The province’s tourism directorate intends to hand over several historic landmarks to the private sector to help revive these structures with proper usage and foster tourism growth while creating job opportunities in the region, Mansour Mehrzad explained on Friday.

Ceding historical monuments to the private sector, along with restoring their historical significance, enables better preservation and sustainable maintenance of these landmarks for future generations, the official added.

Repurposing historical buildings as museums and cultural tourism destinations is not only a key driver for tourism development but also a powerful tool for safeguarding authenticity and showcasing regional culture in the most compelling manner possible, he noted. 

Over the past couple of years, tens of historical places and monuments have been temporarily ceded to the private sector under the supervision of the Revitalization and Utilization Fund for Historical Places.

Affiliated with the tourism ministry, the Fund is in charge of concession with the aim of historical sites receiving better maintenance by repurposing them into thriving boutique hotels, eco-lodges, traditional restaurants, or other profitable niches.

The country boasts hundreds of historical sites such as bazaars, museums, mosques, bridges, bathhouses, madrasas, mausoleums, churches, towers, and mansions, of which 26 are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

The name Kordestan refers to the region’s principal inhabitants. After the Turkish invasion of Iran in the 11th century CE (Seljuk period), the name was given to the region comprising the northwestern Zagros Mountains.

It was during the reign of Abbas I the Great of Iran’s Safavid dynasty (1501–1736) that the Kurds rose to prominence, having been enlisted by Abbas I to help stem the attacks of the marauding Uzbeks from the east in the early 17th century.