Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari Province
(Shahr-e Kord is the Capital — In the central and southern part of Iran in chain of Zagross mountains live the Bakhtiaris and the Lors, two groups that speak Lori, a type of Iranian dialect as well as Persian. It is an extended part of the Iranian Plateau. To the north of Chahar Mahal lies the province of Lorestan. To the west, the province of Khouzestan, to the south the provinces of Bushehr and Fars, and to the east the provinces of Esfahan and Yazd.
The Bakhtiari have a distinctive culture. They are both very Persian and very Bakhtiari at the same time. They usually live in black tents and they have winter and summer settings.The Bakhtiari migrate twice a year over the Zagross Mountains from their temperate winter home on the plains of Khouzestan at the head of the Persian Gulf to their summer pastures in the Char Mahal valley to the west of Esfahan where they graze their animals. The majority of rugs in today’s marketplace assigned to the Bakhtiari were woven in the Chahar Mahal valley by sedentary Bakhtiari people. Rugs of the nomadic Bakhtiari are now a rarity.Shahre Kord City is 2,035 m high and lies at a distance of 521 km from Tehran.
Bakhtiyari Tribe This is one of the largest nomad tribes of the province, and makes its living through animal husbandry. During the cold season, the tribe moves to the plains and regions which are lower in altitudes, and when the climate becomes warmer and forage becomes more abundant in the mountainous areas, it migrate to those part. The exact route of this migration is determined beforehand, and migrants pass across roaring rivers and harsh mountains.
Handicrafts The major handicrafts of this province are carpet and kilim weaving, giveh weaving, hat making, jajim weaving and locksmithing
Koohrang Spring:
This spring with its heavy water starts from the slopes of Zardkooh mountain and after passing many curved passages, it ends in the lake of the Koohrang dam and flows into the Zayandeh Rood. Many beautiful and attractive landscapes around this spring and the presence of the Bakhtiyari tribes living in that area make it even more beautiful. Visiting these spots in spring and summer are advised for the tourists and visitors. Another mineral spring called Barm Spring is located in the central part of Lordegan. It is 150km away from Shahr-e-Kord. This river provides enough water for agriculture and the rest flows into Karoon River. This river has created special landscape beauty for the town of Lordegan.
Dimeh Springs :
The famous mineral spring of the province is called Dimeh, which is the main spring source of Zayandeh Rood [river], one of the important rivers of Isfahan, and is 10km away from a town called Chalgerd, near a village called Dimeh. The water of this spring is among the best and purest mineral waters and has medical remedies (prevents the decay of the teeth and remedies the kidney stone). Beautiful landscapes and attractions of natural sights around this spring make it one of the best places for tourism in the city of Koohrang. The best time and seasons to visit these natural attractions is spring and summer.
Special Tulip Garden
12km away from Chelgerd which is a place near the village of Bano Esteki in the suburbs of Koohrang city. This vast area (3,400 hectares) has a very amazing and wonderful covering of tulips (the tears of Mary). The flowers are divided into two varieties; red and yellow. People visit the place in the middle of the spring season, especially to see this wonderful Plain covered by wild red and yellow tulips. The blooms are four or five and hang upside down. The amazing beauty of the sight amazes human being.
Tang Sayaad Sanctuary
This area with about 21,600 hectares of land, including the national park with 5,400 hectares located in the wild central part of this area and a favourable place for wild animals. The road between Shahr-e-Kord and Isfahan is suit-able for visitors to get there. It is a known animal wild life sanctuary.
The southern mountains are difficult to climb, but are a good place for leopards, wild goats, wild sheep, wolf, fox, jackal, and hyena. Nearest city to this area is Farokhshahr.
Sabzeh Kooh Sanctuary
This beautiful area is around 6,200 Hectares and is located among the three cities of Boroojen, Lordegan and generally Ardal. It has a special ecosystems and natural landscapes, pastoral lands, forests, and mountainous area, attractive water falls such as Tang Zendan and Ma'dan add to the beauties of the area.
This area has three climates; therefore wild animals such as leopards, bears, brown or black, squirrels, goats, and birds such as partridges, and eagles can be found there. The best season to visit is spring.
Flying Forest Park
At the end of the western part of the province 50km to Lordegall there is a beautiful park with a pleasant area, spreading on the side of a green valley. The silent space, the shade of tall trees, many sweet-water springs, as well as paddy fields around the park plus many other beautiful landscapes, show a beautiful sign of creation to the eye of any visitor. This forest park is a suitable place for the families and high school and university students to set up camps.
Sarab Cave
This amazing cave has two passages and is located 56km from Shahr-e-Kord towards the southwest and 7km from the city of Baba Heydar (in the suburb of Farsan), to the side of a very wide and long valley. The valley has beautiful plantations and villages, where every person would like to stay for several days to see the beauties of the nature on both sides of the valley, as well as the range of mountain surrounding it. Becasue of natural obstacles, more than 600 metres of this cave is still out of reach. Also, cool water comes out from one of the passages.
The banks of the river from Saman to Ghareghoosh (near Zayandeh rood dam) have pleasant and beautiful landscapes including the passages of water and green gardens on both sides of the river. Huge number of buildings, hotels, coffee shops in the area of Zamankhan Bridge, and favourite climate conditions during nine months of the year, this province attracts a large number of tourists and visitors.
The Beautiful Banks of Karoon
Karoon River starts from the west and southeast of the province through Lordegan, Khanmirza, Felard. It provides valuable places for people to spend their leisure times. It is a good and pleasant place because of the nearest way to the road to Khuzestan province with oak tree on both sides of the road. This river passes from amazing valleys covered with oak trees, mountains with beautiful Landscapes. The best place with landscapes is on the road of Shahr-e-Kord–Khuzestan in the village of Dopo-Ian (110km to Shahr-e-Kord).
Koohrang Tunnel
This tunnel was built in 1953 to transfer the water of Koohrang and other springs to the Zayandeh Rood. The nearest tourist city is Chelgerd the central city of Koohrang. The water from the tunnel creates beautiful landscapes for any visitor. During all seasons even winter this place makes an ideal place for the skiing enthusiasts.
Zarnan Khan Bridge
The historical bridge of Zamankhan is located near the city of Saman. History of building this bridge dates back to the Sassanids Dynasty. It was built by the order of the head of Ghashgha’i tribes, Zaman Khan, belonging to the time of immigrant tribes reaching to the area at the time of immigration. It was built on Zayandeh Rood. The combination of the landscapes and huge amount of water flowing with great speed around the area and beautiful nature and the buildings nearby make it very attractive. This area is very convenient for the visitors and is one of the most beautiful centres.
Dezak Castle
This castle is located in the village of Dezak, 35km to the southeast of Shahr-e-Kord. It was built by Lotfali Khan Amir Mofakham Bakhtiyari in two stories, during the age of this castle many events happened. One of the most important: the role in setting up the Constitutional Revolution. The architectures of the building were imitated from European castles with Iranian decorations. The most attractive parts of the castle are the dining hall and the hall of mirrors with beautiful small pieces of mirrors adorned with beautiful paintings. It has been registered as one of the Iranian national and historical works. The great Iranian author of the big dictionary Ali Akbar Dehkhoda lived there for some years.
Sardar As’ad Castle
This castle is 42kme away from Shahr-e-Kord in Jooneghan, and it was constructed by Ali Gholi Khan Sadr As'ad who was the ruler of Bakhtiyari tribes, at the time, and is more than 100 years old.
Shir-e-Sangi
This Shir-e-Sangi (stone lion) used to carry a special reverence and respect among the ancient warriors, and as a sign of bravery had been carved on the stone over the champions who died years ago. These stone lions on the tombs of the youth and the champions have special. Historical message for the events happened to tribes and the people. The oldest existing stone lion belongs to the Safavids Dynasty.
Bard-e-Goori
Brad-e-Goori (the stone of Gabri) the oldest monumental stone in this province belongs to the time of Maads Dynasty and the end of Sassanids government more than 2,500 years ago. In Zoroastrians times, the people believed the soil was holy, therefore they did not bury their dead within the ground. They placed their dead into stone boxes. These boxes were called “the box of bones.” Today they are called Bard-e-Goori (means the stone graves). In different areas, they left the bodies of their dead in cliffs or rocks, which were, hollowed inside with spaces of 3.30m, length 1.20m high and 2 metres wide. The rooms in the cliffs had openings with square forms, some of the rooms were for singles and some rooms were for group of the dead bodies. This proves the custom of burning the dead more than 1,500 years ago, which was under the influence of Zoroastrian religion and the followers. They were mostly discovered in Dinaran, Miankooh and Bazoft.
