Dinosaur footprint discovered in Zarand becomes county’s top tourist attraction

INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
province, has been identified as the area's most significant emerging tourist attraction, according to local heritage and academic
officials.On Saturday, Mohammad Eslami, head of the Zarand Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department, accompanied by university
leaders from the region, visited the site of the ancient footprint
dinosaur footprint is not only a treasured historical and scientific discovery, but it also holds great potential to become a unique tourist
He added that the presence of such prehistoric evidence could support the growth of scientific tourism and offer deeper insights into the
geological and environmental history of the region.Eslami emphasized that efforts to protect the site and develop it for tourism purposes
president of Islamic Azad University of Zarand, also took part in the visit and highlighted the academic significance of the discovery
tourism stakeholders were also present during the visit and discussed plans to organize educational and scientific tours
The development of proper infrastructure to support tourism at the site was highlighted as a key priority.According to ISNA, the discovery
builds on earlier work from the summer of 2002, when a joint Iranian-Brazilian research team found skeletal remains of dinosaurs in the
Neizar Valley near Deh-Alireza village
These included a theropod dinosaur tooth and several unidentified bone fragments from the surrounding areas.The newly unearthed footprint
belongs to a herbivorous dinosaur believed to have lived around 180 million years ago during the Jurassic period
The track is embedded on a sloped rock surface; unfortunately, part of it has been damaged due to neglect.These findings confirm that both
carnivorous and herbivorous dinosaurs once inhabited the region now known as Zarand, the news said.Kerman province has been a cultural
melting pot since antiquity, blending Persians with subcontinental tribe dwellers
It is home to myriad historical sites and scenic landscapes such as Bazaar-e Sartasari, Jabalieh Dome, Ganjali Khan Bathhouse, Malek Jameh
Mosque, and Shahdad Desert to name a few.AM
This article first appeared/also appeared in Tehran Times