Tehran Times � The 10th international forum on urban development with an approach toward conservation of historical texture is being held in the city of Tabriz, East Azarbaijan province, IRNA reported on Monday.

More than 70 researchers and academics from Iran, Japan, China, Finland, Georgia, France, Italy, and Belgium are taking part in the forum which opened on August 19 and will came to an end on August 30.

The event is organized by the Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts, and Tourism Department General of East Azarbaijan, the Municipality of Tabriz, national executive bodies, universities, and international institutions.

In December 2017, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) picked Tabriz to have a round of cultural heritage and tourism studies on the ancient Silk Road. Tabriz has long been a gateway to Europe and East Asia since antiquity, said Akira Uhara, JICA senior expert for national heritage and tourism.

Soaked in history and culture for millennia, Tabriz hosts abundant historical, natural and religious sites, including Jameh Mosque of Tabriz, the Arg of Tabriz and UNESCO-registered Tabriz Historic Bazaar Complex.

Tabriz was named the capital of Islamic tourism for 2018 by the vote of the inter-governmental Organization of Islamic Cooperation in 2015.