Knesset promoting tourism to Iran?
Research center gives a cheeky response to its Iranian counterpart
Stuart Winer is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
A Knesset department has published a list of worthwhile tourist attractions in Iran that includes the burial site of biblical heroes Mordechai and Esther, Maariv reported on Monday.
The document seeks to introduce Israelis to Iran’s long and rich heritage, instead of the more familiar roll call of nuclear sites and military threats to Israel.
Shirley Avrami, the head of the Knesset Research and Information Center and author of the guide, told Maariv that she wanted to find an “appropriate Zionist response” to her counterpart in the Iranian parliament, Ahmad Tavakkoli of the Majlis Research Center, who last week called for a preemptive strike against Israel and published a list of suitable targets around the country.
“It was clear to me right from the start that our response would deal with peace and not war,” Avrami said. “In view of the forthcoming festival of Purim that recalls our historical connection with Iran, I prepared a special document that lists tourist sites rather than targets for attack.”
Top of the list is the ancient city of Hamadan, which contains a burial tomb said to be that of Mordachai and Esther, the heroes of the Purim story. In 2008 the Iranians declared the tomb a world heritage site. According to Maariv, the handful of Jews left in the city cherish a legend that says that in the time of the future redemption, a tunnel will open leading from the tomb to Jerusalem.
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The Persian Gulf island of Kish features on the Knesset list as well. Voted one of the most beautiful islands in the world by The New York Times in 2010, Kish is the home of the five-star Dariush Grand Hotel, built in the style of the ancient temple city of Persepolis, another not-to-be-missed site. The grand palace Ali Qapu and the UNESCO world heritage site Imam Square, both located in Isfahan, about 200 miles south of Tehran, are also recommended in the guide.
It remains unclear just how many Israelis will get to follow Avrami’s advice in the foreseeable future.
The Times of Israel Community.