Kermanshah
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Kermanshah (Kurdish: Kirmaşan, Persian: کرمانشاه,) is the capital of Kermanshah Province of Iran. It is located in the middle of the western part of Iran at , 324 miles by road from Tehran, about 50 miles from the border of Iraq, at the foot of the Zagros Mountains. It had an estimated population of 822,921 in 2005. [link]
The inhabitants are mainly Kurds of different tribes, most of whom settled in urban areas after World War II. They speak the southern dialect of Kurdish. The overwhelming majority of the Kurdish population in this city are Shia Muslims.
History
It was founded in the 4th century AD by Bahram IV of the Sasanid dynasty. Conquered by the Arabs in 640, the town was called Qirmasin (Qirmashin). Under Seljuk rule in the 11th century, it was, and still is, a major cultural and commercial centre in Western Iran and the southern Kurdish region as a whole. The Safavids fortified the town, and the Qajars repulsed an attack by the Turks during Fath 'Ali Shah's rule (1797–1834). Occupied by the Turkish Army in 1915 during World War I, it was evacuated in 1917. After The Islamic Revolution in the 1970's, the city and its provinces (also called Kermanshah) were shortly renamed Bakhtaran, apparently owing to the use of "Shah" in the name. After the Iran-Iraq War, however, they were renamed Kermanshah. The City was hit hard during the Iran-Iraq War, and although it was rebuilt, it has never fully recovered.Industry
It is now a fairly important industrial centre; industries include textile manufacturing, food processing, oil refining, carpet making, sugar refining, and the production of electrical equipment and tools.Higher education
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