Iran; ready to host Muslim tourists in Ramadan

Tehran, May 12, IRNA – A senior Iranian official in charge of tourism affairs has announced that necessary coordinations has been made to use country's maximum capacities to host religious tourists, especially for Muslim countries, during the holy month of Ramadan. 'Iran is ready to host Muslim tourists during the holy month of Ramadan', said Mohammad-Ebrahim Larijani, the director of advertising and marketing office of the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization. He referred to providing appropriate infrastructure facilities for tourists to reside in Iran for at least 10 days, especially in religious cities, and holding special Ramadan ceremonies in different cities in the form of cultural and religious festivals and programs are good grounds for promoting tourism industry in Iran. According to Islamic rules, a Muslim traveller has to reside in a place for at least 10 days to be able to continue fasting. The official also said that offering Halal tourism services in the country will help attract more Muslim tourists from neighboring countries, especially Iraq, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Uman and other countries to Iran. Eemphasizing the need to inform Iran Tourism opportunities through Iranian offices based in other countries, Larijani added: 'The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iran's embassies across the world and consulates in other countries, cultural advisers of the Islamic Culture and Communication Organization, overseas audio and television networks, travel agencies and The Iranian Tourist Information Offices in Islamic countries should encourage the citizens of these countries to travel to Iran during the holy month of Ramadan. Tourism phenomenon is significantly based on the sociocultural dimensions of any society. This is particularly true in the case of Iran, a country that possesses a large number of cultural heritage and religious attractions. Millions of Muslims in Iran and around the world have marked the beginning of the Holy Month of Ramadan with special traditions making the religious ceremony attractive especially for foreign tourists. In Iran, religious tourists tend to concentrate mostly at the Shia shrines of Imam Reza in Mashhad and that of his sister Fatima in Qom. Many Muslims, including the Shia, perform rituals in the holy month of Ramadan with special customary specifications, including the mosque's desolation to welcome these all-spiritual events, as well as holding a party in the form of Iftar ceremony. Iranian cuisine is as delicious and captivating as ever, considering all the different ethnic groups and cultures residing in the country. The art of cooking is legendary in the realm of Middle Eastern food and each part has its own recipe and special dishes. For that matter, the type of food during the month of fasting is also of a much more importance and verity. Ramadan is one of the times to observe that Iranian legendary hospitality. It is a tradition in Iran to invite guests during Ramadan and at the time of breakfast, even uninvited people are welcomed. Iranians believe that God showers the host with blessings when he shares his food with other people and during Ramadan this tradition comes even more into practice. In Iranian culture, “the guest is God’s friend” after all! Follow us on Twitter @IrnaEnglish