Urmia - IRNA - West Azarbaijan with thousands of historical and ancient monuments, different ethnic groups and religions, holds the secret of seven thousand years of Iranian Islamic history and civilization.
Archaeological excavations that have been carried out so far in the ancient and historical sites of West Azerbaijan, works from seven thousand years ago in the hills of Haftvan and Ahranjan and Kul Tepe Selmas, Hasanluvi Naqdeh, Sardasht connection, Gok Tepe and Digale Urmia, Takht Suleiman Tekab, Qalaichi Bukan, Bastam Chaypare, Pirahmad Kandi Mako, Barde Kante Mahabad and dozens of other hills have been found.
West Azerbaijan, due to being located at the gateway from east to west, during its seven thousand years of history, has witnessed changes and transformations, competitions, wars and fierce bloodshed between different nations and civilizations, which these changes and transformations in art, architecture, Literature and people's way of life have left a deep impact.
Archeological findings show that West Azerbaijan has hosted great civilizations such as Urartu, Manae, Assyrian, Hori, Mitani, Madi and Persian. May the wars be won by those who have been united and empathetic among themselves and have come out of friendship with nearby tribes and civilizations.
'Diaco', the founder of the Iranian Median civilization, who was once captured by the Assyrians, was able to end the 800-year rule of Assyria when he made a treaty of friendship and loyalty with the Urartu Empire.
A brief look at these developments shows that in the first millennium BC, West Azerbaijan was the center of global developments in the Middle East, which was the cradle of world civilization in its time.
These characteristics have caused West Azerbaijan to enjoy a large number of ancient works, buildings and sites, which have been registered in the list of national monuments.
Bagche Jouk Palace Museum, Qara Church, Zor Zor Church Sandukht Tomb in Mako, Matal Khan Mosque, Al Yaqoub Tomb, Covered Market, Stone Gate, Shams Tabrizi Tomb in Khoi, Sheikh Hammam and Research Hill in Aharanjan, Shapur I Sasanian Stone Inscription in Selmas Jame Mosque, three-domed building of Nene Maryam Church and Sir Church, Hedayat School, Ansari House, Teman Cave, Barduk Castle in Urmia, Hasanlu Historical Hill and Qalai Bashi Castle in Nakhdeh, Bistun Sardasht Bath, Seholan Cave, Mirza Rasool Bath and Fakhrigah, Barda Kente ancient site in Mahabad, Qalaichi Hill and Hamamian Mosque in Bukan, Takht Suleiman, Belqis Prison, Doh Tayaghi site in Takab are among the historical monuments and monuments of West Azerbaijan.
From the total historical and ancient monuments of West Azerbaijan until now, "Qara Kilisa" in Chaldaran city and "Takht Suleiman" historical and ancient complex in Takab have been registered in the list of world monuments due to their importance and historical position.
Qara Kilisa or the church of "Holy Tataeus" is the burial place of Tataeus, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ (PBUH), whose original building was built with the architectural style of the early centuries AD using black hewn stones, and in recent centuries, other parts were built using White limestone has been added to it.
Qara Kilisa is one of the most sacred places in the world and one of the famous pilgrimage sites of the Christian world, where in August every year, the world ritual "Badarak" is held with the presence of the Christians of the world.
The current Takht Suleiman, which is referred to as the city of "Shiz" and "Ganjak" in historical books, is the location of the Sassanid Azargashnesb fire temple, which is one of the three big and important fire temples related to Zoroastrianism, which the Sassanid kings had to build after coming to power. They visited it and offered gifts to it.
Every year, more than two million domestic and foreign tourists visit the buildings, grounds and natural attractions of West Azerbaijan, where Takht Suleiman, Qara Kilisa is the most important destination for domestic and foreign tourists.
In addition to its historical and cultural position, West Azerbaijan also has unique characteristics and four distinct seasons in terms of climate, which can be seen in few parts of the world.
Adequate rainfall in the province has led to the formation of nearly 40 permanent and seasonal rivers, 12 thousand springs and aqueducts, 31 international wetlands and members of the Ramsar Convention, green foothills and lowlands in spring and covered with snow in winter. Lake Urmia with 102 small and large islands, apple and grape orchards, the huge Shlamash waterfall in Sardasht, the huge Aras dam in Poldasht and 12 lakes behind the dam, 110 thousand hectares of forest area in Sardasht and Piranshahr are some of the natural attractions of West Azerbaijan. .
The vast and fertile province of West Azarbaijan is not only beautiful and charming in spring and summer, but also in winter, despite the heat and cold, it has unique beauties in the plains and mountains that delight the eyes of every new visitor.
Urmia Lake, despite passing through sad and critical days in recent years due to the problem of drought, is still the largest inland lake in the country and a refuge and place of passage for thousands of colorful birds, and it is a balm for the tired eyes of travelers who pass by the shores of the lake.
Today, this lake is of global importance and is considered one of the unique regions in the world, and the UNESCO World Organization has registered and introduced it among the 59 international natural reserves of the inhabited earth.
Birds should be considered the most valuable and obvious sign of life in Lake Urmia, the gradual drying up and excessive salinity of its water has also affected their life, and the number of birds migrating to this area has decreased in recent years. Is.
The islands of this lake are home to many animals such as rams, goats, leopards, wolves, and all kinds of snakes, and it can be said that the release of the Iranian yellow deer and the suitable living conditions on Ashk Island in Urmia Lake saved this beautiful animal from the danger of extinction.
With the arrival of March, all the relevant institutions are mobilized with double interest and enthusiasm so that they can welcome and entertain the Nowruz guests who come from all parts of the country and even abroad in the province and have good and memorable days for them. Let them figure it out.
In this regard, this year, the coordination and executive headquarters of travel services has been activated in the province like in other parts of the country, and with the formation of a monitoring team of 40 people, visiting all the complexes related to tourism and travel, including hotels, guest houses, guesthouses, complexes Welfare and services, roadside eateries, mosques, roadhouses, natural and historical attractions, and attractions on the edge of cities and solving their possible problems are trying to make the journey of Nowruz guests full of good memories.
In an interview with IRNA reporter, the Deputy Tourism Director of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of West Azerbaijan said: West Azerbaijan has 32 hotels and 59 guesthouses with 1,988 rooms and 4,241 beds, two tourism and recreation complexes, 55 travel and tourism service offices. It is ready to receive Nowruz guests and tourists.
Hossein Emami added: 43 roadside eateries on three routes, Urmia to Mako, Urmia to Mahabad, Urmia to Takab and Bukan, will also welcome Nowruz travelers.
He continued: Recreational flights, village tours, tourist buses, providing maps and brochures to the tourists of the province to better guide them to visit the historical and natural attractions of West Azerbaijan are also among the plans of the coordinating and executive headquarters of Nowruz travel services this year. .
Emami stated: This year, in line with the introduction of historical monuments and unknown natural attractions of the province, plans have been made to introduce these places, and the priority of the General Administration of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of West Azerbaijan will be to introduce these places of interest.
He added: 137 villages of West Azerbaijan have unique historical and natural attractions, which have been approved as tourism target villages.
The Deputy Tourism Director of the General Department of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of West Azarbaijan said: 44 of these villages have been introduced at the national level, and if funds and investment are allocated in the direction of local tourism, they will be developed for the tourism of these villages.
He added: Three villages in the province have been prepared as target villages for tourists to visit this year, which include the villages of 'Band', 'Sole Dukal' and 'Imamzadeh' in Urmia.
Emami stated that more than 50% of the historical places and natural attractions of West Azerbaijan are ready to be visited by tourists and said: it is expected that the visits to the mentioned places will be more this year than last year.
He added: West Azerbaijan is among the top three provinces of the country after Tehran and Razavi Khorasan in terms of receiving foreign guests this year.
Emami said: favorable and specialized medical services for foreign patients and low cost of treatment compared to countries of origin have been the most important reasons for increasing health tourism in the province.
He said: This year, for the first time in years, we saw the completion of 100% capacity of hotels in the province, which shows the need of the province for the development of health tourism.
According to the Deputy of Cultural Heritage of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism of West Azarbaijan, all historical monuments, monuments, hills, museums and natural and scenic attractions of West Azarbaijan are ready to be visited by Nowruz guests, but the cultural heritage is not able to pay for all these works. and attractions have a tourist guide.
Jalil Rustampour added: This year, our guides will be stationed in important historical buildings and museums of the province, such as the palace, Bagcheh Jouk Museum, Takht Salman and Qara Kilisa collections, and inside the cities.
He continued: This year, 10 West Azerbaijan museums with more than 31,000 items of historical artifacts from the Bronze Age to the present, from the palace of the Jouk Garden Museum in Mako to the Hasanlu Archaeological Museum, are open to tourists and enthusiasts.
He said: Khoi, Urmia, Miandoab, Naqdeh and Tepe Hasanlu archaeological museums, Urmia and Mahabad anthropology museums, the site of Jouk Mako garden museum, the site of Salman Takab throne museum, the stone and clock museum of Urmia are also among the places that are visited during Nowruz. This year, it has been prepared for the visit of passengers and guests of Nowruz.
Rustampour stated: West Azerbaijan museums have a very high cultural and historical richness, and 50% of the 31,000 objects mentioned are kept in the treasury, and 90% of them can be displayed.
He added: There are also private museums in the province that are located in hotels and some other private centers and are in the process of obtaining permission to reopen to the public.
