Iran - Western Iran (Chapter)

This is the Western Iran chapter from Lonely Planet’s Iran guidebook.

From paddy fields to blizzards to the original Garden of Eden, Western Iran will shatter your preconceptions of Iran. This deeply hospitable region, a real linguistic and cultural patchwork, is ideal for those who relish delving a little deeper.

• hike between flower-filled valleys and snow-capped peaks amid the ruined 12th-century Castles of the Assassins
• maps
• explore ancient churches, mud-walled castles and grand canyons along the biblical Aras River Valley near Jolfa
• transport
• venture into Howraman a magical, rarely visited valley of traditional Kurdish villages
• restaurants and accommodation

Coverage includes: Bazargan, Maku & around, Orumiyeh, Lake Orumiyeh, Maraqeh & around, Tabriz & around, Jolfa & around, Aras River Valley, Kaleybar & Babak Castle, Ardabil, Astara & around, Rasht & around, Masuleh, Ramsar, Chalus & around, Noshahr, Qazvin, Alamut Valley, Soltaniyeh, Zanjan, Takht-e Soleiman, Sanandaj, Palangan, Howraman, Paveh, Kermanshah, Bisotun, Hamadan, Dorud & Lake Gahar, The Dorud-Andimeshk Railway, Andimeshk, Shush, Choqa Zanbil & Haft Tappeh, Shushtar and Ahvaz.