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PHOTOGRAPHS BY MATTHIEU PALEY
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By Maura Friedman, photo editor
In Iran, train travel can feel akin to time travel.
“When you sit on the train from Tehran and go towards the south, you suddenly change seasons in a matter of hours,” says Yeganeh Morakabati, a scholar who researches tourism in the Middle East and Africa. “You’re talking about a complete change of scenery and even languages. It’s phenomenal.”
The Trans-Iranian Railway route stretches along the Caspian Sea, fertile agricultural fields, dozens of national parks, the highest peak in Iran, and some of the oldest structures in the region. Nat Geo Explorer and photographer Matthieu Paley took in the full, meandering route, making images that distill the golden light and rich tones of the country. (Above, travelers ride on an overnight train to Zahedan, Iran.)
As writer Gulnaz Khan reports, between World War II and the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Iran was considered the top destination in the Middle East. In 1977, the nation received more than 70,000 American visitors; by 2010 that number had dwindled to 400.
Now, with Middle East tourism on the rise, Iran has invested in infrastructure— including 4,300 miles of new railways—with the aim of attracting 20 million visitors by 2025.
“I have this sense that a lot of people think that Iranians aren’t open to foreigners because the country has been very isolated for so many years,” says Martin Lashkari, an Iranian travel blogger. “But it’s just the opposite.” (Below, the ride northeast from Andimeshk to Dorud crosses the Zagros Mountains.)
Read the full article and see more photos here.
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