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City &
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Kermanshah ::
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KERMANSHAH
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Kermanshah
From Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia
Kermanshah (Persian:
کرمانشاه,
Gorani Kurdish: کرماشان), is the capital
city of
Kermanshah Province,
KERMANSHAH
The capital of Kermanshahan Province, in an
altitude of 1, 630 m above sea level, Kermanshah is
525 km to the southwest of Tehran. It can be reached
either by air or via Hamadan (190 km), partly on a
highway and partly on a first class national asphalt
road.
Being a populous city of 631,199 inhabitants,
mainly Kurds, Kermanshah stands, like Hamadan, on
the great highway that connected Baghdad and the
West with Iranian Plateau. The towns situation is
highly picturesque, and it is one of the liveliest
market centers of the province, where you will meet
a large number of Kurds and mountain peasants once
famous as warriors. These Kurds still speak their
own language among themselves and remain faithful to
their testamentary traditions: the men wear large
turbans on their heads and black dungarees tight at
the waist and at the ankles. The women wear trousers
and bright-coloured scarves and sometimes brocade
bodices, but they are mostly changing into urban
type of dress, particularly in towns.
First built on a site a few km from the present
town, it probably dates from the 4th century AD. Its
vulnerable position has always rendered it liable to
incursions, and it was in turn captured by the Arabs
in 649 AD, the Buyids in the 10th century, soon
after by the Seljuks, and then sacked by Mongols in
the early 13th century. After several centuries of
relative peace and prosperity, its strategic
position on the road to Baghdad brought trouble in
the form of very heavy Iraqi missile and bomb
attacks during the Iraqi war against Iran.
Modern Kermanshah is an important agricultural
and a burgeoning industrial center. In the
surrounding country fruit of many kinds is grown;
another local product is sugar-beet. Carpet-weaving
and manufacture of givehs (canvas covered shoes like
the Spanish alpargata in appearance) have long been
carried on in the town. Since the construction of an
oil refinery on the banks of Qara Su River in 1935,
motor spirit and other petroleum products have been
processed there for consumption in northern and
north-western Iran.
However, the present Kermanshah does not seem to
be of any great interest, especially for a foreign
visitor. And although it is not, relatively
speaking, an old town, there are some very ancient
remains in its neighborhood, which suffice to
attract the attention of the interested tourist. It
has a beautiful setting, framed by permanently
snow-clad mountains. Kermanshah is best avoided in
winter, but the climate is very pleasant for most of
the rest of the year.
Annual
Temperature average:
JAN
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FEB
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MAR
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APR
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MAY
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JUN
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JUL
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AUG
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SEP
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OCT
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NOV
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DEC
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4.9
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2.3
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6.0
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12.2
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18.0
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24.1
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27.4
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27.9
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21.5
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17.1
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9.9
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5.0
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Bisotun
The Bisotun (or Behistun) mountain
stands some 30 km to the northeast of
Kermanshah via the main road to Hamadan,
which itself follows the ancient caravan
route along the bottom of a fine velvety
fawn-colored cliff. Long before
Achaemenians, even prehistoric man
inhabited Bisotun according to Carleton
Coon, who found while excavating a cave
there in 1949 evidence of a highly
developed industry datable to the Middle
Paleolithic, indicating that Bisotun was
inhabited during the Wurm glaciation.
On the roadside there are Achaemenian
inscriptions and relief engraved high up
(100 and 40-50 m above the ground) on
the Bisotun cliff, which attract the
attention of tourists, travelers, and
passengers-by. Henry Rawlinson, then
subaltern in the British Army, copied
the trilingual inscriptions in 1833 and
1834 and eventually began the process of
deciphering the Akkadian script which
until that time had baffled scholars.
Again in 1948 Dr G Cameron of Chicago
University could correct some of
Rawlinsons errors.
Altogether twelve hundred lines of
inscriptions tell the story of the
battles Darius had to wage in 521-520 BC
against the governors who were trying to
dismantle the Empire founded by Cyrus.
The decisive battle took place on this
site.
A bas-relief portrays the Kings
victory; unfortunately the scene showing
him with his main enemy at his feet and
nine rebel governors enchained, is some
50 m above ground level and is hardly
visible without the use of binoculars.
The tablet of Darius I is high up on
the side of the cliff over the village
of Bisotun which stands to a large pool.
Below the tablet is a staircase up to a
platform, from which you can see a
shallow recess containing an inscription
in Greek and a rather worn mid-second
century BC sculpture of Hercules
(Heracles) on the back of a lion. These
sculptures, inscriptions and tablets of
considerable dimensions, comprise the
figure of Darius I, tall and with
attractive features, while Ahura Mazda'
symbolic celestial figure can be seen
hovering above his head. Darius has
stretched his right hand toward this
deity and with his left foot he is
trampling upon the rebel Gaumata
(pretender) lying prostrate at his feet.
Two persons are standing behind Darius,
while nine governors from different
nations are seen before him with their
hands tied behind their backs and a cord
running around their necks. The name and
nationality of each rebel governor have
been inscribed as follows:
Atrina (of Susiana)
Nidinter-Bel (of Babylonia)
Faravartish (of Media)
Martiya (of Susiana)
Citrantakhma (House of Sargartiya, in
Media)
Vahyazdata (Smerdis in Persis)
Arakha (of Babylonia)
Frada (of Marv)
Skunkha (the Scythian)
The latter figure, wearing a rather
tall hat, seems to be later addition.
The three languages used in the
inscriptions are Babylonian, Elamite,
and the Old Persian. The inscriptions
are also known as the Longer and the
Shorter. The former consists of Ahura
Mazdas praise and adoration, the
genealogy of Darius, and an account of
the events of his reign, his views,
beliefs, recommendations, and comments.
The Shorter inscription deals with
Darius lineage and a number of events
taken place during his reign.
These sculptures seem to have been
intended to give a true picture of those
represented. The Achaemenian sovereign,
for instance, wears a garment with folds
at the waist. He is 180 cm high.
One of the two prisoners (governors)
standing behind the King, bears the
royal bow and arrows, while the other is
holding the Kings spear. The figure of
Ahura Mazda is seen above the heads of
the prisoners, with a winged sun-disc
(which is the symbol of eternity)
encircling him. In the inscriptions,
Darius gives the names of his ancestors
and says: "Eight of my family were kings
before me. I am the ninth. We inherit
kingship on both sides."
The Bisotun sculptures (measuring
5.48 by 3.04 m) are of the highest
historic importance and have been
created in 480 BC, the sixth year of
Darius reign. It would take the best
part of a Day to explore everything,
although most visitors are happy merely
to see these famous relieves. Because of
the lighting conditions, it is better to
visit the site in the early morning and
then move on to Taq-e Bostan.
There are plenty of remains at this
site. Within easy reach of the cliff
there are a Median citadel, the walls of
a Parthian settlement, a stone block
carved with three Parthian figures, the
foundations of a Sassanian bridge, and a
grotto with evidence of occupation in
Neanderthal times. In Bisotun, there are
several places to eat.
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Taq-e Bostan
The bas beliefs at Taq-e Boston (Arch
of the Garden), 6 km northeast of
Kermanshah, are, with one exception, the
only Sassanian rock carvings outside
Fars Province; they are also the latest
of Sassanian carvings. The Sassanians
carved majestic sculptures out of the
living rock, mostly in their native
province of Fars, designed to exalt
their kings and perpetuate their fame.
Taq-e Bostan is discovered along the
avenue now floodlit: the favourite
excursion place of the townspeople. The
bas-reliefs decorate two grottoes, large
and small, which have been cut out of a
rock cliff rising high above a pool of
clear water, which recalls the Sassanian
site at Darab (Fars Province).
The first one you come to is a
majestic bas-relief depicting the
investiture of Artaxerxes II, at the
same time celebrating a victory over the
Romans, by the deity Ahura Mazda to the
right and Mithras, holding symbolic
sacred bunch of twigs, to the left. The
next is a small arched recess carved out
of the cliff in the 4th century AD,
showing Shapur II and his grandson
(later Shapur III), created by the
latter as a testament to his own
dynastic credentials. The third is a
larger grotto, with a lower panel
depicting an armored figure holding a
lance and seated on a now headless
horse, and an upper panel showing a
royal investiture. Both are believed to
represent Khosrow II, a contemporary of
the Prophet Muhammad. The inner walls of
this remarkable monument are decorated
with relieves of royal hunting scenes,
together with a much later addition, a
coloured picture of three royal prices
added at the time of Fath Ali Shah
(Qajar). On the symmetrical facade are
two winged angels above some simple
floral relieves.
The side-walls have scenes of a royal
boar hunt and a royal deer hunt (on the
right and on the left, respectively).
The hunting party was accompanied by
ladies of the court and musicians, all
of whom are shown in a style very
different from that of the traditional
sculpture of the West: this is the art
of a jeweler or the miniaturist, the
wall being treated as if it were a crown
to be covered with precious stones.
Originally decorated in bright
colours, the figures are more formal and
stylized than those of the Darius relief
at Bisotun. The site is fenced off and
attended by a curator from the Ministry
of Culture and Islamic Guidance. It is
open more or less throughout the hours
of Daylight, but it is best to come in
the mid-afternoon, after visiting the
site at Bisotun.
Here, like Bisotun, there are many
places to eat: pleasant restaurants with
a selection of fried chicken, kebabs and
sometimes fish.
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Temple
of Anahita, 3rd century BCE |
Kangavar
TEMPLE OF ANAHITA: This is one of the
architectural monuments of ancient Iran,
with its history going back to the
Parthian period (200 BC), recently
unearthed at Kangavar, 90 km to the east
of Kermanshah, and on Hamadan Kermanshah
road.
The worship of Anahita goddess of
abundance and guardian of water in
ancient Iran, and goddess of beauty and
fecundity in some other countries was
broadly practiced during the Parthian
period. However, nothing is said of her
existence in numerous Achaemenian
inscriptions. The cult of the goddess
and the building of temples to her,
continued during the Sassanian period.
Despite historical references to the
temple, its location and architectural
decorations by few Muslim and Greek
geographers and historians, the greatest
bulk of material evidence on the history
of the temple and the cult has been
gathered as a result of excavations
carried out at the temple site on an
outcropping rock.
The temple building is a rectangle
with its facade to the south. The
platform is higher than the ground by
several steps, which have completely
disappeared. A small mosque has been
built to the west, and on the northwest
of the temple is a lane along which the
best preserved and the most important
part of the building is to be seen. This
part of the temple is placed on a
beautiful foundation of white marble. At
this point there are nine white marble
columns built into the mud-brick walls
of the houses providing a good support
for the buildings of the villagers.
Walls, wide steps and marble columns,
represent a combination of Irano-Greek
architectural styles. Its fortifications
have excited archaeologists, although
there is no longer that much to see.
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Kermanshah Museum
Kermanshah Museum is located in Dr
Shariati Avenue, Shahid Haddad-e Adel
Street, in a famous building called
Takyeh Moaven ol-Molk (locally known as
Hosseinieh), which is one of the
historical monuments from the Qajar
period. Built in 1890 AD, it was finally
handed over to the former Ministry of
Culture and Art by Moaven ol-Molk
family. The building consists of the
following three sections: A) Hosseinieh;
B) Zeinabieh; and C) Abbasieh. The
latter section with its beautiful
painted walls, is built in two floors,
of which the second floor is allocated
to the exhibit of ethnological articles.
The first floor is planned to be
allocated to the display of
archaeological exhibits in future. For
centuries, the building acted as a
popular court with religious
significance. Parts of the building that
have been damaged during the
Constitutional Revolution were repaired
and renovated in 1912-13 by Moaven
ol-Molk, the last private owner of the
building.
Visiting Hours: everyDay 08:00-12:00
a.m., except Friday, Tel: (0431) 23777.
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Qassr-e Shirin
CHAHAR TAQI: Also called Chahar Qapu,
it is a square fire-temple of stone and
gypsum with an area of 586.60 square
meters, which belongs to the Sassanian
period and is considered to be the
greatest of its kind in that epoch. It
is a square structure with a domical
roof, and there seem to have existed
some corridors around it. The building
bears perfect resemblance to the
Sassanian temples. Its main facade is
over 16 meters wide. This is one of the
historic sites heavily (up to 90%)
damaged during the Imposed War of Iraq
against Iran (1980-88).
Sar-e Pol-e Zahab
TAQ-E GARA: In the district of Sar-e
Pol-e Zahab, in the heights known as the
Gate of Zagros, there is a gorge called
Pa Taq. Adjoining the Pa Taq path, there
can be seen a simple stone structure,
somewhat like a grotto, which is known
as Taq-e Gara. At the entrance of this
structure, there is a cradle-shaped arch
cut as corridor into the mountain and
consisting of large rectangular blocks
of stone. Inside the grotto and the
arcade there are some graceful remains
of the Ashkanian and Sassanian
structures. According to some
archaeologists the structure was
intended to be used for occasional royal
stop-overs, while other consider it as
landmark on the borderline.
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ADDRESSES AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS
ACCESS AND DISTANCES:
520 km to Tehran. 177 km to Hamadan.
136 km to Sanandaj. 188 km to Ilam. 192
km to Khorramabad.
ACCIDENTS:
27777, 22166
AIR AGENT:
Homa (Iran Air) On Dr Beheshti Blvd,
by 22nd Baham junction 51875, 53814
Soheil, Ashrafi Esfahani Street, 77111-5
AIRPORT:
Ten km out from the new bus terminal
on Shahid Keshvari Blvd near Imam
Khomeini square 57633 and 56626
BUS TERMINAL:
On Shahid Keshvari Blvd near Imam
Khomeini Square.
Cooperative No 1: 52200, 22877.
Cooperative No 4: 52400
Cooperative No 5: 52500
Cooperative No 6: 56600
Cooperative No 15: 56145, 28342
CITY DIALING CODE NUMBER:
The dialing code for Kermanshah is
0431
DRUG STORE (24-HOUR):
Azadi, Karegar Street 39129
Razi, Modarres Avenue 22434
Sajjad, Moallem Street 26793
Sina, Modarres Avenue 22970.
EMERGENCIES:
Ayatollah Taleghani Emergency Clinic,
Dr Beheshti Street 115, 58126
FIRE STATION:
112, 34444, 24444
GOVERNORS OFFICE:
Ostandari 28017-8, 22242
Farmandari 51071-5, 58010
MEDICAL SERVICES:
Imam Khomeini Hospital, Taq-e Bustan
25110, 29962.
Rashidi Health Department Clinic No 7,
Vahedi Street 29067
Razi Hospital, Dr Behesht Blvd 58047-8
Taleghani Hospital, Taleghani Street
58751
MUNICIPALITY:
22447-9 Public Relations: 26041
POLICE:
On Modarres Street between Safavi
Junction and Azadi Square Tel: 110,
23716, 22161-4, 22171. Road Police:
28911, 50650, 39116.
POST AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS:
The main post office is on Sepah
Square, and the main telephone office is
on Madani Street Tel: 52440-1, 33333.
RESTAURANTS:
Best restaurants can be found around
the city center Taq-e Bustan, and
Bisotun. Use the opportunity of staying
in Kermanshah to try some of the
excellent rice cakes (nan-e Berenji) for
which the town is known.
Alimorad, Municipality Parking ,20574
Behnam, Next to Ghareh Su Bridge, 52328
Chelcheleh, 22nd Bahman Street, Bargh
Street, 52072.
Gol, Ayatollah Kashani Street, next to
Azadi cinema, 27828
Homa, Ayatollah Kashani Street, 34246
Jamshid, Taq-e Bostan, 44185
Malakuti, Kashani Square, 24338
Maysam, Next to Former TBT Garage, 34244
Nayeb, Jomhuri Eslami Square, 24338
Orkideh, Next to Ghareh Su Bridge, 54017
Vali Asr, Modarres Intersection, 39615
Yass, Shahid Beheshti Blvd, 57261
TAXI AGENT:
Amir, 22nd Bahman Street 58601
Azadi, Shahid Jafari (Kasra) St, 22822.
Homa, 15th Khordad Highway, 55155
Motahari, Karegar Street 37832
Pouria, Rahmanpour Street, 20128
Roz, 17th Shahrivar St, 50056
TOURIST MAP:
Available in English and Persian
TOURIST OFFICE:
On Beheshti Street, near 22nd Bahman
junction and a few meters from Iran Air
55472-3
Cultural Heritage Organization: 59541
KHORASSAN: see Mashhad
KISH ISLAND: see under Khuzestan, the
Persian Gulf, and Oman Sea Coast.
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