TEHRAN – The tourist attractions of Khorramabad, the capital of western Lorestan province, is planned to gain footholds on the tourism map of the country, the provincial tourism chief has said. 

A tourism axis has been defined for the city from the centuries-old Falak-ol-Aflak Fortress to Safavid-era Gap Public Bathhouse, Ata Hassanpur explained on Monday. 

The tourism axis is located inside the historical core of the city and has the potential to attract more tourists to the region, the official added. 

The unmissable eight-towered Falak-ol-Aflak Castle dominates the city as one of the most visited travel destinations in the region for both domestic and foreign sightseers.

The fortress dates from the Sassanid era (224–651). It seems particularly imposing and dramatic when floodlit at night, offering picturesque views of its encircling crenelated battlements.

The Sassanid era is of very high importance in Iranian history, under which Persian art and architecture experienced a general renaissance.

Soaked in history and culture, Lorestan is one of the lesser-known travel destinations in Iran, which mainly acts as a gateway to the sweltering plains below in adjoining Khuzestan province. Lorestan is also a region of raw beauty that an avid nature lover could spend weeks exploring.

The region was inhabited by Iranian Indo-European peoples, including the Medes, c. 1000 BC. Cimmerians and Scythians intermittently ruled the region from about 700 to 625 BC.

Lorestan was incorporated into the growing Achaemenid Empire in about 540 BC and successively was part of the Seleucid, Parthian, and Sassanid dynasties.

ABU/AM