Kurdish Festival of Pir Shaliar Iranian Kurdistan is one of the most active provinces with a lot of activities. The instruments of Daf and Tanbor (Tanbur) were born in the Kurdish regions of Iran and music and dance are the two major elements in the Kurdish culture. Every year, there are different celebrations and music festivals performed in the mountain region of Hawraman (Uraman) which is a huge valley located in Kurdistan and Kermanshah provinces. Nowrooz (Nowruz) celebration or “Persian New Year", Palangan Daf Music Festival, and the Kurdish Festival of Pir Shaliar in Uraman Takht are the most famous Kurdish ceremonies which annually attract tourists from different countries. Kurdish Dance and Music Festival of Pir Shaliar in Iranian Kurdistan is an old traditional ceremony that goes back to over 950 years ago. It is still alive in Oraman-e Takht village located in Uraman valley (UNESCO) which is 65 km (1.5 hours) from Marivan. It is held on two different dates; the 1st festival is held on the 40th day of winter and the 2nd held on the 40th day of spring. The festival is celebrated for three days in three consecutive weeks. The winter festival shows the social participation of people in the ceremony. It symbolizes getting rid of material attachments and salvation. The spring festival, named Komsai, is known as the ceremony of breaking the holy stone. The celebration is accompanied by more Daf drumming and ritual dances. People chip a small piece from a large stone at Pir Shaliar’s tomb. They believe the chip can heal the ill and it will grow back on the main stone until next year. In this ceremony, the villagers talk about the shortcomings of the village and consult for solutions as well. Who Is Pir Shalyar? According to the people of
Kurdish Festival of Pir Shaliar Iranian Kurdistan is one of the most active provinces with a lot of activities. The instruments of Daf and Tanbor (Tanbur) were born in the Kurdish regions of Iran and music and dance are the two major elements in the Kurdish culture. Every year, there are different celebrations and music
Top 10 Iran Tourist Villages Iran is a vast country with varied climatic conditions and different weather systems with mountain regions, desert terrains, forests, lakes, and seas which create many tourist villages in different corners. Each tourist village is distinct from others regarding the climate, natural beauties, landscapes, plants, and geographical features, as well as the indigenous culture, architecture, traditions, and customs. The differences between Iran's tourist villages are so amazing that you think you have traveled to a different country! If you pay attention to the Iran map below, which is spotted with the locations of the villages, you will see the tourist villages are scattered in different provinces all over the country, and the visiting time of each one is different from the others. With an astonishing variety of geographical and cultural distinctions, villages provide a wide variety of activities and tourist destinations in Iran for all adventure seekers and culture lovers who travel to Iran with special interests, from landscape photography or hiking on the off-the-beaten-path trails, to those who are into rural tourism and plan their trips based on sustainable tourism principles. The villages on the highlands overlooking snow-capped peaks, in the desert oases with an extended desert landscape, or at the foothills of spectacular mountain forests offer ideal opportunities for trekking, hiking, mountaineering, skiing, photography, and most of all communicating with the hospitable local communities in the rural areas and Iran off-the-beaten paths. Whether you are the kind of traveler bored with the common tourist hubs and in seek of some adventure in the less known attractions in a new destination, or a second-time visitor who already visited the Iran Classic Route and now plans for a deeper experience of the ancient Persia, we advise you to put Iran tourist villages on your bucket list.
Top 10 Iran Tourist Villages Iran is a vast country with varied climatic conditions and different weather systems with mountain regions, desert terrains, forests, lakes, and seas which create many tourist villages in different corners. Each tourist village is distinct from others regarding the climate, natural beauties, landscapes, plants, and geographical features, as well as
Photography Travel to Iran: Kurdistan & Hawraman Valley Iran is a vast country with many special destinations for travel photography. Depending on the type of your photography and your travel time, there are so many places you could travel to. Kurdish regions of Iran in the two provinces of Kurdistan and Kermanshah are the most exotic destinations in Iran for Photography. The amazing landscape of the mountains, the architecture of the houses in the villages, and the people with special costumes create a perfect destination for photographers around the world. Kurdish people's culture and lifestyle in the mountains in Hawraman valley in the heart of Zagros mountains have attracted many travelers' attention. Moreover, UNESCO registered the Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanats on the Iranian UNESCO world heritage sites in 2021. This destination is noticeable regarding three main aspects of photography: Landscape photography Portrait Photography Architecture photography In addition to the three above photography types in Iranian Kurdish regions, people's lifestyle who are living in the mountains, the Kurdish dance, their very famous musical instruments of Tanbur and Daf, and their long stories of Kurdish histories are other highlights of this region. There are a couple of annual festivals such as Pire Shaliar and Daf music performed in the Hawraman region. These traditional festivals are very interesting and attract many people from different countries annually for photography travel to Iran. The Kurdish women work together with men in the fields. They have had a hard life in the mountains and have fought against enemies for years. Besides all the above elements of the Iranian Kurdistan region, the hospitality of Kurdish people in the mountains, their simple life, their clothes, customs, food, and old traditions have made this region one of the new destinations of Iran for those who would like to explore
Photography Travel to Iran: Kurdistan & Hawraman Valley Iran is a vast country with many special destinations for travel photography. Depending on the type of your photography and your travel time, there are so many places you could travel to. Kurdish regions of Iran in the two provinces of Kurdistan and Kermanshah are the most
Two New UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Iran (25 June 2021) Since 1978, every year, UNESCO picks a number of World Heritage Sites for their "outstanding universal value" in the two sections of cultural and natural sites. This year in June 2021, UNESCO has picked two Iran Heritage Sites for the list alongside others from around the world. In 2021, 37 new sites were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list and it was a big week for Iran with two historic sites achieving UNESCO status. Iran UNESCO World Heritage Sites registered in 2021: 1. Iran UNESCO Heritage of Trans-Iranian Railway Iran RailwayThe first site is an old and long Railway in Iran from the southwest of the country to the northeast of it. This masterwork of engineering covers 1,394 kilometers, from the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf, and goes through 4 different climate regions and two mountain ranges (Alborz & Zagros), Tehran (Capital), Hyrcanian Forests, and Iran plateau, that are home to people from various ethnic and linguistic backgrounds. The railway is now the 25th Iranian title on the World Heritage List. That makes the country one of the richest in the world in terms of protecting cultural heritage. With this new UNESCO site, Iran becomes the fifth country in the world with a railway designated as a world heritage site. The name of this famous North-South Railway is Rah-Ahan Shomal-Jonub in Persian. It was completed in 1938, after 11 years of construction, which involved massive works on mountains and terrains up and down the country. 2. Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat The second UNESCO site is Hawraman cultural landscape which is the 26th Iranian UNESCO World Heritage site. Hawraman is located in the Kurdistan and Kermanshah provinces of Iran, on the western border of the country.
Two New UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Iran (25 June 2021) Since 1978, every year, UNESCO picks a number of World Heritage Sites for their “outstanding universal value” in the two sections of cultural and natural sites. This year in June 2021, UNESCO has picked two Iran Heritage Sites for the list alongside others from
