According to the archaeological excavations in different areas of Kermanshah such as the ancient hill Ganj Dareh in Harsin, the history of the province dates back to about 7,000 to 8,500 B.C. This proves the existence of the humans during the Stone Age of Paleolithic and Neolithic periods in this area. Sassanid kings (224-651 A.D.) were also present in this area where they built sumptuous and luxurious palaces and pavilions due to their appropriate geographical position.

The area was entitled “Qarmisin” by the Islamic geographers until the 4th century A.H. but later, it was replaced with Kermanshah. When the Islamic army conquered the historical city of Hulwan, Qarmisin was defeated by the Muslims without any resistance on the part of locals. The center of this district was the city of Qarmisin (Kermanshah), which was one of the four great cities of Jebal province (Ray, Hamedan, and Isfahan) during the Abbasid Caliphate period (750-1518).

Following the Mongol invasion, the area was severely damaged but during the time of Safavid (1501-1736), once again it found great significance though was seized several times by the Ottoman forces. When the Safavid Empire collapsed, the Ottoman forces dominated the area but years later, they were expelled from the west of Iran by Nader Shah Afshar (reign: 1736-1747) who also destroyed the old castle of Kermanshah and built a new fort in its place.

The pristine and beautiful nature of Kermanshah province along with the historical resources attracts domestic and inbound tourists to the region. The Uraman area, located in two provinces of Kurdistan and Kermanshah, is known as the Hezar Masouleh, attributing to the fact that there are many stepped villages (e.g., Hajij Village and Paveh City) in the area. Based on this style of architecture, the roof of the building below in the yard of the building above. Furthermore, Taq-e Bostan, Anubanini petroglyph, central mosque and the market of Kermanshah, Shafei Mosque, Tekyeh Biglarbeygi, Tekyeh Moaven al-Molk, and the Quri Qale Cave are among the historical attractions of the province.

Importantly, the Behistun inscription has been registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Of the most important handicrafts of the region include Giveh-Keshi (a form of shoes), Chopoq-Bafi (mat weaving), Qalam-Zani (engraving), Daf, Tar, and Tanbur (musical instruments), leather making, rug, men’s and women’s traditional clothing (Chookhe). In terms of souvenirs, Kak sweets, date bread, Kermanshahi oil, rice bread, sugary bread, Shaho honey, and Paveh pomegranate sauce are known in the province. Some of the local dishes include Dandeh Kebab, Aush-e Abaasali, Khomar Aushi, almond stew, Parsht, Dordeh, Sibpollo (rice and apple), Kermanshahi and Baghi Abgoosht.

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In the Ilam province including 10 counties and its center called Ilam as well,  people are from various ethnic groups of Kurds, Lur, Laks (the mixture of Lur and Kurd), and Arabs. However, the most prevailing costume and language in the province referred to as the Kurdish residents who speak slightly different from Kurds in Kermanshah and Kurdistan provinces.

Historically, the Elam (Elamites) Empire’s (2700- 539 B.C.) territory contained the southwestern parts of Iran’s Plateau with Susa (roughly the areas of modern-day Khuzestan) province, as the center of their ruling. Besides, some parts of the southeastern area of Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia belonged to Elam though difficult to determine the precise border of the lands they ruled over. The Elamites called their homeland “Hatamti” meaning the land of God, while during the Akkadian Empire (the first ancient empire of Mesopotamia in 2334-2154 B.C.) it was referred to as Elamoto.

It seems that the name of Ilam city has originated from the word Elamoto. Assurbanipal, the king of Assyria reigned in a span of 669 to 631 B.C., defeated Elam and plundered Susa; after this, this area never again turned into an independent government. Upon the Achaemenid ruling (550-330 B.C.), the area became a tributary of the central government. Importantly, over the years, the name of this area changed several times, out of which include Sirvan (taken from a river with the same name) and Poshtkouh (because of its geographical location in the western Zagros range behind Lorestan) during the Qajar era (1796-1925).

The pristine and beautiful nature of the area is considered the most important natural attraction of Ilam. On the other hand, the historical and cultural attractions of the province include Vali Castle of Ilam, Falahati Palace, Taq-e Shirin and Farhad, Siahgel Fire Temple, and the remains of the Sassanid city of Sarab-e Kalan. In terms of handicrafts, the most prevailing ones in the region are carpet and kilim usually woven in a floral pattern. The wool used in creating the threads of this carpet is of high quality, while silk threads are also very common in this region.

The nomadic handicrafts of the province include Chit, Tough, Davar, Gouchan, and Douk. When it comes to eatable souvenirs, Kermanshahi oil, Tuff (made of milk and cheese), mountain honey, and chewing gum are known in Ilam. The main ingredients of the local foods are peas, beans, and meat.

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This province has 16 counties including Rasht city as its center. Most of the people in the province are Gilak and speak Gilaki with different dialects, while in some parts of the province people also speak Farsi. Gilan province has the heaviest amount of rainfall in the country due to its proximity to the Caspian Sea, causing its weather to be moderate and humid.

Greek historians have referred to Gilan as Kados and Kadosyan. During the Achaemenid (550-330 B.C.) and Sassanid (224-651 A.D.) Empires, independent local governments ruled continuously in this area. The impassibility of the region made limited the accessibility of the Islamic army that invaded Iran at the end of the Sassanid Empire but Islam faith was gradually scattered throughout Tabarestan and Mazandaran regions in the province by the Shiites of the Zaidiyyah sect during the eighth century.

Later, during the Mongol (1206-1368) and Karkiya (1370-1592) dynasties, this region was captured but when Abbas I during the Safavid Dynasty (1501-1736) attacked there and conquered it, Gilan lost its independence and officially became a part of Iran.

The land of Gilan was in the past divided into the three districts of Talesh, Deylam, and Gilan (Jilan) but when captured by Safavids, its center was transferred to Rasht. Based on the Treaty of Golestan, a part of Talesh in the north of Astara River was separated from the land of Iran. During the constitutional movement, Aqabaala Khan, the ruler of Gilan, was killed in the garden of Modiriyeh, Rasht and the area’s constitutionalists moved to conquest the capital Tehran city. They first captured Qazvin and then after three days, along with Bakhtiari constitutionalists conquered the capital and Mohammad Ali Shah was dethroned from the monarchy.

The beautiful nature of Gilan province and the Caspian shores are among the most important attractions in this area, attracting a huge number of nature lovers throughout the year. Of the spectacular natures of the province include the dense forests in the northern slopes of Alborz especially in the south of Sinalak city and Deilman forests, south of Lahijan, and the areas around Shafte, Fouman, Masal, Talesh, Rezvanshahr, and Astara cities. The Lahijan tea fields, Masouleh village, Rudkhan Castle in Fuman, Tomb of Mirza Kuchak Khan, and Herzwil’s millennia-old cypress are among the cultural and historical attractions of the province.

The area also benefits from various handicrafts including mat weaving, woodcraft, shawls, bamboo, pottery, Jajim, carpet, Kilim, Chador-Shab, crocheting, felt, and Charooq. In terms of cuisine, a variety of cookies, especially Lahijan and Fouman’s ones, jam, pickles, tomato paste, olive, fish, rice, citrus, herbs, caviar, and Reshteh khoshkar could be found as the souvenirs of a trip to Gilan.

Rasht city was registered in December 2005 as the creative city in gastronomy by UNESCO and joined the Creative Cities Network.

Finally, Fazlollah Reza, Anoushirvan Rouhani, Mohammad Moein, and Mohammad Shams Langeroodi are among the celebrities of Gilan.

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The magnificent nature along with a rich history attracts a significant number of annual domestic tourists to the region. With an area of about 37411 square meters, the province is the 12th largest province in Iran. It has 17 counties, of which the most populated ones include Khoy, Bukan, and Takab. It holds about four percent of the country’s total population and the majority of its population are Azeri Turks. In addition to Turks, Kurds, Assyrians, and Armenians also live in the province each of which with their own ethnic language.

The history of this area dates back to the Median Empire (678-549 B.C.). At the time of the invasion of Macedonian Alexander to Iran (330 B.C.), this area kept its sovereignty under the ruling of the brave commander Atropates whose name was derived for the current name of Azerbaijan. During the Safavid Dynasty (1501-1736), many bloody wars, most notably the Chaldoran War, took place in this region between Iran and the Ottoman Empire.

After the collapse of the Safavid Dynasty, Azerbaijan fell into the hand of Ottomans for a while and after World War I, Iran came under the influence of Britain. With Iran’s forced participation in World War II, the Soviet Union took control of the northern parts of the country. Eventually, Iran complained to the United Nations about the Azerbaijan occupation, leading to the evacuation of the foreign forces from this province.

 The historical attractions of West Azerbaijan Province registered in UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites include Takht-e Soleymān (Solomon’s Throne), the Holy Virgin Mary Church (Chapel of Dzordzor), and Saint Thaddaeus Monastery.

The province has many other historical attractions that are yet to be introduced to the world. The famous Ghotour Bridge in the Iranian-Turkish railroad track is one of the largest railway bridges in the Middle East, introducing it as a tourist attraction of the province. Other attractions include Lake Urmia (the most important permanent lake in Iran), Ghasemlou Valley, Sirdaghi Mountains, Bastam Citadel, and the ancient Teppe Hasanlu.

The province is also known for its handicrafts and traditional arts as well as its cuisine. The skilled masters of delicate woodworks, chessboard and chess pieces, and felt clothes are from this province. Varieties of sweets such as honey, Halva (a sweet paste dessert made of walnut, carrot, and wheat flour), and natural extracts of grapes (maybe mixed with walnuts, pistachios, and almonds) are among the main souvenirs of West Azerbaijan. The dishes called by the locals as Gatkh-Shurbasi (Yogurt Stew) and Ghorout-Shurbasi (Curd Stew) are the main local foods as   typical examples of the cooking style in the region.

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