Kurdistan
Kurdistan is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, not to be confused with the greater unofficial geographical area of Iranian Kurdistan. The province of Kurdistan is 28,817 km² in area which encompasses just one-fourth of the Kurdish inhabited areas of Iran or Iranian Kurdistan. It is located in the west of Iran and bound by Iraq on the west, the province of West Azerbaijan to its north, Zanjan to the northeast, Hamedan to the east and Kermanshah to the south. The capital of Kurdistan Province is the city of Sanandaj. Other counties with their major cities are Marivan, Baneh, Saqqez, Bijar, Qorveh, Piranshahr, Kamyaran, Dehgolan, Diwandarreh and Sarvabad.
People living in Kurdistan province speak Kurdish as local language and Persian as national language. Lovely Kurd people retained their traditions, language, dialects and dress. Women wear very colorful and beautiful Kurdish dresses and men wear Kurdish pants. Kurd people are famous for their astonishing local dances.
The tourist attractions of Kurdistan are:
Vakilol Molk Edifice
It is one of the oldest building in Sanandaj which belonged to Vakil Family who were most of the time in power in Kurdistan. The main structure tributes to Zand period (the 18th century). Then it was renovated by adding a garden and several other buildings. There is also one bathroom decorated with designs on the walls that was used by the residents.
Vakilol Molk Edifice
Asef edifice also called “Kurdish house” is a symbol of Kurdish tribe’s cultural identity and the most valuable cultural relics of Sanandaj. The original building of the edifice are related to Safavid era and some other parts of it are added in Qajar and Pahlavi periods. Motamed Hashemiha’s family is known as the first founder of this building and probably Mirza Mohammad Reza Vaziri was the owner. This edifice gained its final magnificence by constructing the entrance.
Zarivar Lake
Zarivar or Zeribar Lake, with a length of 5 km and a maximum width of 1.6 km, and the height of 1285 m above sea level is located near the city of Marivan, Kurdistan Province. The beautiful landscape of the area attracts many visitors both domestics and foreigners. It is a good place for nature lovers. The water of the lake originates from the melted snow in the nearby mountains. The surrounding mountains are covered by forests in which most of the trees are oaks, pears and almonds.
Karaftoo Cave
Karaftoo is located on the north west of Divandarreh town in Kurdistan province. A 76 kilometer beautiful road in Zagros Mountains takes you to the cave. The cave includes a giant rock of limestone in a 45 degree slope surface. The main path of the case is 750 meters long and there are also many sub-paths around. There are remaining from different periods of time inside the cave. There are some stone houses inside the cave that are from 700 years ago.
Karaftoo Cave
Kocheksar Mountain-Sanandaj
Kocheksar Mountain having the height of almost 3000 m is a beautiful area which is located 30 km southwest of Sanandaj. The area is a good place for the ones who are fascinated by nature. It is good to visit the area in the summer or spring when the temperature and climate conditions are appropriate.
Hawraman Villages
Hawraman is a mountainous region located within the provinces of Kurdistan and Kermanshah in western Iran and in north-eastern Iraq within Iraq’s Kurdistan. The village has several springs and rivers, one of them is Bil spring which has a discharge about 3000 liters per second. The archaeological discoveries show that the region was inhabited by human in the Middle Paleolithic era. The discoveries include some stone tools that are made by Neanderthals and Early Modern Humans.
Palangan Village
Palangan (meaning leopards in Persian) is a village located 47 kilometers north-west of Kamyaran in Iran’s Kurdestan province. This village has around 800 inhabitants. In Palangan the roof of one house serves as the courtyard of the upper house. Close to this village we can see ruins of an ancient fort dating back to ancient times.
