The idea to create the Golfaraj Ecomuseum was sparked in early 2011 by the efforts of several villagers, and due to the potential for geotourism and the richness of fossils and the presence of unique sediments from the Permian and Triassic periods, the Golfaraj Fossil Museum was launched.

The work of creating the museum initially faced many problems. The lack of a suitable location, lack of sufficient experience and expertise, and lack of attention from the people and authorities were considered to be some obstacles to transforming the deprived village of Golfaraj into a touristic village. However, these problems had little effect on the serious determination of the creators of the Golfaraj Ecomuseum.

By collecting the opinions, suggestions, and criticisms of visitors, it was decided to expand the Golfaraj Ecomuseum, and for this reason, a collection of artifacts from the lives of predecessors and historical documents related to Golfaraj were collected and put on display.

Golfaraj Eco-museum is established with by implementing several small projects conducted by Eskandar Abdali and Golfaraj people, supported by the cultural, social, and tourism department of the Aras Free Zone Organization as a focused rural tourism project in 2013, and officially opened in July 2016.

Due to the location of Golfaraj village within the Marakan Environmental Protected Area, its environmental privileges and diversity of fauna and flora, and the interest of tourists in getting to know a selection of the region's environment, in cooperation with environmental departments, taxidermy of the region's iconic wildlife species has been prepared and exhibited at the Golfaraj Ecomuseum.

A glimpse of Golfaraj Ecomuseum

The Golfaraj Ecomuseum brought about fundamental changes in the village, which are briefly mentioned below:

• The deprived village of Golfaraj was transformed into one of the region's tourism hubs and the reputation of an unknown village spread throughout the country.
• The asphalting of the Golfaraj access road, which was considered a major obstacle to the development of the village, was put into operation with the establishment of the Golfaraj Ecomuseum.
• Hope for the survival of the village increased greatly and interest in its development accelerated.
• A culture of tourism was created at the village level and the residents enthusiastically welcomed tourists.
• With the presence of tourists, the construction of rural accommodation houses began.
• Interest in the revival of handicrafts increased.

Also, other historical villages in the region are currently modeling the activities of the Golfaraj Ecomuseum, and the Golfaraj Ecomuseum has become a center for consulting and transferring experience to rural tourism activists in the region.