Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Borujerd city...little Paris

rural landscape of Lorestan province

The city of Borujerd is one of the oldest cities in Iran. It is the second largest city after Khorram Abad, and the industrial point of the province. Its historical and cultural background as well as its remarkable nature, has changed it to a tourist destination. The city has kept its old architecture and lifestyle mostly through its magnificent mosques, old bazaar and old Qajar-era houses, and the serene and scenic villages and well-structured city.
Hotel Zagros, where we stayed is strategically located on Choqa Hill. From this vantage point, one can enjoy the most captivating and panoramic view and scenic beauty of the city during the day and night.
The Imam (Soltani) mosque of Borujerd is another fine example of oldest Iranian mosques and its magnificent structure comprises of a unique relatively high façade, and a dome decorated all over, with brick kufic epigraphs and tile works. The decorations provide pieces of evidence in relation to the religious beliefs of the people of the region. Hence the city has been named as Dar-Al-Sorur which means the house of happiness.
The 40,000 square meter Women’s Park of Borujerd, where we had our lunch before departing back to Tehran, is (according to ICH News Agency) the first urban park in Iran specifically designed for and dedicated to women in Iran. Originally a garden and agricultural field, it was built to give opportunity to women and girls to use the park freely without the formal Islamic hijab. However an exemption was made just for the day to also allow our men folk to join their trailing spouses enjoying the serenity and greeneries of the ‘forbidden’ park.
Today, Borujerd, sometimes, is also referred to as the little Paris. Perhaps this is partly a reflection of the easy going and warm-heartedness of the Borujerdi people whom we met during our short stay in their beautiful city.


a warm welcome from Borujerd parliamentarian


dawn over Borujerd city



the city viewed from hotel zagros

trailing spouses in Borujerd

panoramic view of the city
Imam Khomeini (Soltani) mosque...

a large mosque in the center of the city, built in the Qajar period

badly damaged arch during the Borujerd earthquake of March 2006

a split level Mihrab for leading the prayer

another Mihrab

potrait of late Ayatollah Borujerdi, the province's prominent religious
grand cleric

Old house of Borujerd, Qajar and early Pahlavi periods...

the entrance

the door keeper

standing guard

another traditional welcome

the front facade of the house

the courtyard

A visit to Exir, Iran's largest pharmaceutical company in Borujerd...

Exir...the essence of life

dressed up and immunised prior to the guided tour of the complex

doctors (or chefs) for the day...!!

certification of international recognition

packing for the export markets...annual production of over 1.2 billion tablets

consignments... ready for export ($12 million in 2008)

founded in 1988, and started production in 1993-94

Lunch at the Women's park of Borujerd...
a park dedicated to women in Iran

anxiously waiting for their grilled chelow kebab

local fruit (resembling a karamunting in Brunei)

gilas?

at the entrance

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