Lorestan Province:
Lorestan Province has an area covering 31,384 square kilometers and is located in the west of Iran. It is located at an altitude of between 1,100 to 1,400 meters from the sea level. 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.
The Lors:
The Lor are a nomadic tribe of shepherds who live in the Zagros Mountains of southwestern Iran. Many believe that they were, in fact, the original inhabitants of this area.
The Lors are primarily located in three regions: Lorestan, KermanShah and Bouyer A. & Kohkiluyeh, all of which are part of the Zagros Mountains. The valleys within this range have rich pastures that have been used by different nomadic tribes from time to time. Although most of the Lor live in this general area, other Lor communities can also be found scattered across Iran. While nearly five million Luri live in Iran, only approximately 70,000 live in Iraq. Their homes are located in the Zagros Mountains, which are situated in the eastern portion of the country.
The Lors speak a language, called "Lori," that is very similar to modern Persian. Since the Lors regularly have contacts outside their own communities, they are generally bilingual.
About half of the Lors are shepherds. They live as nomads, traveling six to eight months out of the year and living in black goat-hair tents. They only live in permanent dwellings for a few months during the winter. From October to April they live in low-lying pastures; but in the dry season, they move their flocks to high mountain pastures. The Lors believe that a shepherd's success is determined by his personal qualities and good luck.
Some of the Lors prefer farming over shepherding. They live in permanent villages all year round, as opposed to moving from place to place, and raise wheat and barley as their principal crops.
The Lors are known for their rich folklore. Their tales glorify the history of each tribal group and describe the adventures of their heroes. They also emphasize such characteristics as loyalty, generosity, and, most importantly, bravery in battle.
Some
The BAKHTIARI tribe, one of the most ancient and well-known Lori tribes, found in the area southwest of Isfahan, has mostly becomed settled. The Bakhtiari tribe, which numbers more than 800,000, inhabits an area of approximately 67,000 sq. km (25,000 sq. mi) that straddles the central Zagros Mountains in Iran. Although only about a third of the tribe is nomadic, the nomads embody the Bakhtiari cultural ideals. Their production of carpets have increased at the start of the 19th century. This region is known for having very luxurious wool that produces excellent carpets. There are nearly 200 villages in that area today, which produce some of the most charming carpets available on the market.
Some Lori cities:
Boroojerd city
This city has a moderate climate in summer and experiences cold weather in winter. Boroojerd is one of the oldest cities of Iran, some think it to be from the times of Firooz-e-Sassani and others claim that it existed in the period of `Yazd Gerd` the third. In the Qajar era, `Hassam-ol-Saltaneh`, who ruled over Khuzestan and Lorestan made Boroojerd the center of his rule.A moat was dug around the city. Enhancing weather conditions, alluvial plains, a permanent network of a natural water way systems, green pastures have attributed to drawing people to this city. The region of Borujerd has many mounds with ruins that have not been examined by archaeologists yet.
The Soltani mosque, boroujerd:
Malayer
City in the Hamadan Province, It lies in western Iran with 180,000 inhabitants. Malayer has existed at least since Sassanid times (3rd-7th century CE).
Malayer is the centre of a rich agricultural region, and the city itself has a number of small-scale manufacturing companies. The most valued product are carpets.
Aligodarz
The city of Aligoodarz is situated in the plains and the slopes of the Zagros mountains, experiences a moderate climate. It is 503 km. from Tehran. The Oshtoran Kooh mountain Ranges and the Aligoodarz River are in the same vicinity of this city. Earlier another city by the same name existed but due to unknown reasons it doesnt anymore.
In the past, the Khaneqah or a sort of monastery, was a seat of theology for the Qizelbash and Dervish. Relics such as rectangular bricks and earthenware related to the 7th century AH. have been discovered here in mountains and hillocks.
The capital of Lorestan, KhorramAbad:
City in western Iran with 300,000 inhabitants, in a river gab in the Lorestan mountains. Khorramabad is the capital of Lorestan Province with 1.8 million inhabitants and an area of 28,392 km.
Khorramabad has an active bazaar, and its major landmark is the Black Fortress, which was the seat of the governors of Lorestan between 1155 and 1600.
The castle of Falak ol Aflak
Falak ol Aflak is a wonderful 2,000 years old castle with 12 towers and 22.5 meters high walls in the center of Khorramabad, experts studying the structure of Falak ol-Aflak castle have come to realize that the Sassanid engineers equipped this ancient castle with a dehumidifier system to prevent humidity penetrate into its foundations.
Lorestan Uni:
Some other random pix from Lorestan.
Norouz (Iranian New Year) 1359
Lorestan Traditional Fashion:
Bakhtiari-Lors :
Pole Doxtar, Lorestan:
Bisheh waterfalls:
The Gahar Lake:
And finally a sample of traditional Lori music, here.
And a sample of traditional Bakhtiari music, here.
Edited by Iranban