A senior Iranian cleric said the northeastern city of Mashhad should be treated primarily as a religious destination rather than a leisure tourism hub, arguing that recreational tourists should visit other provinces such as northern province of Mazandaran instead.
Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Supreme Leader’s representative in Razavi Khorasan province and Friday prayer leader in Mashhad, said the city’s identity was rooted in pilgrimage to the shrine of Imam Reza, one of Shi’ite Islam’s holiest sites.
“Mashhad is not a city for tourists; it is a city for pilgrims,” he was quoted as saying by Iranian media.
He cited comments attributed to some Arab visitors from Iraq who he said had indicated they might travel to Tehran and then head to the Caspian coast for leisure, which he said showed Mashhad’s role as a pilgrimage destination and the need to distinguish between religious tourism and recreational or historical tourism in other cities such as Isfahan or Shiraz.
Alamolhoda also addressed women’s attendance at sports stadiums, saying he had no religious objection in principle but favored designated seating areas for women separate from men to prevent behavior he said could lead to social “abnormalities.”
On the enforcement of Islamic dress codes, he cautioned against confrontational approaches toward women not wearing the hijab. Instead, he urged a compassionate approach, likening it to caring for an ill loved one, saying: “This is not good for you; don’t do it.”
