A Critical Reading of Sirjan’s Ritual Landscape and Its Potential for Place-Based Tourism Development

Okhovat, Sayed Parsa

doi:10.22034/toc.2026.591406.1239

A Critical Reading of Sirjan’s Ritual Landscape and Its Potential for Place-Based Tourism Development

https://doi.org/10.22034/toc.2026.591406.1239

Volume 7, Issue 25
Summer 2026

Pages 6-13

Document Type : Viewpoint/ Critical Review

Author

Sayed Parsa Okhovat

Department of Landscape Architecture, School of Architecture, College of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Ritual tourism lies at the intersection of tourism and ritual landscape studies. Some places possess distinctive rituals that are closely linked to the identity of the city and its local community. This article introduces the ritual landscape of Sirjan and evaluates its potential for ritual tourism in relation to the local community and place-based tourism. Based on field observations of the historic core of Sirjan and an examination of its ritual centers, the main areas of ritual significance and the routes with the potential to become ritual pathways were identified. A ritual landscape tourism potential map was then prepared, illustrating the ritual zone, ritual structure, and ritual centers, and highlighting the areas with the greatest potential for ritual tourism. These areas can strengthen the local community’s sense of belonging while enhancing the city’s tourism attractiveness. The findings indicate that the concentration of tourism on a limited number of modern attractions, together with contemporary urban expansion, has led to the neglect of the tourism potential embedded in Sirjan’s ritual landscape. The spatial dispersion of ritual centers, the disruption of perceptual continuity between historical and ritual sites, and the reduced legibility of ritual routes are identified as the main barriers to ritual tourism development. Conversely, the presence of a network of Hosseiniyehs and Tekyehs, the continuity of religious and traditional rituals, and their integration with the city’s historic fabric represent Sirjan’s most important spatial assets for the development of ritual landscape tourism.

Keywords

Tourism Landscape

Ritual Landscape

Place-Based Tourism

Ritual Tourism Potential Assessment

Subjects

tourism

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