Borujerd

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A city of crossroads in the Zagros

Borujerd sits at the foothills where the western plateau meets the towering Zagros ranges, making it a natural meeting point for itinerant traders travelling between the Persian Gulf and the Iranian plateau. While the medieval caravans are long gone, the legacy endures in the city’s layout: narrow alleys radiate from a central bazaar that still hosts weekly livestock markets, where shepherds from nearby highland villages bring their flocks. For a visitor, wandering these lanes offers a glimpse of how geography shaped commerce long before modern highways, and the surrounding plains provide striking backdrops for early morning hikes that capture the city’s role as a gateway between valleys.

Seasonal rhythms beyond the calendar

The 1,573‑metre elevation gives Borujerd a climate that shifts dramatically within a single day. In spring, the surrounding orchards burst into blossom, and the scent of sour cherry and apricot drifts through the streets, signalling the start of harvest festivals that are largely community affairs rather than tourist spectacles. Summer afternoons can become unexpectedly cool in the shadows of adjacent peaks, prompting locals to retreat to rooftop tea houses where they sip Persian black tea while watching the sunset over the mountains. Autumn brings a subtle golden haze that turns the city’s historic stone facades a warm amber, a perfect moment for photographers to capture the interplay of light and the region’s age‑old brickwork.

What guidebooks miss: the living heritage of craftsmanship

Beyond the well‑documented mosques and statues, Borujerd sustains a modest yet vibrant tradition of carpet weaving and copper smithing passed down through generations of artisans. Workshops tucked behind unassuming doorways in neighbourhoods like Jame‑e Jadid still produce hand‑knotted rugs featuring geometric motifs inspired by nearby mountain silhouettes. Visitors who take the time to watch a weaver at work discover a dialogue between pattern and place, as the weaver often incorporates the colour palette of the surrounding sage‑green hills. Similarly, local copper smiths continue to forge small utilitarian items—tea sets, candlesticks—using techniques that pre‑date industrial production, offering a tactile link to the city’s historic role as an industrial hub.

Introduction

City in Lorestan province, Iran For the administrative division of Lorestan province, see Borujerd County. City in Lorestan, IranBorujerd Persian: بروجردCityTop left: Grand yard of Sultani mosque, Middle: Outlook of Zagros Mountains, Bottom left: Eftekhar-al-Eslam old house, Bottom right: the statute of Arash the ArcherBorujerdCoordinates: 33°54′40″N 48°45′08″E / 33.91111°N 48.75222°E / 33.91111; 48.75222CountryIranProvinceLorestanCountyBorujerdDistrictCentralArea • Total43 km2 (17 sq mi)Elevation1,573 m (5,161 ft)Population (2016) • Total234,497 • Density5,500/km2 (14,000/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+03:30 (IRST)Area code(+98) 66 Borujerd (Persian: بروجرد; [boɾuːˈdʒeɾd]) is a city in the Central District of Borujerd County, Lorestan province in western Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Among the existing modern cities in Iran, Borujerd is one of the oldest reported at least since the 9th century. In Sassanid Empire, Borujerd was a small town and region neighboring Nahavand. Gaining more attention during Great Seljuq Empire in the 9th and 10th centuries, Borujerd stood as an industrial, commercial and strategic city in Zagros Mountains until the 20th century. In its golden ages, Borujerd was selected as the state capital of Lorestan and Khuzestan region during Qajar dynasty in the 18th and 19th centuries. Due to the existence of a large number of production and industrial units and the supply of their products in the domestic and foreign markets, Borujerd is considered the industrial hub of Lorestan province.

Foundation and name

[edit] City Gate of Boroudgerd by Eugène Flandin Old gate of Imamzadeh Jafar Tabatabai House The history of Borujerd before the advent of Islam is not well known. Parthian-era artifacts have been discovered in its environs by non-professional excavators. A former Zoroastrian fire temple once stood on the site where one of Iran's oldest mosques, the Jameh Mosque of Borujerd, was later constructed. This proves that the region was populated before Islam arrived. The Parthian king Orodes II (r. 57–37 BC) is credited by some academics with laying the city's foundation. They believe that the Parthian word Wurūgird/Wulūgird/Orodhkard ("built by Orodes") was the original version of "Borujerd". Others consider it to have been built by the Sasanian king Peroz I (r. 459–484), arguing that "Piruzgird" was its original name, before being changed into "Burugird", and then later Arabicised into "Burujird".

History

[edit] Only from the 9th-century does the name "Borujerd" appear in Islamic chronicles. It first appears in the Kitāb al-buldān of Ibn al-Faqih (fl. 903), and is later reported in various forms, such as "Warukird", "Warugird", "Barugird" and "Barujird". In 1809, the governorship of Lorestan and Khuzestan was granted to the Qajar prince Mohammad Taqi Mirza. He made Borujerd his residence and, to protect the town, created a moat around it and repaired the old fortress. Borujerd developed into a sizable garrison town and a significant military hub by the end of the 18th century. It was used by the Qajars as a base for campaigns aimed at consolidating control over the western regions, especially against the Lur tribes. Esteemed religious institutions operated in Borujerd during the Qajar era, producing two distinguished Shia scholars, Asad Allah Borujerdi (died c. 1854) and Hossein Borujerdi (died 1961).

Geography and climate

[edit] Location[edit] Borujerd city is located approximately 1670 meters above sea level and has a moderate climate with cold winters. The highest point is Garrin Mountain 3623 m above sea level and the lowest area is Gelerood River in South with 1400 m elevation. Borujerd Township has 2600 km2 area with approximately 400,000 inhabitants distributed in the city of Oshtorinan and more than 180 villages. Owing to favorable topographic and climatic conditions, the plains are devoted to cultivation of grain. Wherever irrigation is possible (by means of qanāts, wells, diversion of water of streams), cotton, melons, grapes, and fruit trees (especially almonds) are grown. Borujerd is located on Silakhor Plain which is the largest agricultural land of Lorestan.[citation needed] The high-elevated Zagros Mountains surrounds it from South East to North West and the peaks are covered with snow most of the time. Rural people work in farms or keep their domestic animals. Other people work in governmental offices, armed forces, factories or small local businesses. The feet of Zagros Mountains is a great destination for nomads and many Lurs and Bakhtiari nomads move there in summer. The area is paved with highways and is a crossroad between Tehran and Khuzestan Province as well as Isfahan Province and Kermanshah Province. Climate[edit] Borujerd's climate is classified as Mediterranean(Köppen: Csa) with dry and very hot summers and cold winters. Most of the precipitation falls in colder months from November to April. Snowfall can be observed in winter, which can sometimes become heavy and cause school closures in the county. Road access to villages can also be disturbed because of snow. Climate data for Borujerd (1989-2010) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Daily mean °C (°F) 1.1(34.0) 3.8(38.8) 8.1(46.6) 13.1(55.6) 17.9(64.2) 23.8(74.8) 27.8(82.0) 27.4(81.3) 22.7(72.9) 16.9(62.4) 9.7(49.5) 4.6(40.3) 14.7(58.5) Average precipitation mm (inches) 61.4(2.42) 61.8(2.43) 89.0(3.50) 68.9(2.71) 22.4(0.88) 2.5(0.10) 0.5(0.02) 0.7(0.03) 0.8(0.03) 19.9(0.78) 64.7(2.55) 65.9(2.59) 458.5(18.04) Source: IRIMO(temperature)(precipitation)

Borujerd

From Wikipedia

A city of crossroads in the Zagros

Seasonal rhythms beyond the calendar

What guidebooks miss: the living heritage of craftsmanship

Introduction

Foundation and name

History

Demographics

Geography and climate

Historical attractions

Parks and natural attractions

Notable people

Gallery