Kermanshah, Capital city in western Iran
Kermanshah is a big city in Kermanshah Province in western Iran, sitting at 1350 meters (4429 feet) elevation in a fertile valley along the Qareh Su River. The settlement connects the Mediterranean region with Central Asia and functions as an agricultural center with mechanized irrigation systems producing wheat, barley, corn, fruits, and vegetables throughout the surrounding valleys.
Sassanid ruler Bahram IV founded the settlement in 390 CE as a resting place for military troops traveling between Mesopotamia and the eastern provinces. The city grew into a major administrative center for the region and later served under various dynasties as a hub on trade routes.
Residents speak South Kurdish in daily life and maintain music traditions performed in teahouses and family gatherings. These melodies blend Persian and Turkish influences through shared instruments like the tanbur, a long-necked lute that has echoed through the region for centuries.
The city lies on a major road connecting Baghdad and Tehran, making arrival straightforward from either direction. The climate is temperate with hot summers and cold winters, so spring and autumn offer the most comfortable conditions for walking through town.
The Behistun Inscription nearby contains text in three ancient languages carved on a cliff face and helped scholars decode early Persian writing systems. The multilingual carving became a key to understanding cuneiform in the 19th century, much like the Rosetta Stone did for Egyptian hieroglyphs.
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