TEHRAN – The first edition of a tea festival was held in the town of Amlash, northern Gilan province in a bid to promote tourism in the region, the provincial tourism chief said on Monday. The festival that came to an end on Monday aimed to properly introduce the tourist attractions and investment packages of Gilan province, Vlai Jahani explained, CHTN reported. The tea industry employs more than 200,000 people in the northern part of the country seasonally, and there are 175 factories in the province that support economic development in cities that can grow tea, the official added. A total of 30,000 tons of tea is grown each year in the country, and the country consumes 80,000 tons of tea annually and the difference between production and consumption is provided by imports, he noted. Gilan is well-known for its rich Iron Age cemeteries such as Marlik that have been excavated over the past century.

It was once within the sphere of influence of the successive Achaemenian, Seleucid, Parthian, and Sassanid empires that ruled Iran until the 7th century CE.

The subsequent Arab conquest of Iran led to the rise of many local dynasties, and Gilan acquired an independent status that continued until 1567.Sophisticated Rasht, the capital of Gilan province, has long been a weekend escape for residents of Tehran who are looking to sample the famous local cuisine and hoping for some pluvial action – it's the largest, and wettest town in the northern region.

Gilan is divided into a coastal plain including the large delta of Sefid Rud and adjacent parts of the Alborz mountain range.ABU/AFM