Iran’s Secretary of High Council for Free Trade-Industrial and Special Economic Zones termed World Cup 2022 as a chance for tourism development in Iran.

Like other Persian Gulf countries, Iran is planning to attract World Cup spectators traveling to Qatar to visit Iran’s tourist attractions in the remaining months of the 2022 World Cup, Saeed Mohammad said.

With proper planning, the tourist needs of the fans of the teams to visit the tourism centers of Iran have been provided, he added.

Five cruise ships have been supplied, two of which are based in Kish, he said, adding that three more will be joined them.

Earlier, Iran’s Minister of Heritage, Culture, Tourism and Handicrafts, Sayyid Ezzatollah Zarghami warned that the enemies have intensified their psychological campaign against Iran known as Iranophobia for fear of a tourism boom in Iran ahead of the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

The minister already predicted that lots of tourists and football fans could visit Iran because of its proximity to Qatar and other elements such as its favorable weather condition and eye-catching historical and cultural sites.

The FIFA World Cup will take place in Qatar from 21 November to 18 December 2022. /MNA/

 

Iran’s National Chemistry Olympiad team won 2 gold and 2 silver medals in the International Chemistry Olympiad.

The competition was held virtually in China with the participation of 84 countries.

According to the Iranian National Organization for Development of Exceptional Talents, Mohammad Hossein Barakati, Ilia Kahvand won gold medals and Seyed Amir Hossein Razavi, and Amir Mohammad Hosseini each won silver medals in the International Chemistry Olympiad.

According to the reports, the Iranian National Biology Olympiad team won 4 gold medals in the 33rd International Biology Olympiad to record first place in the world.

The 2022 World Biology Olympiad was held at Yerevan State University in Yerevan from 10-18 July.

Also, the Iranian Mathematical Olympiad team ranked 8th in the 63rd World Mathematical Olympiad held in Norway.

On the other hand, Iranian students won 2 silver and 3 bronze medals in the International Physics Olympiad. /MNA/

Several Iranian musicians have been honored at the Global Music Awards. Puya Sarai won a silver medal in the well-known American international music competition which celebrates independent musicians, the organizers announced Saturday.

Sarai received the medal for his composition “Boghz”, a single that features Salar Aqili on vocals.

Four Iranian musicians also won bronze medals. The Saeidi Bothers, the traditional Iranian song duo of Ali and Mohammad Saeidi, were given a medal for their single “Youth” composed by Hamid Lali. Santur player Amir-Hossein Moallem also contributed to the piece.

Composer Arman Mansha’i was honored for his new-age piece “Dreams”.

A bronze medal was awarded to Hesam Sadafinejad for “Plasco”, a piece he released in January in memory of 16 firefighters and a number of citizens who were killed in the collapse of Tehran’s 17-storey mega mall Plasco on January 19, 2017.

Iranian musicians failed to receive a gold medal in any category of this edition of the Global Music Awards.

In the previous edition held in January, Iranian composer Farhad Harati won a gold medal for his cinematic choral music, “The Sacred Earth”.

The album featuring eleven tracks has been recorded at Zang Records with Naamira, a choral ensemble of young musicians.

In 2021, the Iranian crossover classical new age band Lyra Duet won a gold medal for their debut album “Tehran-Mars”, which was released in 2016, and went on to win the Iranian Music House Award for the classical/new age album of the year.

Among the latest edition’s gold medal winners is American musician Heidi Breyer who received the prize for her classical piece “Amor Aeternus: A Requiem for the Common Man”.

Italian jazz instrumentalist Jacopo Ferrazza was honored for his contribution to “Fantasia”, and the gold medal for female vocalist went to American jazz singer Lyn Stanley for her “Novel Noel”.

Venezuelan singer Eleazar Mora won the gold medal for female vocalist for his “Javier Solis una Orquestra y una Voz, Vol. 2”.

The Ensemble for These Times from America won a gold medal for “The Guernica Project”, while Skyline Jazz Band from Taiwan was honored for their “City Silhouette”.

Elisabet Franch from Spain for “Franch Plays Franck”, Larry Mitchell from America for “The Light Within” and Jessica McMann from Canada for “Incandescent Tales” also won gold medals./T.T/

Over the past decade, Isfahan has been the second destination for the guests of the Islamic Republic of Iran, its governor-general has said.

“Isfahan is the second destination of foreign guests of the Islamic Republic of Iran… During the past decade, hundreds of foreign officials including presidents, prime ministers, parliament speakers, and ministers visited Isfahan and its attractions following their Tehran visits,” Seyyed Reza Mortazavi said on Tuesday.

Mortazavi made the remarks in a meeting with the provincial tourism chief Alireza Izadi and several other local officials, saying extra efforts are needed to develop tourism across the central province.

“Efforts to introduce tourism attractions is an important step that should be taken to help develop the tourism-based economy in Isfahan province.”

“I believe that Isfahan’s existing capacities have not been introduced as they deserve,” Mortazavi said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the official attached great importance to the role the private sector can assume in developing a tourism-reliant economy.

Soaked in a rich history, Isfahan was once a crossroads of international trade and diplomacy in Iran and now it is one of Iran’s top tourist destinations for good reasons. It is filled with many architectural wonders such as unmatched Islamic buildings, bazaars, museums, Persian gardens, and tree-lined boulevards. It’s a city for walking, getting lost in its mazing bazaars, dozing in beautiful gardens, and meeting people.

The ancient city is renowned not only for the abundance of great historical bridges but also for its ‘life-giving river’, the Zayandeh-Rood, which has long bestowed the city an original beauty and fertility. Isfahan has long been nicknamed as Nesf-e-Jahan which is translated into “half the world”; meaning seeing it is relevant to see half the world. In its heyday, it was also one of the largest cities in the region with a population of nearly one million.

The cool blue tiles of Isfahan’s Islamic buildings, and the city’s majestic bridges, contrast perfectly with the encircling hot, dry Iranian countryside. The huge Imam Square, best known as Naghsh-e Jahan Sq. (literary meaning “Image of the World”), is one of the largest in the world (500m by 160m), and a majestic example of town planning. Constructed in the early 17th century, the UNESCO-registered square is punctuated with the most interesting sights in Isfahan.

Modern Isfahan is home to some heavy industry, including steel factories and a nuclear facility on its outskirts, however, its inner core wants to be preserved as a priceless gem. The city is also home to a gigantic, professional, and state-of-the-art healthcare city, which is a major destination in the realm of medical tourism. /T.T/

Iran defeated Turkmenistan 4-0 in the 2022 CAFA Women’s Championship on Sunday.Hasti Foroozandeh, Melika Tavakoli, Afsaneh Chatrenoor and Mohadese Zolfi scored for Iran.

Iran, who have already defeated Kyrgyzstan (1-0) and Tajikistan (5-0), will meet Uzbekistan on Wednesday.

The 2022 CAFA Women’s Championship is the official first edition of the CAFA Women’s Championship, an international women’s football tournament organized by the Central Asian Football Association (CAFA). The tournament is scheduled to run from July 8 to 20 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. /T.T/

Agritourism permits have been issued to three farms in the northern Mazandaran province, the provincial tourism chief has said.

Out of seven applications, three farms were granted agritourism permits, Mehdi Izadi said on Saturday.

Such permits are given to eligible farm owners in the country to launch their agritourism businesses, aiming to set certain standards in a move to ensure the quality of such services in the country.

There are a variety of activities associated with farm tourism, including agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, poultry breeding, as well as other activities that tourists find interesting, the official added.

Agritourism is one of the newest forms of tourism with a direct and strong link to rural life, and by using these activities a region can witness sustainable development, he noted.

Agritourism is a relatively new branch of the travel industry in which tourists stay with local people in rural areas. Farm/ranch recreation refers to activities conducted on private agricultural lands, which might include fee-hunting and fishing, overnight stays, educational activities, etc.

Experts believe that in addition to the customer services jobs, agritourism pays special attention to the production sector, saying agricultural tourism is much more important and practical than other branches of tourism because it creates a new chain and diversity in the field of production and services.

Agritourism and nature-tourism enterprises might include outdoor recreation (fishing, hunting, wildlife study, horseback riding), educational experiences (cannery tours, cooking classes, or tea or coffee tasting), entertainment (harvest festivals or barn dances), hospitality services (farm stays, guided tours, or outfitter services), and on-farm direct sales (u-pick operations or roadside stands).

Agritourism is a subset of a larger industry called rural tourism that includes resorts, off-site farmers’ markets, non-profit agricultural tours, and other leisure and hospitality businesses that attract visitors to the countryside. /T.T/

Iran basketball team defeated Japan 88-76 in Group C of the 2022 FIBA Asia Cup on Sunday. Hamed Haddadi and Behnam Yakhchali led Iran with 21 points each and Japan’s Yuta Watanabe scored 17 points.

Saeid Armaghani’s men had previously defeated Syria and Kazakhstan in the group.

Iran will play the winners of Chinese Taipei and Jordan on Wednesday.

Every group winner gain direct access to the quarterfinals, while runners-up play third placed teams in a playoff games. The competition kicked off on July 12 in Jakarta, Indonesia and will run until July 24. /T.T/

On Friday, a Safavid-era (1501-1736) Shah Abbasi caravanserai in the northeastern city of Neyshabur hosted a poetry night.

Pieces of Iranian Maqami music and local dances were also performed on the sidelines of the event, Neyshabur’s tourism chief Saeid Daghestani said on Saturday.

Caravanserai is a compound word combining “caravan” with “serai”; the former stands for a group of travelers and the latter means the building. They often had massive portals supported by elevated load-bearing walls. Guest rooms were constructed around the courtyard and stables behind them with doors in the corners of the yard.

Iran’s earliest caravanserais were built during the Achaemenid era (550 -330 BC). Centuries later, when Shah Abbas I assumed power from 1588 – to 1629, he ordered the construction of a network of caravanserais across the country.

For many travelers to Iran, staying in or even visiting a centuries-old caravanserai, can be a wide experience; they have an opportunity to feel the past, a time travel back into a forgotten age.

Such roadside inns were once constructed along ancient caravan routes in the Muslim world to shelter people, their goods, and animals. The former Silk Roads may be the most famous example dotted by caravanserais.

Cozy chambers that are meticulously laid out around a vast courtyard may easily evoke spirits of the past. It’s not hard to fancy the hustle and bustle of merchants bargaining on prices, recounting their arduous journeys to one another while their camels chewing hay! You can also conceive the idea of local architectural style and material in its heyday.

It’s not hard to fancy the hustle and bustle of merchants bargaining on prices, recounting their arduous journeys to one another while their camels chewing hay!

Passing major roads in the country, one may see crumbling caravanserais many of which were abandoned for ages. In the Information Age, such guest houses have largely lost their actual usage.

However, a couple of years ago, the Iran tourism ministry introduced a scheme to keep them alive and profitable; tens of caravanserais are ceded to private investors for better maintenance. Now, some are exclusively renovated and repurposed into boutique hotels and tourist lodgings.

They often had massive portals supported by elevated load-bearing walls. Guest rooms were constructed around the courtyard and stables behind them with doors in the corners of the yard. /T.T/

The Spokesman for Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) said that 3,070,000 tons of non-oil goods, valued at $1.737 billion, were exported to neighboring Turkey in the first three months of current year.

Seyyed Rouhollah Latifi made the remarks on Sunday and stated that Iran’s export of products to Turkey from March 21 to June 22 registered a 363 and 192 percent hike in weight and value respectively as compared to the same period of last year.

At the threshold of Turkish President’s visit to Iran, he said that Iran’s export of non-oil products to neighboring Turkey increased considerably last year (ended March 20, 2022) and this growth in export has still continued.

About 19,500,000 tons of non-oil goods, valued at $11.4 billion, were exchanged between Iran and Turkey last year in 1400, showing a 73 and 64 percent growth in weight and value respectively as compared to the last year’s corresponding period, Latifi emphasized.

Of total goods exchanged between the two countries last year, Iran exported 15.7 million tons, valued at $6.1 billion, to Turkey while it imported 3.7 million tons, valued at $5.3 billion, into the country from Turkey.

Elsewhere in his remarks, IRICA spokesman said that Turkey has always been ranked among Iran’s first four trade partner in terms of imports and exports in a way that 12 and 11 percent of country’s total weight and value of trade done with the world related to Turkey.

Livestock products, fisheries, dairy products, plants and flowers, fresh fruits and vegetable, dried nuts, saffron, food products, tobacco, cigarettes, construction materials, minerals, petro-refinery products, home appliances, cosmetics, industrial products and footwear were of the main products exported from Iran to the neighboring Turkey. / T.T/

 

Iranian students grabbed four gold medals at the 33rd International Biology Olympiad (IBO 2022), ranking first in the world.

IBO 2022 was held from July 10 to 18 in Yerevan, Armenia; which was attended by 65 countries, where Iran and Russia jointly ranked first.

The four-member team, who made an honorable effort winning four gold medals, include, Mehdi Afshari, Amir Reza Zeinali, Mohammad Amin Kyani, and Mohammad Mehdi Rahimpour.

The IBO is an annual competition for secondary school students. Their skills in tackling biological problems, and dealing with biological experiments are tested. Interest in biology, inventiveness, creativity, and perseverance are necessary.

In bringing together gifted students, the IBO competition tries to challenge and stimulate these students to expand their talents and promote their careers as scientists.

According to the IBO official website, the first edition of the competition was held in Olomouc, the Czech Republic, in July 1990. Iran joined the competition in 1999, and so far, the country had 8 gold medalists and an annual 32 silver and bronze medalists.

Iranian students shine at IPhO, IMO

The national physics Olympiad team also won 2 silver and 3 bronze medals in the International Physics Olympiad 2022, held online from July 11 to 14 and hosted by Switzerland.

Daniyal Hossein Tabar and Mohammad Sadra Hosseini have claimed silver medals and Taha Alimohammadi, Radmehr Fat’hi, and Behrad Jahani have been the bronze medal winners.

Iranian students have won 192 gold medals, 371 silver medals, and 204 bronze medals since 2005.IPhO is an annual competition in physics for secondary school students, aiming at promoting physics and the development of international contacts in physics education. It involves individual theoretical and experimental competitions in physics.

Moreover, the Iranian Mathematical Olympiad team won three gold medals and three silver medals, ranking 8th in the 2022 edition of the competition.

The 63rd International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) was held in Oslo, Norway. Teams of the best young mathematicians were present from more than 104 countries of the world.

Mehran Talaei Khajehroshanaei, Pouria Mahmoudkhanshirazi, and Sina Azizeddin won gold medals, while Seyed Mobin Razavi, Daniyal Parnian, and Amir Mohammad Bandari Masooleh won silver medals.

Over the past Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20, Iranian students won seven gold medals, 11 silver medals, and nine bronze medals at different international Olympiads.

According to the Ministry of Education, Iranian students have won 192 gold medals, 371 silver medals, and 204 bronze medals since 2005, IRNA reported.

In the field of mathematics, they have grabbed 46 gold medals, 99 silver medals, and 45 bronze medals. In the field of physics, they have grabbed 36 gold medals, 57 silver medals, and 35 bronze medals, and in the field of computers, they have won 27 gold medals, 58 silver medals, and 23 bronze medals.

Moreover, they have gained 37 gold medals, 50 silver medals, and 24 bronze medals in the field of chemistry; 10 gold medals, 47 silver medals, and 27 bronze medals in the field of biology; 30 gold medals, 49 silver medals, and 40 bronze medals in the field of astronomy; and 6 gold medals, 11 silver medals, and 10 bronze medals in the field of astronomy. / T.T/