Author: Nasim Mohammadi/ Translated by: Andrea Bayrak/ Photo: Alireza Damadzadeh
When spring comes to the Iranian prairies it seems as though a green carpet budding with a multitude of flowers has been rolled out across the land. As the mountain snows begin to melt the run-off will overflow the rivers and bring life back to the plains after a heavy winter sleep. Bird song can be heard from every corner of the woods; entering one’s ear with a promise of the coming Nowruz. When the beauties of spring return to Iran it’s the perfect time to travel; to stroll the country and explore picturesque panoramas. This article will explore the west of Iran, to see what spring holds in Kurdistan. A land of verdant velvet mountains, oak trees and roots to an ancient nation still extant. Travelling westward to see Iranian Kurdistan in the bloom of spring, a paradise captured within the Zagros mountains, is an experience one cannot forgo.
Kurdistan – the home of Kurdish people
Kurdistan’s is a province lying on the Iranian border with Turkey and Iraq; sharing Kurdish cities across both divides. It is a province where nature and culture collide. This land is located at a crossroads between the two major civilisations of Iran and Mesopotamia; thusly emphasising the importance of its geographic space. Documents of this land’s ancient history and those whom settled upon it date back as far as the Palaeolithic period. Evidence unearthed from archeological excavations confirms two major components of this area; that a tradition of tool making began in this region around the Palaeolithic era, and that a history of the Kurdish nation can be traced back to approximately 2000 BC to the time it is assumed that Aryan tribes migrated to the Iranian plateau.
With the Aryan migration this land and the people of Kurdistan were placed under the authority of a government known as the Medes; surrounded by numerous great civilisations. From this cultural exchange four civilisations arose: Urartu in the north, Assyrian in the west and Elam and Sumer in the south and southwest…
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