Shafaq News/ On Thursday, Iranian tourists arrived at the archaeological sites of Basra province, marking the first such visit in decades.

Mustafa Al-Husseini, Director of Antiquities and Heritage in Basra, told Shafaq News that every two weeks over the last two months, Basra had been welcoming between 18 and 25 groups of Iranian tourists, who arrived to explore archaeological sites and beautiful museum of the city. “They are focused on archaeological tourism, while Iranian tourists were known to come only to religious shrines in the country,” he noted.

Al-Husseini confirmed that this is the first time in decades that Basra has hosted specialized archaeological tourism groups from Iran, adding that “the initiative was developed in partnership with a tourism company in Iran, aiming to introduce Basra’s heritage and its traditional Shanasheel (wooden bay windows) architecture.”

He further stated that “the idea has been highly successful, contributing to the development of an archaeological tourism economy. We provided all logistical support, including easing procedures and assigning specialists to accompany the tourists during their visits to historical sites. There is a proposal to extend this initiative to archaeological sites across Iraq, with plans to increase the number of incoming visitors interested in exploring these places.”