Hamedan Day: Herbal medicine festival opens near Avicenna’s tomb

TEHRAN – A herbal medicine festival and sales exhibition, named after Avicenna, opened next to the renowned Persian polymath’s tomb in Hamadan on Sunday, coinciding with Hamadan Day and commemorations honoring the celebrated scholar.

The event, titled the “First Festival and Exhibition of Herbal Medicines and Herbal Products of the Millennium Sage,” will run through August 28, according to Mohsen Masoum-Alizadeh, director general of Hamadan’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Department.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Masoum-Alizadeh said the event provides an opportunity to showcase Hamadan province’s capacities, expertise and products in the field of medicinal plants.

The festival is being held in cooperation with relevant government bodies and organizations and features a range of programs, including the introduction of different medicinal plant species found in the province, the presentation of herbal products and derivatives, and the promotion of the sector’s production and economic potential.

Visitors will also be introduced to the properties and applications of medicinal plants, while specialized sessions are scheduled with university professors, researchers, experts and professionals working in herbal medicine and traditional medicine.

Masoum-Alizadeh said the development of health tourism is among Hamadan’s key tourism priorities, adding that promoting the province’s medicinal plants, traditional medicine and indigenous knowledge could help strengthen the sector and create new economic and tourism opportunities.

The festival is being held adjacent to the tomb of Avicenna, whose influential works in medicine shaped medical scholarship for centuries and remain closely associated with Hamadan’s cultural identity.

AM