The whistle of a tourist train in North Khorasan

North Khorasan is the land of horses and silk, springs and rivers, colorful gardens and mountains that are located in the right corner of the map of Iran. has brought.

This province, 28 thousand and 434 square kilometers to the center of Bojnourd city, has shown a climate in every corner, so that plains, mountains, forests and deserts all fit together in this unique region, to clouds, wind, fog, sun and Let the skies join hands and create beautiful paintings of pristine nature.

With all these beauties and despite the capacities that this province has in the field of tourism and ecotourism, but with the outbreak of Corona, the tourism wheel of North Khorasan did not turn like other parts of the world and the activity of this sector came to a standstill.

According to experts in this field, Corona bent the back of tourism and ecotourism and accommodation centers in 1999, so that the then director general of cultural heritage, tourism and handicrafts suffered 400 billion rials in damage to accommodation centers, urban and intermediate hospitality, travel agency offices, Tour guides and tourism and ecotourism institutes announced, but the amount of facilities paid to this sector was only 150 billion rials.

Ali Mostofian says: “In previous years, the turnover of North Khorasan in the field of tourism was close to 1,500 billion rials, but in the corona epidemic, it has reached its lowest level and even close to zero.”

But these days, it seems that good tourism is appearing and in the fall, the whistle of the province’s tourist train has sounded.

Tourism boom

According to one of the activists in this sector, tourist tours are increasing and the presence of people in ecotourism is increasing, especially at the end of summer and the beautiful season of autumn. .

The head of the North Khorasan Ecotourism Resorts Association says about the increase of activities in the field of tourism: with the beginning of the 13th government and the decrease of the corona wave, tourism has also started to move forward.

Ali Vesali adds: This year, summer and autumn tourism in the province, especially in ecotourism, was a little shaken and revived, and with the beginning of autumn, people paid more attention to one-day tours and accommodation in ecotourism, but still until the peak of economic activity And the wave of tourists who came to the province from all over the country and even outside Iran, and sometimes even the capacity of accommodation centers could not respond to them, has a long way to go.

He points out: We hope that the days of Nowruz in 13401 will be completely eliminated and people will be able to plan and tourism for their travels.

Increase accommodation capacity

The Deputy Minister of Tourism of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts also says in this regard: There are 159 accommodation, welfare and hospitality centers in North Khorasan with a capacity of one thousand people.

Abolfazl Ismaili adds: 31 projects including hotels, motels, cafeterias and tourism complexes are under construction in the province.

He adds: with the implementation of these projects, 876 residential beds will be added to the beds of the province, and with their launch, employment will be created for 510 people.

He states that the area of ​​these projects is 142 thousand square meters and says: some of these projects will be completed by the end of the year.

Presence of foreign tourists in the province

According to the Director General of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, the industry, although slowly, is constantly moving forward and changing.

Ali Mostofian adds: “In our observations, the activities of tourism units have increased in recent months and movements have begun that promise a good future.”

He announced the presence of the first foreign tourists in the province and said: “With the lifting of the visa ban, we will see an increase in foreign tourists and a decrease in the recession in this sector.”

“Tourism is not just about foreign tourism,” he said. “These days, tourism has many branches, such as family, religious and health tourism.”

Emphasizing that good activities have been carried out at the national level in the field of tourism and foreign relations, he added: “Specialized meetings have been held with Iraqi tourism activists, as well as increasing activities in attracting tourists and increasing relations with Central Asian countries.” Turkmenistan in particular is one of the priorities of the province’s tourism sector.

Mostofian points out: Currently, tourism is divided into different branches and can be entered in any specialized way, but in North Khorasan due to the religious background that exists despite the threshold of Imamzadeh Abbas and its pristine and untouched nature. Our emphasis is on religious tourism and ecotourism.

The last days of autumn tours

At the same time, the last rays of the autumn debris have set fire to the trees and the enchanting nature has fascinated this passionate and colorful beauty.

North Khorasan is the land of juniper and hyrcanian forests and orchards of walnuts and cherries, apples and pears and soaring poplars.

In every corner of this small province, there is a spring, a pond, a river and a pond so that you can see the effects of leaf and water dancing, and the drink of Quebec Kharamani, which is located next to these springs and ponds at the foot of Khotka and Butimar. .

In the middle of autumn, migratory birds settle in dams, ponds and lagoons, and this is where new criteria for beauty can be defined.

Green duck, cormorant, butimar, khotka, heron and white fish duck are aquatic or coastal species that come to this province from the cold regions of Siberia and some of them migrate to the south for some time and some all winter. They are guests of this region.

These birds can be seen along the Shirin Darreh, Bidvaz, Barzu and Cheri dams, as well as the Atrak and Kalshur rivers, each of which is a statue of beauty.

Autumn also takes place in the forests of Jozak and Havar and the tourist destination of Darakhsh. , Which is located a little further away, makes these pristine areas more spectacular.

These areas are located in Maneh and Samolghan cities, which are located 70 km west of Bojnourd, and it is one of the most spectacular views of Darkash village. its necessary.

The empathetic and loving life of relatives

North Khorasan has different ethnicities, most of which are Tat, Kermanj, Turks, Turkmen and Persians migrating from other provinces. In addition, a small number of Arabs, Baluchis and Lors live in several villages in the province. The existence of different ethnic groups with different cultures and customs has made this province known as a treasure trove of cultures.

This province is also the land of historical and natural attractions, a treasure trove of ethnicities and cultures, with 509 historical monuments registered in the list of national monuments, hosting Nowruz travelers and tourists.

North Khorasan has eight cities of Bojnourd, Esfarayen, Shirvan, Jajarm, Maneh and Samolghan, Garmeh, Farooj and Raz and Jirgalan, 22 cities, 45 villages and more than one thousand villages.

This province is bordered by Turkmenistan with 300 km from the north, Khorasan Razavi province from the east and south, Semnan province from the southwest and Golestan from the west. The center of North Khorasan is Bojnourd.

In the southern strip of North Khorasan province, Aladagh mountain range with the famous peaks of Shah Jahan, Saluk and Bahar and in the northern strip of Kopeh Dagh heights have formed large plains in the east-west direction, which have been the bedrock of trade and trade developments throughout history. It has been culturally, socially and politically important.

The Atrak River, as a life-giving artery, flows in the valley between these two mountain ranges and while irrigating all the plains along its route, has caused the formation of ancient residential centers in this area.

Excavations in the ancient city of Belqis, Yam Farouj hill, Masoumzadeh archeological site, Qaleh Khan settlement, Ravi hill in Maneh and Samolghan, Arg Naderi ancient hill in Shirvan, Esfarayen hill, Pahlavan hill and Chelou archeological site in Jajarm plain It indicates the existence of a civilization of several thousand years in this region.

The number of registered works of the province in the list of national works is 621 historical, natural and intangible works, of which 509 historical works, 42 natural works, 70 intangible works and 11 works have been registered globally.

With 863,000 people, this province has 115 tourist attractions, 24 national and provincial sample regions and eight villages targeted for tourism, a pristine destination for nature lovers and those interested in the culture and rituals of different ethnic groups.

It can be hoped that with the reduction of corona pressure and the change of color of the cities of North Khorasan and the beginning of extensive vaccination, happy days are waiting for tourism in North Khorasan.