Hawraman (also called Uramanat) is the name of the historical valley located in the mountains shared between the two provinces of Kurdistan and Kermanshah in the west of Iran. Uramanat is the Kurdish word for Hawraman which is pronounced Huraaman and generally in different parts of Iran is called Uramanat, Huraaman or Avro man and in ancient Persian language it means the land of Ahura Mazda (the supreme god in ancient Iranian religion). It is also the name of the mountainous region of Hawraman valley. In June 2021, The Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat 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. This valley is one of the main natural/historical attractions of the west of Iran and it was unknown for many years. Along the long history of the region and Kurdish people, the valley has many villages which has a unique stair like architecture. The villages are special in the way the rural areas house many dense and step-like rows of accommodation in such a way that the roof of each house forms the yard of the upper one, making it an exceptional sight to see. The rich culture of Hawraman people which is famous for their hospitality is one of the other attractions of Uramanat and makes this destination different from other regions. From 3000 BCE Kurdish tribes have inhabited the region and have agro pastoral activity in this valley. Kurdish people are famous for being the tough guys and they are used to live and survive in the mountains for many years. Hawraman is in the heart of Zagros Mountains range and there are a lot of springs and rivers there. Also, a river flowing from the important river of Sirvan creates a magnificent ecosystem in the valley. It is surrounded by huge mountains with deep canyons that make an amazing landscape in Kurdistan land. There is a famous spring called Bil (Kani Bil) which is one of the largest water resources in the whole region, and it has a discharge of about 3000-4000 liters per second.
As a semi nomadic people Hawraman do a seasonal vertical migration, in the winters they migrate to the lowlands to take shelter from the cold and in the summers occupy their highland properties to escape the high temperatures. This is a fairy used practice in most parts of Iran that share this type of land. They have an uninterrupted presence in the land, they’re famous in Iran’s history for being the only people to stand successfully against Alexander the great when he reached Iran and making a lot of damage to his army, which is characterized by their endemism evidenced by found items in their territory. They’ve been successful in adapting to their environment and keeping their culture and history untouched by the passing years.
They have a special traditional event every year called Pir-e Shaliar which is perform in the winter. The people come from many different villages to Hawraman Takht village and they wear their own colorful traditional clothes and have Kurdish historical dances that they do at this event, they also make their local foods in the ceremony. For cultural/historical travelers spring and autumn are the best times to visit here but it’s noteworthy all year round. The road during winter will sometimes get covered in snow but it makes a spectacular scene with a broad range of view for landscape photographers.
