Iran - Andrew Burke [165]
FARASVAJ
A 5km side trip off the Tuyserkan–Kangavar road, Farasvaj has a modest Safavid bridge and an impressively restored (but currently unused) 17th-century caravanserai at the top of Chamran St. Returning to the main road there are excellent views towards the rugged bulk of Mt Khan Gormaz (2863m) whose slopes form a nature reserve protecting ibex and wild goats.
Kangavar
0837 / pop 58,000
A chaos of rocky lumps, dressed-stones and ancient column-bases tumble down a grassy hillside in the middle of Kangavar town. That’s virtually all that remains of Kangavar’s famous 2300-year-old Anahita Temple (admission IR4000; 8am-sunset). While not really warranting a long detour, it’s conveniently on the Kermanshah–Hamadan road so worth stopping en route. Marvel at the workmanship that created such perfect stone columns, a massive 4ft in diameter. And at the force of all the earthquakes that toppled them. An impressive section of 5m-tall stone wall topped with stubby columns is easily viewed for free as you walk up Raja’i St from Araqi St (the main Hamadan road). Raja’i St culminates in a quietly attractive bazaar area where there’s a basic mosaferkhaneh.
The savari terminal for Hamadan is 2km east of the ruins. It might prove quicker to change cars halfway in Asadabad (easy as there’s a single departure point for Hamadan and Kangavar there). For Kermanshah, flag down a passing bus or use the Nahavand terminal at the western end of town and make savari hops via Sahneh and/or Bisotun.
Nahavand
0852 / pop 67,000
Nahavand was founded by Alexander the Great’s general Seleucus Nicator well over 2000 years ago. It was also the site of a pivotal battle in AD 642 that effectively sealed Arab-Muslim victory over Sassanid Persia. However, the town has little to show for all that history. Apart from a couple of column fragments plonked in the Nikanjam Passaj shopping centre (Abuzar Sq), there’s no sign of the 193 BC Seleucid temple that once graced a local hill. And the historic Jameh Mosque took a direct bomb hit during the Iran–Iraq War.
Minor attractions if you’re passing through include the mural-filled 1852 Hamam-e Haji Agha Torab (former bathhouse), and the central, eye-catching if architecturally unremarkable Nabi-e Sardab Mosque. Its gilt-tipped, octagonal, blue minaret is visible as you shuttle between the Borujerd terminal (south) and the main northern bus terminal (for Kangavar, and for Hamadan via Malayer).
Return to beginning of chapter
KHORRAMABAD
0661 / pop 339,000
Little visited by foreigners, Khorramabad is nonetheless scenically appealing and a possible base from which to discover Lorestan province, the glorious Zagros Mountains and the Lori (Lurish) people.
Khorramabad lies in a long, wide gorge sandwiched by dry, impressive crags in which have been found at least five Palaeolithic cave-dwelling sites. Historians disagree whether Khorramabad was the site of Shapurkhast or of Samha. Both are ancient ‘lost’ cities that had advanced irrigation and milling systems over 1500 years ago, judging from archaeological clues like the Gerdab-e-Sangi cistern.
In the Middle Ages a fortified central citadel was built here by the Atabegs, the powerful clan who ruled Lorestan from the 12th century until subjugated by Shah Abbas around AD 1600. The citadel later became the residence of Persian governors who developed it into a classical fortress that soared so impressively that it became known as Falak-ol-Aflak (Heaven of Heavens). In the 1830s, the governors moved into a mansion at the castle’s base (now a military academy) and the fortress became a prison. It’s now an interesting museum.
Orientation
Around the fortress, narrow central streets are attractively lined with chinar (plane) trees, but driving is awkward thanks to an infuriating one-way system. Bypassing the melee, busy Shari’ati St (the main