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Avroman or Hawraman, (, ) is a mountainous region located within the provinces of
Kurdistan Kurdistan (, ; ), or Greater Kurdistan, is a roughly defined geo- cultural region in West Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languages, and national identity have historically been based. G ...
and
Kermanshah Kermanshah is a city in the Central District (Kermanshah County), Central District of Kermanshah province, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is from Tehran in the western pa ...
in western
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
and in north-eastern
Kurdistan Region Kurdistan Region (KRI) is a semi-autonomous Federal regions of Iraq, federal region of the Iraq, Republic of Iraq. It comprises four Kurds, Kurdish-majority governorates of Arabs, Arab-majority Iraq: Erbil Governorate, Sulaymaniyah Governorate ...
in
Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...
. The main part of the Hawraman region is located in Iran and encompasses two components of the Central-Eastern Valley (Zhawaro and Takht, in Kurdistan Province); and the Western Valley (Lahon, in Kermanshah Province). The mode of human habitation in these two valleys has been adapted over millennia to the rough mountainous environment. Tiered steep-slope planning and architecture, gardening on dry-stone terraces, livestock breeding, and seasonal vertical migration are among the distinctive features of the local culture and life of the Hawrami Kurdish people who dwell in lowlands and highlands during different seasons of each year. On July 27, 2021, part of the Hawraman region along with
Uramanat Avroman or Hawraman, (, ) is a mountainous region located within the provinces of Kurdistan Province, Kurdistan and Kermanshah Province, Kermanshah in western Iran and in north-eastern Kurdistan Region in Iraq. The main part of the Hawraman regio ...
were inscribed on the
UNESCO World Heritage List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...
as a cultural site under the name "Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat". The word hawraman is formed of two parts ‘Hawra’ means ‘Ahoora’ and ‘Man’ means ‘house, position’. Hawraman is the region of Ahooramzda. ‘howr’ in
Avesta The Avesta (, Book Pahlavi: (), Persian language, Persian: ()) is the text corpus of Zoroastrian literature, religious literature of Zoroastrianism. All its texts are composed in the Avestan language and written in the Avestan alphabet. Mod ...
means sun, in this case Hawraman would be translated as ‘Territory of Sun’. “Avroman Takht” village is located in the center of Oraman district in the southwest of Kurdistan province and " Pir Shaliar" ceremony is held there every year. According to the people belief, Hawraman has been a large city and had a prominent centrality, because of that it has been called the throne or the center of government, and the ancient Iranian religions are in the historical memory of the ancestors of the people of this region and are preserved; and still the historical memories of people arising from the ancestors bear the historical rituals and it is strongly revered. Language, culture, and conventions of people express this ancient history. In this region, Zartoshti religion used to be taught before Islamic era. The language was derived from Sasanid Pahlavi . Avroman has many springs and rivers that most their water mainly flows into
Sirwan River The Sirwan (, , , ) is a river and tributary of the Tigris that originates in Iran. The Sirwan (or Sirvan) then runs mainly through eastern Iraq. It covers a total distance of . Course It rises near Hamadan, in the Zagros Mountains of Iran. Descen ...
. Bil spring (or Kani Bil) is one of these springs which has a discharge about 3000-4000 liters per second. The river which is made of Bil spring is the shortest river in the world with a total length of 15 meters. Construction of Darian Dam on the
Sirwan River The Sirwan (, , , ) is a river and tributary of the Tigris that originates in Iran. The Sirwan (or Sirvan) then runs mainly through eastern Iraq. It covers a total distance of . Course It rises near Hamadan, in the Zagros Mountains of Iran. Descen ...
between 2009 and 2015 initiated
The Darian Dam Archaeological Salvage Program Darian Dam was constructed on the Sirwan River between 2009 and 2015. The Dam is located in the Hawrāmān region of Kurdistan and Kermanshah. The Darian Dam Archeological Salvage Program (DDASP) was planned by the Iranian Center for Archaeological ...
that led to discovery of many archaeological sites before flooding of the reservoir.


Archaeology and history


Prehistoric periods

The earliest archaeological evidence shows that the region was inhabited by humans since
Middle Paleolithic The Middle Paleolithic (or Middle Palaeolithic) is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. The term Middle Stone Age is used as an equivalent or a synonym for the Middle P ...
Period (more than 40,000 years ago). This evidence was discovered by archaeologists near Hajij village and between Naw and Asparez villages in the Sirwan valley. These earliest finds include stone tools that made by
Neanderthal Neanderthals ( ; ''Homo neanderthalensis'' or sometimes ''H. sapiens neanderthalensis'') are an extinction, extinct group of archaic humans who inhabited Europe and Western and Central Asia during the Middle Pleistocene, Middle to Late Plei ...
s or Early Modern Humans. Evidence for Late Paleolithic occupation discovered in a cave site called Kenacheh in the Perdi Mala valley. These archaeological finds were unearthed during
Darian Dam Archaeological Salvage Program Darian Dam was constructed on the Sirwan River between 2009 and 2015. The Dam is located in the Hawrāmān region of Kurdistan and Kermanshah. The Darian Dam Archeological Salvage Program (DDASP) was planned by the Iranian Center for Archaeological ...
that conducted several seasons of archaeological surveys and excavations within the area of the reservoir that led to the discovery of a number of important Paleolithic and more later sites. The Main excavated sites were Dārāi Rockshelter (Middle Paleolithic), Kenācheh Cave (Upper Paleolithic), Ruwār tomb (Iron Age), Sar Cham (Chalcolithic and Iron Age), and Barda Mār (19th century). Except for Ruwar sites, all other excavated sites were flooded in 2015-2016. Several Paleolithic sites have been recorded in the south of Hawraman where Paleolithic hunters used two rock shelters for seasonal or short-term habitation near the villages of Shamshir and Zardui during a period that archaeologists call Middle Paleolithi
(Arkeonews)


Historic periods

The Inscription of Sargon II at Tang-i Var The Inscription of Sargon II at Tang-i Var is carved on the flanks of the Zinanah Mt. in the Tang-i Var pass in Hawraman, Iranian Kurdistan, about 50 km southwest of Sanandaj. It was discovered during an archaeological survey carried out by Sa ...
pass near the village of Tang-i Var, indicates that the region was occupied by Assyrians during their military campaigns into Zagros. This Royal Inscription belongs to Sargon II, King of Assyria (721–705 BC). The
Parchments of Avroman The Parchments of Avroman (or Awraman) are three parchment documents, found in 1909 in a cave in the Hawraman region of Iranian Kurdistan. They were found in Tang-i Var, Kuh-e Salan Mountain, near the village of Shahr Hawraman. The documents were f ...
, a set of three documents from the
Seleucid The Seleucid Empire ( ) was a Greek state in West Asia during the Hellenistic period. It was founded in 312 BC by the Macedonian general Seleucus I Nicator, following the division of the Macedonian Empire founded by Alexander the Great, a ...
and
Parthian Parthian may refer to: Historical * Parthian people * A demonym "of Parthia", a region of north-eastern of Greater Iran * Parthian Empire (247 BC – 224 AD) * Parthian language, a now-extinct Middle Iranian language * Parthian shot, an archery sk ...
eras, were found in the region in 1909. They were discovered in a cave on Kuh-e Salan Mountain, near the village of Shar Hawraman, and subsequently sent to London. The documents date from 88/87 BC to 33 AD, with two written in Greek and one in Parthian. They document the sale of a vineyard and another land, and include the names of Pātaspak, son of Tīrēn and Awīl, son of Baænīn. Ancient religions are also practiced throughout Avroman and the region is home to the ancient holy places of the
Yarsan Yarsanism (), Ahl-e Haqq (; ), or Kaka'i, is an inherited, syncretic religion founded by Sultan Sahak in the late 14th century in western Iran. The total number of followers of Yarsanism is estimated to be over half a million to one million in ...
faith. Some scholars believe that the name ''Hawraman'' or ''Huraman'' has strong connections to the ancient Zoroastrian faith and claim that the name may have originated from ''Ahuraman'' or
Ahura Mazda Ahura Mazda (; ; or , ),The former is the New Persian rendering of the Avestan form, while the latter derives from Middle Persian. also known as Horomazes (),, is the only creator deity and Sky deity, god of the sky in the ancient Iranian ...
. Ahura Mazda is the name of God in the ancient Indo-Iranian
Avestan Avestan ( ) is the liturgical language of Zoroastrianism. It belongs to the Iranian languages, Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family and was First language, originally spoken during the Avestan period, Old ...
language and comes from the ancient
Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, Zoroaster ( ). Among the wo ...
faith, which is still being practiced by very small numbers of people in the region. Many areas in the Avroman region are believed to have been pilgrimage sites for Zoroastrians prior to the advent of Islam. One of the oldest Islamic period evidence is Negel quran. A leather-bound Quran written in the Kufic script with gilded page borders, dates to 4th century AH (913 CE – 1009 CE) which is kept in a mosque in the Negel village.


Iran-Iraq war

At the start of the Iran-Iraq war, most of Avroman came under the control of
Sipay Rizgari The Salvation Force (Kurdish: سپای ڕزگاری; Sipay Rizgarî) was a Naqshbandi Sufi Islamist militant group composed of Kurds, active in the Avroman region of Iranian Kurdistan during the 1979–1983 Kurdistan conflict and Iran-Iraq war ...
, an anti-government militant group backed by Iraq. In September–October 1981, the city of Avroman Takht and surrounding settlements were retaken by Iranian forces.


Culture

The inhabitants of Avroman are Hewrami, who speak the
Hawrami Gorani (), also known by the name of its main dialect, Hawrami (, ''Hewramî''), is a Northwestern Iranian language spoken by ethnic Kurds in northeastern Iraq and northwestern Iran and which with Zaza constitute the Zaza–Gorani languages ...
dialect of the
Gorani language Gorani (), also known by the name of its main dialect, Hawrami (, ''Hewramî''), is a Northwestern Iranian language spoken by ethnic Kurds in northeastern Iraq and northwestern Iran and which with Zaza language, Zaza constitute the Zaza–Gor ...
. Traditional clothing for women includes either a vest or long-sleeved jacket or long overcoat worn over a gown. An under dress and puffy pants is worn beneath the gown. Traditionally women wore Hewrami hats ornamented with valued coloured stones, beads and gold pieces. Usually younger women and young girls wear brightly coloured dresses adorned with many beads and sequins and the older women wear darker colours and white head-cover. Hawrami men generally wear a shirt; a vest with an open neck; and baggy trousers fitted at the ankles. A cotton sash 3–4 m long is folded in half lengthwise and wrapped tightly around the torso on waist. Men also wore traditional brown felt jackets with pointed shoulders called Kolabal. Siyaw Chemane is a style of singing practiced by the Hewrams in Avroman people and means hymn song in Hewrami. It is performed without the use of any instruments, with the exception of the occasional use of a Kurdish hand-drum or Daff. Today, the Siya Cheman style is used mostly for storytelling and entertainment.


Wildlife

Hawraman is home to divers fauna, including the
Persian leopard ''Panthera pardus tulliana'', also called Persian leopard, Anatolian leopard, and Caucasian leopard in different parts of its range, is a leopard subspecies that was first described in 1856 based on a zoological specimen found in western Anato ...
(''Panthera pardus tulliana''),
brown bear The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear native to Eurasia and North America. Of the land carnivorans, it is rivaled in size only by its closest relative, the polar bear, which is much less variable in size and slightly bigger on av ...
(''Ursus arctos''),
mouflon The mouflon (''Ovis gmelini'') is a wild sheep native to Cyprus, and the Caspian region, including eastern Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Iran. It is also found in parts of Europe. It is thought to be the ancestor of all modern domest ...
(''Ovis orientalis orientalis''),
wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...
(''Canis lupus''), and
Wild goat The wild goat (''Capra aegagrus'') is a wild goat species, inhabiting forests, shrublands and rocky areas ranging from Turkey and the Caucasus in the west to Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan in the east. It has been listed as near threaten ...
(''Capra aegrarus'') that can be found throughout the region. Buzin and Markhil Protected Area (Kurdish: بوزین و مارخێڵ) is located at the southwest of Hawraman in
Paveh Paveh ( Persian and Kurdish: پاوه) is a city in the Central District of Paveh County, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is in a region called Hawraman. History An old myth regarding ...
and
Javanrud Javanrud () is a city in the Central District of Javanrud County, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. The city is 79 kilometers north of Kermanshah and is 1,300 meters above sea level. Ety ...
counties of Kermanshah province. Hunting and shooting is prohibited and in 1999, it was registered as a protected area.


Cultural Landscape of Uramanat

Cultural Landscape of Hawraman or
Cultural Landscape of Uramanat Cultural Landscape of Hawraman or Cultural Landscape of Uramanat is the 26th tangible cultural heritage of Iran. This remote and mountainous landscape bears testimony to the traditional culture of the Hawrami people, an agropastoral Kurdish tribe t ...
is the 26th tangible cultural heritage of Iran.The property is located in the provinces of
Kurdistan Kurdistan (, ; ), or Greater Kurdistan, is a roughly defined geo- cultural region in West Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languages, and national identity have historically been based. G ...
and
Kermanshah Kermanshah is a city in the Central District (Kermanshah County), Central District of Kermanshah province, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is from Tehran in the western pa ...
along the western border of Iran.Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
/ref> The Uramanat Villages are located in the mountainous
Kermanshah Kermanshah is a city in the Central District (Kermanshah County), Central District of Kermanshah province, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is from Tehran in the western pa ...
and
Kurdistan Kurdistan (, ; ), or Greater Kurdistan, is a roughly defined geo- cultural region in West Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languages, and national identity have historically been based. G ...
Provinces of
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
and
Halabja Governorate Halabja Governorate (, ) is a governorate in the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan Region in Iraq. The governorate was established in 2014, splitting off from Sulaymaniyah Governorate and becoming the fourth governorate in the Kurdistan Region ...
of
Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdistan or Southern Kurdistan () refers to the Kurds, Kurdish-populated part of northern Iraq. It is considered one of the four parts of Greater Kurdistan in West Asia, which also includes parts of southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdist ...
. The villages are unique in terms of architecture, lifestyle, and agricultural methodology. Villages are integrated with nature by incorporating steep-slope agriculture.The Cultural Landscape of Uramanat - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
/ref> The 12 villages included in the property illustrate the Hawrami people's evolving responses to the scarcity of productive land in their mountainous environment through the millennia. On July 28, 2021, This site was first added to the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
Tentative List on August 9, 2007. On July 27, 2021, it along with part of the Hawraman region were officially inscribed on the World Heritage List as a cultural site under the name "Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat". Hawraman Cultural Landscape was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as the 26th tangible cultural heritage of Iran at the 44th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee.


References


Gallery

File:Selin village.JPG, A Hawrami child in Kurdish clothing. File:Kurdish dance at Hawraman, Kurdistan.jpg, alt=Kurdish_dance_at_Hawraman,_Kurdistan., Kurdish dance at Hawraman, Kurdistan. File:A typical landscape of the Hawraman region, Kurdistan.jpg, alt=A_typical_landscape_of_the_Hawraman_region,_Kurdistan., A typical landscape of the Hawraman region, Kurdistan. File:Kurdish cloth from Hawraman.jpg, alt=Kurdish_cloth_from_Hawraman., Kurdish cloth from Hawraman. File:A group of Kurdish men with traditional clothing at Hawraman, Kurdistan.jpg, alt=A_group_of_Kurdish_men_with_traditional_clothing_at_Hawraman,_Kurdistan., A group of Kurdish men with traditional clothing at Hawraman, Kurdistan. File:Wedding ceremony at a Kurdish village.jpg, alt=Wedding_ceremony_at_a_Kurdish_village., Wedding ceremony at a Kurdish village. File:A Hawrami man with traditional clothing, Kurdistan.jpg, alt=A_Hawrami_man_with_traditional_clothing,_Kurdistan., A Hawrami man with traditional clothing, Kurdistan. File:Kurdish New Year ceremony of Nawroz, Palangan village, Hawraman,Kurdistan.jpg, alt=Kurdish_New_Year_ceremony_of_Nawroz,_Palangan_village,_Hawraman,Kurdistan., Kurdish New Year ceremony of
Newroz Newroz () is the Kurdish celebration of Nowruz; the arrival of spring and new year in Kurdish culture. The lighting of the fires at the beginning of the evening of March 20 is the main symbol of Newroz among the Kurds. In Zoroastrianism, fire i ...
, Palangan village, Hawraman, Kurdistan.


External links

* Omid Sālehi, ''Customs of the Land of Stone and Wind'' (''Ā'in-e Sar'zamin-e Sang va Bād''), in Persian, Jadid Online, 5 May 2009


Audio slideshow

(5 min 39 sec).
Note: The place shown in the above audio slideshow is Orāmān, to the North of Paveh, Pāveh. As of today (May 2009), this place has a population of approximately 3500. {{coord missing, Kurdistan Province Regions of Iraq Regions of Iran Geography of Iraq Geography of Kurdistan province Geography of Kermanshah province Geography of Kurdistan World Heritage Sites in Iran