TEHRAN – Tabas’ Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Bureau said a tourist group, including 22 foreigners, stayed for two nights in Tabas, South Holasan Province.
Mohamad Arab told CHTN that foreigners who visited the best tourist villages from May 3-4 came from Ireland, the UK, France, Australia, the US, China and South Korea.
He said they visited the village textures, handicraft workshops, restoration and brick family workshops, traditional baths and brick arches.
He recalled that Esfahak village was chosen as one of the best tourist villages by UN tourism on November 13, 2024. The historic texture was also listed on the National Heritage List of No. 2108, he added.
The Arabs continued to turn Tabas into a foreign tourist destination, with numerous attractions and possibilities.
He added that around 42 foreign tourists have visited the Tabas attraction since March 21, 2025.
The historic village of Esfahak achieved international recognition by being named one of the best tourist villages by UN tourism in 2024.
The tribute highlights Esfahak’s notable changes from places devastated by the 1978 earthquake to thriving cultural and ecotourism destinations celebrating sustainability and heritage.
The registration was announced in November 2024 by the Minister of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts, on the first day of Iran’s 37th National Handicraft Exhibition.
“The dedication to maintaining Esfahak’s resilience and cultural heritage serves as inspiration,” Salehi Amiri said, celebrating the village’s progress and embrace of sustainable tourism.
Esfahak, severely damaged by the 1978 earthquake that hit Tabas, was once considered uninhabitable and its residents lived in temporary tents. Later, when they began rebuilding their lives they built a makeshift wooden room known as the Otug e Chobi (wooden room).
Due to their commitment to sustainability and cultural conservation, villagers have reestablished the community over the years, developing eco-lodges and restoring traditional homes using ancient Adobe techniques.
Esfahak’s transformation into a cultural and ecotourism destination attracted attention for its unique architecture and sustainable practices, winning the village’s prestigious Asian Architecture Award. Today, it attracts tourists from all over the world and is drawn to its picturesque Adobe structure and commitment to maintaining its local identity.
Since 2021, the best Tourism Village Initiative aims to promote sustainable tourism in rural areas and focuses on preserving the natural landscape, cultural heritage, and indigenous lifestyles, including gastronomy and local values. Esfahak’s inclusion in this global list is a testament to the dedication that villagers will be to activate their heritage and turn it into a sustainable tourism hub.
In 2020, Esfahak was awarded the To Do Award, which is published annually by the German Institute of Tourism Development.
KD