
KERMANSHAH Province
Kermanshah Province (Persian: Ostani Kermansah) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran and is regarded as part of Iranian Kurdistan. The province was known from 1969 to 1986 as Kermanshahan and from 1986 to 1995 as Bakhtaran. Majority of people in Kermanshah province are Shia, and there are minority of Sunni and Yarsanism. The province's capital is Kermanshah (34°18'N 47°4'E), located in the middle of the western part of Iran. The population of the city is 946,651. The languages spoken by the Kermanshah’s people are Kurdish, Southern Kurdish, Laki and also Persian. Kernanshah developed in the 4th century AD under the patronage of Sassanian kings, briefly renamed Bakhtaran in the 1980s. Its climate is mild and it has many natural and historical sites in the city and in the towns around. The city is 525 km southwest of Tehran at the foothills of the Zagros mountain range. The city enjoys a temperate climate and regular seasons.