TEHRAN – Joint tourism cooperation between Iran and Turkey could increase the number of visitors to Iranian city Khoy, northwestern Iranian city, local tourism experts said Thursday.
Khoy tourism expert Mohammad Rezaei told Mehr’s news outlet that by expanding its infrastructure and developing collaboration with Turkey, it would increase the number of travelers to the city where Shams Tabrizi, the mysterious and Rumi leader of the 13th century, is home to Shams Tabrizi.
“Shamus Tabritsi is a cross-border figure and his worshippers are not limited to Iran,” Rezai said. “Many Turkish tourists, especially those traveling to Konya, can include Khoy in their itinerary if a joint tourism package with Van and Konya cities is created.”
Rezaei said that the “Shams-Rumi Cultural Route” that connects Khoy with Konya can establish Khoy as a permanent destination for visitors interested in Sufism and Persian literature. He added that such routes will create jobs through local ecotourism, crafts and services.
He proposed multilingual signs, better visitor services for Spirit us, use of foreign language tour guides, and creating an annual calendar for Shams commemorative events. He also proposed that the two countries would combine the “Khoy-Van-Konya” tour to be sold together.
“The pilgrimage and cultural routes from Khoy to Van, and Konya, were able to be promoted as a shared tourism brand between Iran and Turkey,” Rezaei said, adding that Khoy’s proximity to the Turkish border made the project a reality.
Rezaei also recommended a thematic tour with poetry readings and Sufi music performances, as well as academic exchanges between Iran and Turkish universities to attract international visitors.
Historic Trade Hub
Khoy, located in Iran’s western Azarbaijan province, has long been a crossroads between culture and commercial.
Shams Tabrizi (1185–1248), who influenced rumi, remains a central figure in Persian mystical literature. He is the name of Diva e Shams e Tabrizi in Rumi, traditionally believed to have spent 40 days in isolation with Rumi in Konya before departing for Damascus.
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