Kermanshah Province

Kermanshah Province
Name	Kermanshah Province
Native name	استان کرمانشاه
Settlement type	Province
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name	Iran
Seat type	Capital
Seat	Kermanshah
Area total km2	24067
Population total	1945000
Population as of	2016
Blank name sec1	Main language(s)
Blank info sec1	Persian, Kurdish (Kermanshahi dialect)

Kermanshah Province is a province in western Iran centered on the city of Kermanshah. The province lies along the Zagros Mountains corridor and borders Iraq, positioning it at the crossroads of historical empires such as the Achaemenid Empire, the Sasanian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire. Its strategic location has made it a focal point in events like the Iran–Iraq War and the Mesopotamian frontier contests.

Geography

The province occupies a section of the Zagros Mountains range, featuring peaks, valleys, and the Karkheh River basin near the Tigris River watershed, and includes passes used since antiquity such as those connecting to Baghdad. It shares international border crossings with Iraq near Qasr-e Shirin and Khosravi, and domestic boundaries with Ilam Province, Lorestan Province, Hamedan Province, and West Azerbaijan Province. Climate zones range from continental highland near Mount Sahand? to semi-arid plains around Gilan-e Gharb, with seismic activity linked to the Zagros fold and thrust belt and earthquakes like the 2017 Kermanshah earthquake.

History

Human presence dates to Paleolithic occupations associated with sites comparable to Zagros Paleolithic localities and Neolithic complexes akin to Jarmo. Monumental reliefs such as the Taq-e Bostan reliefs and the nearby Bisotun inscription attest to the province's role under the Achaemenid Empire and the Sasanian Empire, while later medieval records tie the region to dynasties like the Safavid dynasty and frontier clashes with the Ottoman Empire. The province was affected by the 19th-century Treaty of Erzurum demarcations and became a theatre during the 20th-century Iran Constitutional Revolution aftermath; it sustained major damage during the Iran–Iraq War including battles around Sulaymaniyah-adjacent areas. In modern times, reconstruction programs involved entities such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and ministries of Iran.

Demographics

The population comprises diverse ethnic groups, predominantly Kurdish people speakers of Southern Kurdish dialects, alongside Persians, Lurs, and smaller communities of Armenians and Assyrians. Urban centers include Kermanshah, Islamabad-e Gharb, and Qasr-e Shirin, with rural districts like Sahneh County and Eslamabad-e Gharb County maintaining tribal and clan structures historically linked to groups such as the Kalhor and Jaff confederations. Religious composition features majority Shia Muslims with significant Sunni Islam Kurdish adherents and communities of Yarsanism followers, reflected in local shrines and pilgrimage sites like Imam Reza Shrine (Kermanshah)?.

Economy

Economic activity blends agriculture, petrochemical-linked industries, and cross-border trade with Iraq at checkpoints like Khosravi border crossing. Agricultural staples include wheat, barley, and fruit orchards near Kermanshah and irrigation projects tied to rivers such as the Gamasiyab River. Industrial centers host small and medium enterprises producing textiles, food processing, and building materials, often interacting with national corporations like the National Iranian Oil Company and regional development plans by the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade. Tourism around archaeological sites like Bisotun and Taq-e Bostan contributes to the service sector, while reconstruction after the Iran–Iraq War spurred infrastructure investment from the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.

Culture and Heritage

The province preserves rich cultural heritage manifested in tangible sites such as the Bisotun inscription (a UNESCO-recognized monument) and the artistic Sasanian carvings at Taq-e Bostan, and in intangible traditions like Kurdish music associated with instruments such as the tanbur and oral epics reminiscent of Shahnameh performance styles. Handicrafts include Kurdish rugs linked to broader Persian carpet traditions and regional embroidery seen in markets of Kermanshah and Sarab-e Qaleh Shahin. Festivals connect to Iranian calendars like Nowruz as observed locally alongside Kurdish celebrations and religious events at shrines related to figures recognized across Shi'ism and local belief systems.

Administration and Politics

Administratively, the province is divided into multiple counties such as Kermanshah County, Eslamabad-e Gharb County, and Qasr-e Shirin County, each containing districts and rural districts pursuant to national territorial organization overseen by the Ministry of Interior. Political life reflects interplay between national institutions such as the Assembly of Experts electoral processes and local representation in the Islamic Consultative Assembly through elected deputies from provincial constituencies. Security responsibilities involve national forces including the Law Enforcement Command of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), especially given border sensitivity adjacent to Iraq.

Infrastructure and Transportation

Transport corridors include the westward highway linking Kermanshah to Baghdad and rail proposals connecting to the Trans-Iranian Railway network, while airports like Kermanshah Airport facilitate domestic flights to nodes such as Tehran and Mashhad. Energy infrastructure comprises regional grids fed by national operators including the Iran Grid Management Company and pipelines associated with the National Iranian Oil Company distribution network. Water projects involve reservoirs and dams managed in coordination with agencies like the Ministry of Energy to support irrigation in agricultural zones and flood control in the Zagros catchments.

Category:Provinces of Iran