6 Lorestan

Irano-British Quarterly Magazine

No.27

Lorestan
The Land of Amazing Natural Attraction and Remarkable Historical Records

Introduction

Lorestan province is one of the thirty provinces of Iran, With an area of 28,392sqkm, and is located in western part of the country. Bounded by

Hamadan on the north, Khuzestan on the south, Isfahan on the east and Kermanshah on the west. The province consists of forested and pastured moun-

tain ranges. The inhabitants are mainly Lors and Bakhtiari. It consists nine districts: Khorramabad (the capital of the province), Borujerd,

Irano-British Quarterly Magazine

No.27

Lorestan

Imamzadeh Jafar
Aligudarz, Dorud, Azna, KuhDasht, Delfan, Selseleh and Pol-Dokhtar. From Lorestan came (18th cent. B.C.) the Kassite conquerors of Babylonia. The noted Lorestan bronzes, found in the province beginning around 1930, include cups, horse bits, daggers, and shields, ornamented with animal motifs, checkerboards, wavy lines, and crosses . They were probably made in the eighth and seventh cent. B.C. by local metalworkers for Scythian, Sumerian, or Median nomads. Cyaxares, ruler of the Medes, drove out the Scythians in about 620 B.C. Under Cyrus the Great, Lorestan was incorporated into the growing Achaemenid Empire in about 540 and successively was part of the Seleucid, Parthian, and Sasanid dynasties. It is bounded to the north by the cities of Khomeyn and Arak in Central province and by Malayer and Nahavand in Hamadan province, to the south by Khuzestan province, to the east by the cities of Faridan and Golpayegan in Isfahan province and to the west by Kermanshah and Ilam provinces. The southern part of Lorestan goes

further back in history than other parts of the province. In another words, the further one gets from Khorramabad on the west, center and south, the fewer its historical sites. So far most of the sites have been located around Khorramabad and its outlying districts, including Tarhan, Noorabad and Alashtar. The area has been of commercial importance during the Islamic era and land routes traversed to the northern and southern part of it. Many geographers believe that perhaps present-day Khorramabad had been located in the vicinity of ancient Shapurkhast. Hamdollah Mostowfi writes that Khorramabad had been a good city with lots of dates. During time of Ibn Huqal Shapurkhast had had dates. The name of the city has repeatedly been mentioned in records left from the Salukis era. Falakol-Aflak castle, situated in central part of Khorramabad, dates back to Sassanid era.

History
Lorestan has since long been a residential region and many historical sites identified in the city testify that the city had been the military key of Khuzestan. Lorestan had been among lands in ancient Ilam and many potteries, coins and winged admiralty brass statues, unearthed in the city in the course of archaeological exca-

8 Lorestan

Irano-British Quarterly Magazine

No.27

vations, testify the notion. Lorestan (Persian and Lori ;also Lorestan) comprises a province and a historic territory of western Iran amidst the Zagros Mountains. The center of the Lorestan Province is the city of Khorramabad. Borujerd is another major centre. The population of Lorestan is calculated 1,739,644 people in 2006. Imamzadeh Jafar, built during the Ilkhanid period, in Borujerd has a peculiar style of architecture rarely seen in other provinces in Iran. Lorestan is one of the oldest regions of Iran. In the third and fourth millennium B.C., migrant tribes settled down in the mountainous area of the Zagros Mountains. The Kassites, an ancient people who spoke neither an Indo-European nor a Semitic language, originated in Lorestan. Lorestan was invaded and settled by the Iranian Medes in the second millennium B.C. The Medes absorbed the indigenous inhabitants of the region, primarily the Elamites and Kassites, by the time the area was conquered by the Persians in the first millennium B.C. Lorestan was successfully integrated into the Achamenid, Parthian and Sassanian

empires. Parts of Lorestan managed to stay independent during the Arab, Seljuk and Mongol invasions. According to the Encyclopaedia of Islam, the Lors, 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 pas-

nal Qizilbash that aided in the founding and administration of the Safavid dynasty.

Geography and climate

The name Lorestan means land of the Lors, and in the wider sense consists of that part of western Iran bounded by Ilam and extending for about 400 miles on a northwest to southeast axis from Kermanshah to Fars, with a breadth of

Sixth Century Inscription

tures as separate bands without overall command. In 1936, Reza Shahs army conquered them, with much bloodshed and starvation, forcing many of the survivors to settle in villages under landlords. [2]. Lors were amongst the origi100 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

Irano-British Quarterly Magazine

No.27

Lorestan

feeds the headwaters of Irans 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 subhumid continental with winter precipitation, a lot of which falls as snow (Kppen Csa). Because it lies on the westernmost slopes of the Zagros Mountains, annual precipita-

Lorestan Bronze
tion 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 12C (54F) to a hot maximum of 32C (90F). In winter, they range from a minimum of 2C (28F) to a chilly maximum of 8C (46F).

People and culture

Main article: Lors Lors, like most Iranians, are a mixture of indigenous inhabitants of the Zagros-

Falak-ol-Af lak

10 Lorestan

Irano-British Quarterly Magazine

No.27

and Iranian-speaking tribes migrating from Central Asia. As stated above, their language (called Lori) is closely related to Persian, and there are two distinct dialects of this language. Lor-e-Bozourg (Greater Lor), which is spoken by the Bakhtiaris, and Lor-eKuchik (Lesser Lor), spoken by the Lors themselves. People in Borujerd speak in Borujerdi Dialect, a local Persian dialect with a big influence from Lori. Northwest of Lorestan Province is dominated by Laki speakers. The overwhelming majority of Lors are Shia Muslims. In Khuzestan, Lor tribes are primarily concentrated in the northern part of the province, while in Ilam they are mainly in the southern region.

Pol-e-Dokhtar
Prior to the 20th century the majority of Lors 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 Lor 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 Lors had been settled in towns and villages throughout the province, or had migrated to the major urban centres. A number of nomadic Lor tribes continue to exist in the

Khorramabad

Irano-British Quarterly Magazine

No.27

Lorestan 11

province. Amongst the settled urban populace the authority of tribal elders still remains a

Atabegs, from A.D. 55 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 Shamlu, the chief of the rival tribe of Shamlu , with the title of Vali in exchange for that of Atabeg. The descendants of Hossein Khan retained the title as governors of the Pushtkuh Lors, to whom only the denomination of Feili now applies.

of Khuzestan and the districts of the Mamasenni and Kuhgilu Lors which are located in Fars province. At one time, Greater Lorestan formed an independent state under the Fazlevieh Atabegs from A.D. 1160 until 1424. Its capital, Idaj, survives as mounds and ruins at Malamir, sixty miles southeast of the city of Shushtar in Khuzestan.

Sixth Century Inscription

Towards the north of the Shapur ruins lies an inscription dating back to the 11th century. The inscription is attributed to a Seljuq ruler and the subject is prohibiting people from wearing silk clothes and permitting the herdsmen

Southern region

Brick Minaret
strong influence, though not as dominant as it is amongst the nomads. As in Bakhtiari and Kurdish societies, Lor women have had much greater freedoms than women in other Iranian groups.

The southern part of the province, formerly known as Greater Lorestan (Lor-e-Bozourg), comprises the Bakhtiari region of the province

Northern region

First half of first millennium B.C. National Museum of Iran. In the northern part of Lorestan, formerly known as Lesser Lorestan (Lor-eKuchik), live the Feili Lors, divided into the Pishkuh Lors in the east and Pushtkuh Lors in the adjoining Iraqi territory in the west. Lesser Lorestan maintained its independence under a succession of princes of the Khorshidi dynasty, known as

Chishmeh Gerdab Sangi

12 Lorestan

Irano-British Quarterly Magazine

No.27

This is an important structure of the 15th century.

Pol-e-Dokhtar
The bridge is over the Samirah River on the Andimeshk Khoramabad road. It consists of four arches, each being 11 meters tall.

Pol-eKashkan
It is built over the Kashkan River. The Sassanid bases of the bridge have survived.

Pol-e-Kashkan
to freely graze their cattle.

Khorramabad
A city in western Iran with 270,000 inhabitants (1996), in river gab in the Lorestan Mountaines, Khorramabad is the capital of Lorestan Province with 1.6 million inhabitants (1996). It is the trade center of a mountainous region where fruits, grain and wool are produced. It is a summer market for the nomadic Lor tribes. Khorramabad has an active bazaar, and its major landmark is the Black For-

tress, which was the seat of the governors of Lorestan between 1155 and 1600.

Chishmih Gerdab Sangi

The spring is situated in northwestern Khorramabad. It is half-full for half of the year and for the other half dry. A mill used to operate it in the past.

Attractions:
Imamzadeh Jafar
Located in eastern Burujerd, there is a superb structure in the middle of an old cemetery. It dates back to the Seljuq era.

Brick Minaret
The old monument stands on a stone base. Its 30m tall and it was apparently used to guide the caravans.

Imamzadeh Qasem
Located in east of Burujerd in the southern Khorramabad, the oldest part of structure is its dome and wooden door.