Kohkiluyeh Va Boyer Ahmad

Main Townships: Dehdasht, Gachsaran, Yasooj. Main Attractions: Dogoor-e-dopa Fire Temple, Dokhtar Castle, Margoon Waterfall, Shapour City (Old Dehdasht), etc.

Townships, Kohkiluyeh Va Boyer Ahmad

Boyer Ahmad (Yasooj)

The township of Boyer Ahmad with its center as Yasooj (the center of province) is limited to the north by the city of Lordegan (of the Chahar Mahal Va Bakhtiyari province), and Semirom (Esfahan province), to the east is Eqleed, to the south is Sepeedan and Mamasani (Fars Province) and in the west it is limited to Kohkiluyeh.

This city is located in a cold region and has a cold winters and temperate summers. In this region snow and rainfall is plentiful and due to coverage of its summits and valleys by lots of snow, at all seasons of the year it has enough water. Yasooj is in a vast forested plain. Formerly, there was an old town there, named of Talkhosro, at a distance 6 km. from Yasooj and was a center of the Khans (tribal chiefs) of the time in Boyer Ahmad. After the years 1930 to 1944 new buildings were constructed in this part, but they were all ruined this after.

Gachsaran (Dogonbadan)

Gachsaran is one of the most extreme sections of Kohkiluyeh Va Boyer Ahmad province. This section was separated in 1959 from the township of Behbahan and came under the township of Kohkiluyeh and recently has been turned into a township. The petroleum region of Gachsaran is located in tropical part which has two kinds of dry and temperate weather. As a result of its oil fields it is one of the famous centers of petroleum exploitation and exploration, thus very important. Dogonbadan is the center of this township.

Kohkiluyeh (Dehdasht)

This township is limited in the north by Baq-e-Malek, Eazeh (Khuzestan province) and Lordegan (Chahar Mahal Va Bakhtiyari province) and in the south by Gachsaran, in the west are the cities of Behbahan and Ramhormoz (Khuzestan province) and in the northeast is Boyer Ahmad. This city has two kinds of climate that are quite different. A cold region and a tropical region providing winter-quarters for tribes. Sometimes in summer it is even cold in the summits of the mountains, whereas, warm weather prevails in the southern areas. This region has lots of mountains, where there are residential facilities.

Aryobarzan the Achaemenian commander in Takab a narrow pass of this region (in northeast of Behbahan) resisted against the army of Alexander the Macedonian. In a place called Tang-e-Sorook ancient constructions can be observed such as stone stairs and a statue, alongside a route related to the Sassanide period. The city of Dehdasht which is the center of Kohkiluyeh, in the past was one of the trading centers of Fars, Esfahan and Khuzestan provinces. In the Sassanid era , Qobad Sassani founded Arjan the present city of Behbahan, in the plain regions which was known as Qobad Khoreh. The mountainous regions were also called "Rome Zemigan".

In the post Islamic period Qobad Khoreh, was called Argan or Arjan and the mountainous region of "Rome Zemigan" was reputed as Kohkiluyeh. In later centuries when Arjan turned to ruins and was triumphed by the Afshar and Lors, most of this territory was called "Kohkiloyeh", its mountainous region "Posht Kooh" and its plain was called "Zir Kooh". Kohkiluyeh is one of the flourishing and developing townships of the province today.

Castles and Forts, Kohkiluyeh Va Boyer Ahmad

Chas (Lime) Castle, Dehdasht

The remains of the Chas Castle is at a distance of 30 km. southwest of Dehdasht amongst the limestone mountains and are close to the Se Gonbadan Fire-Temple. This castle is well known as Dar Mahtabi. Due to its location, it seems to have been held in high esteem in ancient times,i.e., Zoroastrians.

Dokhtar Castles, Doshman Ziyari, Kohkiluyeh

The construction of these types of castles are related to the sun worshipping and angel fertility beliefs. The Dokhtar Castles were usually big and small fire-temples that have been presented to the angel of fertility and many of them are reputedly known by the same name in different regions of the province. Dokhtar Castle, Doshman Ziyari, Dokhtar Kaltak Torab and Imamzadeh Dokhtar (daughter) Castle, and the Dokhtar Good Sorkh Castle are the famous castles of this province.

Mangasht Castle, Kohkiluyeh

This castle is one of the most important castles of Atabakan era of Lurestan. After segregation of Kohkiluyeh states from the Fars province and annexation of the former to Lurestan Atabakan Afrasiyab, (688-695) due to encounteblack pressures, was compelled to take shelter in this castle. But after the cancellation of this treaty by Arqoun Khan Mongol (680-690 AH.), he took hold of the Mangasht Castle. This castle is within 2 km. from the Bahmaei Valley, on the common borders of the Janaki and Bahmaie tribes.

Soleiman Fort, Gachsaran

This castle is probably from the times of the Esmailians movement and is located in Soleiman village 15 km. southwest of the Gachsaran township