West Azerbaijan: Cradle of Civilization, Coexistence and an Emerging Tourist Destination

The Director-General of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of West Azerbaijan said: With its unparalleled attractions, West Azerbaijan is steadily moving toward becoming an emerging, top-tier tourist destination nationwide.

According to the report of Arya Heritage reporter, the specialized session of the 6th National Conference on Iranology of the Provinces, focusing on the history, culture and art of West Azerbaijan, was hosted by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of the province, and various aspects of the historical identity and cultural capacities of this region were discussed and exchanged opinions with the presence of prominent professors and researchers.

In this specialized meeting, scientific and research figures of the province presented articles and specialized topics; Among them, Muzaffar Abbaszadeh with the topic of "participation of local communities in the protection of historical context", Behrouz Khanmohammadi with the focus of "the history of the presence of people and ethnic groups in West Azerbaijan", Rasul Babazadeh with the topic of "from coexistence to synergy", Ebrahim Kharazi with the review of "the history of urbanization based on archaeological evidence" and Reza Heydari with the topic of "the role of narration in the cultural development of tourism in the province" gave speeches and exchanged opinions.

Effective steps in the development of tourism infrastructure and protection of cultural heritage

In the continuation of this conference, Morteza Safari, Director General of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of West Azarbaijan, referring to the valuable measures taken in the civil and cultural sphere of the province, stated: With the round-the-clock efforts of colleagues, the construction process of Shams Tabrizi Royal Court in Khoi was completed seriously and in the best way, and I sincerely appreciate all those involved in this national project.

Emphasizing that attention to the category of cultural heritage and tourism is the driver of job creation and economic prosperity in the region, he added: teaching cultural and historical heritage topics in fluent language and suitable for elementary ages in schools is an undeniable necessity for institutionalizing religious and national identity in children and teenagers. Today, West Azerbaijan, with its unique attractions, is moving step by step towards becoming an emerging and first-rate tourist destination in the country.

Safari pointed out the impressive statistics of investment attraction in this area and said: 61 tourism projects with an investment amount of 31 hemats are currently being implemented by the private sector, and approval in principle has been issued for 160 other projects with an investment amount of 65 hemats.

The Director General of Cultural Heritage of West Azarbaijan stated: With 1895 works registered in the list of national monuments and 6 works registered in the UNESCO World Heritage, this province has established its position among the top three provinces of the country and it is worth mentioning that the case of Urmia Jame Mosque is on the way to globalization and the follow-up of the case of the world registration of Hasanlu historical village in Nakhdeh is also being followed seriously.

Iranian culture and civilization; A steel barrier against global attacks and arrogance

Saeed Azdaldini Maleki, head of the Iranology Foundation of West Azerbaijan, also stated in relation to the richness of Iranian culture and civilization and its role in consolidating the national identity: the rich Iranian-Islamic culture and civilization originates from the originality, wisdom and sublime teachings, which has stood steadfastly against the storm of events, cultural attacks of foreigners and the arrogance of the world over many centuries.

He clarified: West Azerbaijan, as a rainbow of cultures, religions and different ethnic groups that have lived together for centuries in the shadow of peaceful coexistence and unity, is a clear symbol of this historical resilience. The enemies of the Islamic system and the ill-wishers of this border and region have always tried to sever the nation's connection with authentic values by cognitive warfare and emptying societies of their historical roots, unaware that the deep-rooted identity of Islamic Iran and unity Deeply between religion, culture and national traditions, it has created a steel barrier against the ambitions of global arrogance, and with the support of this cultural originality, our country will pass through all difficult challenges with authority.