Arasbaran Tourism Company was named after Arasbaran “the protected area of Iran.
Arasbaran Tourism Company in Tehran Iran, was named after Arasbaran “the protected area of Iran stretching from south of Ahar to the Aras river in East Azerbaijan province of Iran. Arasbaran is an ancient name which is a combination of Turkish and Persian names. As a matter of fact the first journey of Arasbaran Tourism Company’s board of founders had taken place in “Arasbaran protected area (one of the reasons for choosing this name). It should be stressed Arasbaran is a beautiful area and highly recommended. Here is a brief description of this area.
The region is confined to Aras River in the north, Meshgin Shahr County and Moghan in the east, Sarab County in the south, and Tabriz and Marand counties in the west. Since 1976, UNESCO has registered 72,460 hectares of the region, confined to 38°40' to 39°08'N and 46°39' to 47°02'E, as biosphere reserve with the following general description: This biosphere reserve situated in the north of Iran at the border to Armenia and Azerbaijan belongs to the Caucasus Iranian Highlands. Arasbaran is the territory of about 23,500 nomads who are mainly living in the buffer and transition zones (2000). Economic activities in the biosphere reserve are mainly agriculture, animal husbandry, horticulture, apiculture, handicrafts and tourism, but business activities can also be found in urbanized areas. The declaration by UNESCO of Arasbaran as a UNESCO Biosphere reserve in 1976 was a great endorsement for the region's ecotourism potential. Arasbaran is home to 215 species of birds, notably the Caucasian black grouse, grey partridge, black francolin, and common pheasant, 29 species of reptiles, 48 species of mammals, notably wild goat, wild boar, brown bear, wolf, lynx, and leopard, and 17 species of fish. There is an effort going on to revitalize the extinct sub-species of Caspian red deer local to the area. The local flora includes hornbeam, sumac, and Berberis. Arasbaran protected area had significant extent in the past but a large extent has been destroyed recently. A unique characteristic of Arasbaran forests is the ubiquity of edible wild trees. For instance, a patch of forest between Aghaweye and Oskolou includes hazelnut trees. The large walnut and Cornus mas trees, which grow wild alongside streams, provide an important income source for inhabitants. More exotic plant species, such as redcurrant, truffle and herbs with application in traditional medicine significantly add to the ecological importance of Arasbaran region. In recent years, the government has organized Zoğal festivals in Kaleybar as a means of promoting Iran tourism. In addition, every year, in the second half of October, a Pomegranate Festival is organized in by the provincial authorities in Mardanaqom village. The main program of the festival is performance of ashugh music. Nearly every village in the region has a landmark in its territories. Some of these are potential tourism attractions. For instance, there is a landmark ancient plane tree in the Kavanaq village. The tree is about 3 meter in diameter and is said to have lived for 500 years. The villagers have developed interesting oral narratives around the events experienced by the tree.