Lonely Planet Iran

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• Publisher: Lonely Planet
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781786575418
• eBook ISBN: 9781786575364

Western Iran ايران غربی

Bazargan

Maku & Around

Khoy

Orumiyeh

Maraqeh

Tabriz

Kandovan

Jolfa

Aras River Valley

Kaleybar

Ardabil

Khal Khal

Zanjan

Soltaniyeh

Takab

Rasht

Around Rasht

Ramsar

Kelardasht

Qazvin

Alamut Valley

Garmarud

Sanandaj

Howraman

Paveh

Kermanshah

Bisotun

Hamadan

Bijar

Marivan

Dorud

The DorudAndimeshk Railway

Andimeshk

Shush

Shushtar

Ahvaz

Khorramabad

Western Iran ايران غربی

Why Go?

A land of wild extremes and wilder history, Western Iran is the independent traveller's adventure playground. From the fecund Caspian coast to the stark, mountainous northern borders and the crumbling desert ruins of the southern plains, the region hosts everything from paddy fields to blizzards to the original Garden of Eden. Bordering Mesopotamia, Ottoman Turkey and Czarist Russia, its fortunes have oscillated with the rise and fall of many great empires. This deeply historic, starkly beautiful and incredibly hospitable place is also home to almost half of Iran's Unesco sites.

The region is a linguistic and cultural patchwork: Kurds predominate in Kordestan and Kermanshah; Lors in Ilam and Lorestan; Arabs inhabit southern Khuzestan; Talesh and Gilaki are the traditional languages of Gilan; and Azeris, whose language is more Turkish than Persian, predominate in the northwest. In remote regions, and in Kurdish towns, traditional dress is still worn.

When to Go

The craggy peaks of the Zagros Mountains from Hamadan northwards see snow arrive early and leave late – falls are from about November to March, while the sweltering lowlands around Shush begin to boil in June.

To make the most of the region, try visiting for the spring flowers, which bloom in April or May, or the autumn harvest of juicy grapes and delicious mulberries in September or early October.

The crisp, clear air an...

Table of contents

• Table of Contents
• Welcome to Iran
• Iran's Top 16
• Need to Know
• First Time Iran
• If You Like
• Month by Month
• Itineraries
• Visas & Planning
• Regions at a Glance
• Tehran
• Western Iran
• Central Iran
• Persian Gulf
• Southeastern Iran
• Northeastern Iran
• Understand Iran
• Iran Today
• History
• People
• Daily Life
• Iranian Cuisine
• Faith in Iran
• Architecture
• Carpets, Arts & Crafts
• Literature, Music & Cinema
• Natural Environments
• Safe Travel
• Directory AZ
• Transport
• Health
• Language
• Behind the Scenes
• Our Writers