperity of the province and especially the city of Rudbar.
Jahani considered the creation of a suitable and safe access route for tourists, the provision of a dedicated parking lot, the installation of signboards, the supply of handicrafts and local souvenirs, and the provision of lighting as other things that are planned for the organization of the cave.
Darband Reshi cave in Rudbar city is the only cave in Iran where the Paleolithic remains have been discovered, and similar to this cave exists only in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and India.
Archaeological studies and research on stone tools and animal species, artifacts and fossils discovered in Darband Rashi Cave show that there has been human habitation in Iran for 200,000 to 250,000 years.
The archaeological studies of this cave, conducted by the National Museum of Iran, have yielded stone tools made by humans and the remains of several different animal species and plant pollen, which show the living conditions and vegetation at that time in Iran.
In the remains of the Darband Reshi 2 cave, absolute dating was done using the uranium method on the remains of animal teeth, and together with the stone tools found, it is determined that 200,000 to 250,000 years ago, human groups lived in this cave in a short and warm interglacial. And they used the resources around it and these works have been well preserved since then.