One of the most forgotten tourist attractions in Iran was traveling by train and passing through many scenic areas with several different and spectacular climates, that thanks to joining UNESCO World Heritage List in June 2021 with the help of Iran’s cultural heritage organization it can be brought back to life. Iran has many routes on its railway line with each of them having a different historical, cultural and tourism aspect that connect all parts of this vast country’s cities and villages in a different way. One of the lines that is of great global importance is this line that is the northeast to southwest line that connects the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf.

The length of this long railway line is about 1,394 km, which is one of the most strategic railways in Iran, passing through four completely different climatic regions like the Caspian Sea, with the huge forest of Hyrcanian (UNESCO Natural site), Iran Mountain ranges (Alborz and Zagros ranges), rivers, highlands, plains and a desert (Dasht-e Kavir) and finishing with Persian Gulf which is a totally different story from all of the mentioned climates.

Along with this climate change, the very important point is the diversity of ethnicities, cultures, customs, traditions and languages of all these regions, which is very important in the tourism industry. Especially for travelers who are interested in getting in touch with the locals and learning new cultures and lifestyles. The color of their skin, foods, clothes and their hospitality are the maker of the variety of their culture.

The Trans-Iranian railways construction started in 1927 and ended in 1938 and it’s famous for its vastness and the workmanship required to overcome the difficulties in the way. It was a joint work between the Iranians and 43 contractors from all around the world and between them they made about 174 large bridges, 224 tunnels (and 11 spiral tunnels) and 186 small bridges.

The railway runs from Turkman Port (Bandar-e Shah), the northeastern port of Iran located on the Caspian Sea to the port of Imam Khomeini (Bandar-e Shahpur) on the Persian Gulf in the southwestern of Iran. The train crosses the capital, Tehran, as it’s the hub of Iran’s Railway network. Other lines were to be built later in the century, extending from this main artery to reach other parts of the country.

Now this Railway is more famous than before as it is registered on the list of World Heritage sites and Iran has now become the fifth country in the world with a railway designated as a world heritage site.