TEHRAN – A total of 46 tourism-related projects are currently underway across the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, the deputy provincial tourism chief has said.An investment value of 11 trillion rials ($36.7 million) has been channeled into the projects, Mojtaba Mirhosseini explained on Saturday.The projects are expected to create more than 1000 job opportunities upon their completion, the official added.The collective province—Sistan in the north and Baluchestan in the south—accounts for one of the driest regions of Iran with a slight increase in rainfall from east to west, and an obvious rise in humidity in the coastal regions.

In ancient times, the region was a crossword of the Indus Valley and the Babylonian civilizations.The province possesses special significance because it is located in a strategic transit location, particularly Chabahar, which is the only ocean port in Iran and the best and easiest access route of the middle Asian countries to free waters.The vast province is home to several distinctive archaeological sites and natural attractions, including two UNESCO World Heritage sites, namely, Shahr-e-Soukhteh (Burnt City) and Lut desert.ABU/AFM