Old cypress trees of Iran are highly appreciable for tourism goals due to their symbolic, historic, cultural, religious and environmental values. Tourism is a leading and dynamic industry with constant growth, hence valuable from economic, social and cultural perspectives at international and local level. Tourism industry has been dramatically changed in the modern day and the heritage trees have a significant role in this tourism. A large number of old trees have been identified and reported in different parts of Iran among them, cypress trees hold prominent place. Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens), which is also known as common cypress, Mediterranean cypress, Persian cypress and Zoroastrian cypress, is commonly found in arid and semi-arid regions of the world and Iran is one of the main centers of origins of this tree. Cypress, is a sacred tree and a prominent part of history, culture, literature, traditions, arts, religious beliefs, romance, folklore and economy of the countries in the Mediterranean basin, Southwest Asia, Asia Minor and North Africa. Cypress as an evergreen tree, is the symbol of eternity and immortality, hence planted in cemeteries in Iran and some other countries from immemorial. Moreover, cypress tree is presented in the inscriptions of Persepolis, highlighting its symbolic importance among Persians since ancient times. In Iran, there exists three varieties of cypress viz. Sarv-e-Shiraz (Cupressus sempervirens var. fastigiata), Sarv-e- Naz (Cupressus sempervirens var. cereiformis) and Sarv-e- Zarbin or Zarbin (Cupressus sempervirens var. horizontals), classified based on their crown characteristics. The occurrence of some rare ancient cypress trees and many old ones in different parts of the country particularly in hot and dry regions, indicates the adaptability of this tree species to climatic conditions of Iran. The millennial and centennial cypress trees of Iran are invaluable for ecotourism and their unique distribution across the country, paves the ground for benefiting from all other tourism appeals along with "Iran cypress trees tour". Iran is among the 10 first countries of tourism industry due to its diverse tourism appeals. This industry could be an alternative to oil and petrochemical incomes and a crucial step towards national development and sustainable security in Iran. Job creation, diversification of economic opportunities, income generation and national and local prosperity are the positive effects of tourism development. Neighboring countries of Iran gain remarkable income from tourism while Iran has not reasonably materialized its tremendous tourism potential yet and based on Islamic Council Research Center, the contribution of tourism to GDP in Iran, is 6.1%. Historic landscapes and particularly parks and gardens with old trees are of paramount importance in tourism industry. Monumental cypress trees in Iran are found in historic gardens, botanic gardens, public gardens, private gardens, fire temples, tombs, mosques and other religious and historic sites, highlighting their tourism values. Iran cypress trees tour as a tourism event is addressed in this article and could be scheduled as provincial, regional or national. Cypress museum is also another suggestion of the authors and Shiraz University Natural History and Technology Museum is a good candidate for this purpose. Considering the significance of ancient and old cypress trees for tourism, the protection of these heritage trees is vital and requires governmental support and effective contribution of people and NGOs. In this review article, the value of old cypress trees of Iran as a precious tourism appeal, is addressed and the necessity for their protection and propagation is briefly presented. |
