Foreign Tourists Arrive In Mashad By Train

Mashad, Oct 29, IRNA - A group of European tourists arrived in the holy city of Mashad, in this eastern province of Khorassan Razavi on a train for the first time, deputy head of Khorassan Razavi's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization said on Wednesday. Javad Mousavi said the group was composed of 86 tourists from Australia, Austria, Britain, Belgium, France, Hungry, Germany, Mexico, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Switzerland and the US. They arrived in Iran on Oct 5 and after visiting Tehran, Yazd, Isfahan, Shiraz and Zanjan, will leave for Turkey via Razi border, he added. During their day-long stay, the tourists are set to attended the holy shrine of Imam Reza (AS) the eighth Imam of the infallible Household of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and to visit Ferdowsi's mausoleum in the city of Tous.. Then, the passengers of the "Golden Eagle Danube Express" will leave Mashad for the southeastern province of Kerman on Wednesday afternoon, Mousavi said. Iran is home to some of the world’s most magnificent historical and archaeological sites. Relics of a proud ancient civilization include: Persepolis, the capital of the largest empire that the world has ever seen; the city of Isfahan; Shiraz, the city of love and poetry; and Hamadan, where Avicenna, the father of early modern medicine, is buried. UNESCO has declared 16 world heritage sites in Iran, which was historically referred to as Persia in the West until the 20th century./end