ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Around 18,000 tourists visited the historical and natural sites of Mahabad in western Iran’s Kurdish-majority region (Rojhelat) during the Newroz holiday, marking an increase compared to previous years, an official said on Sunday.
"During the Newroz holidays, 16,000 tourists visited the Saholan Cave and 2,000 tourists visited the Kani Barazan Wetland," the head of the Environmental Protection Department of Mahabad in Urmia Province, Farooq Suleimani, told the state-owned IRNA news agency.
Saholan Cave in Mahabad is one of the city’s most famous landmarks, located about 175 meters above sea level and containing ponds as deep as 60 meters.
Saholan Cave, located in Saholan village about 42 kilometers southeast of Mahabad along Borhan Road near Isa Kand village, is listed as one of Iran’s national natural monuments.
“The number of tourists visiting Mahabad has increased significantly compared to last year,” Suleimani added.
He also noted that another popular destination for tourists is the Mahabad Dam.
The Mahabad Dam supplies water for agriculture, industry, and drinking, and also generates hydroelectric power. Its reservoir is considered the closest natural lake to an urban center in Iran, and possibly in the Middle East.
Mahabad holds immense historical significance for the Kurdish people as a symbol of Kurdish nationalism. It gained prominence as the site where the first independent, yet short-lived, Kurdish state was established by Qazi Muhammad in 1946.
The year 2025 corresponds to 2725 in the Kurdish calendar, with Newroz celebrations taking place from March 21 to 23.
The same holiday is observed by Persians and in Persian-speaking regions, including Iran and Afghanistan, where it is referred to as Nowruz and celebrated as the New Year in the Persian calendar. The current year in the Persian calendar is 1404, beginning on March 20, 2025.
During the Newroz and Nowruz holidays, many tourists from across Iran visit the Kurdish areas in the western part of the country, particularly the border cities in Rojhelat.
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