Lorestan Province
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Map showing Lorestan in Iran |
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Falak-ol-aflak, built by the Sassanids, is almost 1800 years old. During the Pahlavi era, it was used as a prison. |
Lorestan (
Luri:
Luristan; also
Lurestan or
Loristan) comprises a province and an historic territory of western
Iran amidst the
Zagros Mountains. The center of the Lorestan Province is the city of
Khorramabad. The famous
Falak-ol-Aflak Castle is situated inside this city.
Borujerd is another major city. The population of Lorestan is calculated 1,739,644 people in 2006 [
1].
Lurestan covers an area of 28,392 km
2. The major cities in this province are:
Khorramabad,
Borujerd,
Aligoodarz,
Dorood,
Koohdasht,
Azna,
Delfan,
Selseleh,
Alashtar,
Nurabad, and
Pol-e-Dokhtar.
The name
Lorestan means
Land of the Lurs, and in the wider sense consists of that part of western Iran bounded by
Iraq and extending for about 400 miles on a northwest to southeast axis from
Kermanshah to
Fars, with a breadth of 100 to 140 miles. The terrain consists chiefly of mountains, with numerous ranges, part of the
Zagros chain, running northwest to southeast. The central range has many summits which almost reach the line of perpetual snow, rising to 13,000 feet and more, and it feeds the headwaters of Iran's most important rivers, such as the
Zayandeh rud,
Jarahi,
Karun,
Dix,
Abi,
Karkheh. Between the higher ranges lie many fertile plains and low hilly, well-watered districts.
The highest point of the province is
Oshtoran Kooh peak at 4,050 m. The low-lying areas being in the southern most sector of the province, are approximately 500 m above sea level.
The climate is generally sub-humid continental with winter precipitation, a lot of which falls as
snow (
Köppen Csa). Because it lies on the westernmost slopes of the
Zagros Mountains, annual precipitation in Lorestan is among the highest anywhere in Iran south of the
Alborz Mountains. At Khorramabad, the average annual precipitation totals 530 millimetres (21 inches) of rainfall equivalent, whilst up to 1270 millimetres (50 inches) may fall on the highest mountains. The months June to September are usually absolutely dry, but Khorramabad can expect 4 inches of rainfall equivalent in December and January.
Temperatures vary widely with the seasons and between day and night. At Khorramabad, summer temperatures typically range from a minimum of 12°C (54°F) to a hot maximum of 32°C (90°F). In winter, they range from a minimum of -2°C (28°F) to a chilly maximum of 8°C (46°F).
Lorestan province is one of the oldest regions of Iran. In the third and fourth millennium BCE, migrant tribes settled down in the mountainous area of the
Zagros mountains. The
Kassites, an ancient peoples who spoke neither
Indo-European languages nor
Semitic languages, originated in Lorestan.
Some researchers believe that the Lurs are a branch of the Iranian people who migrated to this region from east of
Caspian Sea in the beginning of the first millennium BCE. The current inhabitants of Lorestan have intermingled with the
Bakhtiaris and the
Kurds. The languages of the inhabitants of the province are called
Luri and
Laki. The
Laks have mainly settled in
Koohdasht and
Alashtar, while the Lurs are primarily centered around Khorramabad. Their dialect possesses much distinct grammar and vocabulary.
According to the
Encyclopaedia of Islam, the Lurs, previously open adherents of the
Ahl-e-Haqq faith, revere bread and fire like the
Zoroastrians. "Being split up into numerous tribes and sections, they migrate to their summer pastures as separate bands without overall command. In
1936,
Reza Shah's army conquered them, with much bloodshed and starvation, forcing many of the survivors to settle in villages under landlords." [
2].
Ethnologists classify the Lurs as indigenous
Iranians, closely related to the Kurds. As stated above, their language, called
Luri, is closely related to
Persian, and there are two distinct dialects of this language.
Lur-e-Bozourg (Greater Lur), which is spoken by the
Bakhtiaris, and
Lur-e-Kuchik (Lesser Lur), spoken by the Lurs themselves. In
Khuzestan, Lur tribes are primarily concentrated in the northern part of the province, while in
Ilam they are mainly in the southern region.
Prior to the
20th century the majority of Lurs were
nomadic herders, with an urban minority residing in the city of
Khorramabad. There were several attempts by the
Pahlavi governments to forcibly settle the nomadic segment of the Lur population. Under
Reza Shah, these campaigns tended to be unsuccessful. The last
Shah of Iran,
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, used less forceful methods along with economic incentives, which met with greater, though not complete, success. By the mid-
1980s the vast majority of Lurs had been settled in towns and villages throughout the province, or had migrated to the major urban centres.
A number of nomadic Lur tribes continue to exist in the province. Amongst the settled urban populace the authority of tribal elders still remains a strong influence, though not as dominant as it is amongst the nomads. As in Bakhtiari and Kurdish societies, Lur women have had much greater freedoms than
women in other Iranian groups.
Northern region
In the northern part of Lorestan, formerly known as
Lur-e-Kuchik (Lesser Lorestan), live the
Feili Lurs, divided into the
Pishkuh Lurs in the east and
Pushtkuh Lurs in the adjoining
Iraqi territory in the west.
Lesser Lorestan maintained its independence under a succession of princes of the
Khorshidi dynasty, known as
Atabegs, from 55 CE to the beginning of the
17th century. Shah
Abbas I then removed the last Atabeg,
Shah Verdi Khan, and entrusted the government of the province to
Hossein Khan, the chief of a rival tribe, with the title of
Vali in exchange for that of Atabeg. The descendants of Hossein Khan retained the title as governors of the Pushtkuh Lurs, to whom only the denomination of Feili now applies.
Southern region
The southern part of the province, formerly known as
Lur-e-Bozourg (Greater Lorestan), comprises the Bakhtiari region of the province of
Khuzestan and the districts of the
Mamasenni and
Kuhgilu Lurs which are located in
Fars province. At one time, Greater Lorestan formed an independent state under the
Fazlevieh Atabegs from
1160 until
1424 CE. Its capital,
Idaj, survives as mounds and ruins at
Malamir, 60 miles southeast of the city of
Shushtar in Khuzestan.
Celebrities of Lorestan
|
Lur man in traditional clothing, 1921 |
*Ali Akbar Shekarchi,
Kamancheh player
*Shamirza Moradi, Oboe player
*Nasrollah Kasraian, Photographer
*Ali Reza Hosseinkhani,
Kamancheh player
*Reza Saghaee, Singer
*Nasser Gholamrezai, Filmmaker
*Dr. Sekandar Amanollahi Baharvand, Social-Cultural author
*Ali Mohammad Saki, Social-Cultural author
*Esfandiar Ghazanfari Amraee, poet.
*
Grand Ayatollah Borujerdi, Religious grand cleric.
*Ayatollah Rouhollah Kamalvand, senior religious cleric.
*Hamid Izadpanah, poet.
*Dr
Abdolhosein Zarrinkoub, the famous writer, historian, critic
*Dr Sayyed Ja'far Shahidi, writer, historian, critic
*Abdol Mohammad Ayati, poet
*
Mehrdad Avesta, poet
*Mola Hagh-Ali Siah Poosh, poet (1323 AH)
*Mola Parishan, poet (7th century AH)
Attractions
Lorestan has 263 sites of historical and cultural significance according to Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization.
Some of the more popular attractions are:
*6th Century Inscription, Khorramabad
*
Falak-ol-Aflak Castle
*Sassanid Kashgan Bridge, Koohdasht
*Khorramabad Tower
*
Jame Mosque of Borujerd*
Soltani Mosque of Borujerd*
Imamzadeh Ja'far, Borujerd*
Bazaar of Borujerd*Pariz Kooh Mountain Dorood
*Gahar Lake, Dorood
*Kiyou Lake, Khorramabad
*Oshtoran Kooh Mountain, Dorood
*Bisheh Waterfall Dorood
Colleges and universities
*#
Lorestan University of Medical Sciences *#
University of Lorestan *#
Islamic Azad University of Borujerd *# Islamic Azad University of Dorood
*# Islamic Azad University of Aligudarz
*# Islamic Azad University of Khorram Abad
*# Payam Nour University of Poldokhtar
*# Payam Nour University of Alashtar
*# Payam Nour University of boroujerd
*# Al-ghadir Applicational Scientific Comprehensive University
*# Shahid Madani school of Khoramabad
*# Ma'soumeh School of Khoramabadgahar lake place of dorood
*
Luristan bronze*
Demographics of Iran*
Ethnic minorities in Iran*
Falak-ol-Aflak Castle*
Borujerd and Dorud Earthquake, March 31 2003Government
*
Lorestan Province Cultural Heritage Organization*
Lorestan Governor's Office*
Agricultural Jihad Organization of Lorestan Province*
Lorestan Department of Education*
Lorestan Urban Utilities Company*
Lorestan Rural Utilities CompanyPeoples and culture
*
Lorestan.Org Information portal*
History of the Lur people*
Article about Lurs from the Encyclopedia of Islam*
Bakhtiari Tribe website*
Lorestan Music*
Zagros Online, a website from BorujerdCurrent events
*
News report concerning recent deadly earthquakes in Lorestan from
Wikinews
