The Italian Ambassador to Tehran Giuseppe Perrone visited the tomb of Hakim Abolqasem Ferdowsi in Mashhad and unveiled the protome of this famous poet on Thursday evening.

Director General of Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts of Khorasan Razavi told IRNA that on the sidelines of the visit, Ferdowsi's protome, which was commissioned by the municipality of Mashhad, unveiled at the historic Matra Garden in Italy.

Abolfazl Mokarrami added "This fiberglass protome is 1.20 centimeters high.

The Italian ambassador to Iran, who arrived in Mashhad on Wednesday, met with the head of the Foreign Ministry's North and East Mashhad office, the mayor of Mashhad as a metropolitan  city and the chancellor of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad.

*** Mashhad, Iran's most popular tourist destination

Mashhad is one of the most important religious and historical tourism destinations in Iran.

Mashhad is the scene of pilgrims not only on special days and occasions, such as the birthday of Imam Reza (AS), the eighth Imam of the Infallible successor of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). The city is thronged by visitors in all seasons, many tourists from Iran and other countries.Iran’s second largest city and spiritual center, Mashhad is located in the northeastern province of Khorasan Razavi. A historically important transit city along the Silk Road, Mashhad, which literally means ‘place of martyrdom’, is the most famous for accommodating the tomb of Imam Reza (AS), the 8th Shia Imam. Here, we explore the 10 best things to see and do whilst visiting this popular pilgrimage destination.

This city, which was at the time of the Afsharian, the capital of Iran, is the second-largest city after Tehran and has many historical and cultural attractions for tourists. In addition, many amusement hot spots such as water parks, traditional and modern markets, restaurants with diverse Iranian and international cuisines ... have made Mashhad a perfect destination for all tourists with different tastes.

The presence of various museums and the tomb of great Iranian personalities such as Sheikh Baha'i, a prominent Iranian scholar in the tenth and eleventh century AH and Ferdowsi, a poet of Iran in Mashhad and its surroundings, is another attraction of the city for domestic and foreign tourists.
Tourists on visit to Mashhad can make one of the most prominent Iranian products as souvenirs of this city; Iran's unique saffron is the main souvenir of Mashhad and surrounding cities, and Mashhad's souvenirs are not limited to saffron only. And by exploring the market, it is easy to find other souvenirs of the city, including precious stones such as agate and so on. Mashhad is a developed city with a population of more than three million people, but the permanent presence of tourists and pilgrims in this religious-historical city has caused the population of this city to be far beyond this figure. 

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