Cultural Landscape of Hawraman/Uramanat
A vertical world made habitable: the Hawrami people of western Iran have terraced near-vertical limestone cliffs into one of the most dramatic and intact mountain civilisations on earth, earning UNESCO recognition in 2021.
At a glance
Straddling the Zagros mountain chain across Kurdistan and Kermanshah provinces, Hawraman (also spelled Uraman or Uramanat) is a series of valleys and mountain villages perched at 800–2,500 metres elevation. Every available surface has been terraced and cultivated over centuries by the Kurdish-speaking Hawrami people, who have developed a civilisation exquisitely adapted to one of the most rugged terrains in the Middle East. The UNESCO World Heritage inscription of 2021 — only the second Iranian cultural landscape so recognised — acknowledges Hawraman as among the most intact examples of terraced mountain civilisation in Western Asia.
Key facts
- UNESCO inscription: 2021 (Cultural Landscape)
- Location: Kurdistan and Kermanshah provinces, western Iran
- Elevation range: 800–2,500 m above sea level
- Geology: Tertiary limestone of the Zagros fold-and-thrust belt
- People: Hawrami (a Kurdish-speaking ethnic group with distinct dialect and traditions)
- Key villages: Palangan (waterfall village, Kermanshah Province), Uraman al-Takht (cliff village, 1,300 m), Naw
- Primary economic activities: Rain-fed terraced agriculture, walnut orchards, bee-keeping
- Distinctive ritual: Pir Shalyar ceremony — a 3-day winter festival of communal work and shared song, documented for over 1,000 years
History and civilisation
The Hawrami people speak Hawrami (also called Gorani), a Northwestern Iranian language older than standard Kurdish and considered one of the most archaic living Iranian languages. Their presence in these valleys is documented for millennia, though the precise origin of the terracing system is unclear; the agricultural landscape has been continuously shaped and reshaped across many generations.
The Pir Shalyar ceremony — held in the village of Uraman al-Takht each winter — is one of the most ancient living ritual traditions in Iran. For three days the entire male community gathers for communal work, feasting, and song, performing music and reciting poetry that links them to a semi-mythological saint-king figure. The ceremony has been practised continuously for at least 1,000 years and was inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list separately from the landscape itself.
The region’s strategic position on the Iran–Iraq border meant centuries of political contestation; Hawraman was part of the Ottoman–Safavid frontier zone and later became a zone of Kurdish autonomy movements. Despite this turbulent history, the physical landscape and cultural traditions have survived largely intact.
What you see
The villages of Hawraman are architectural wonders born of necessity. Built in stepped formations against near-vertical limestone cliffs, each house is constructed so that its flat roof serves as the courtyard or terrace of the house immediately above it. The result is entire settlements that appear as a single multi-storey structure cascading down the rock face — a living architecture that makes the boundary between built and natural environment almost invisible.
Palangan village in Kermanshah Province is perhaps the most photographed: the Palangan River cascades down through the settlement, and the terraced houses rise on both sides of the gorge to create a waterfall village of extraordinary visual power. Uraman al-Takht, perched at 1,300 m on a near-vertical cliff overlooking the Sirvan River gorge, is more austere and remote — accessible only by difficult mountain tracks.
The agricultural terraces themselves are engineering achievements: dry-stone retaining walls hold narrow shelves of cultivated soil on slopes that appear nearly uncultivable. Walnut trees, fruit orchards, and grain fields occupy every terrace, while beehives — traditional clay cylinders stacked in rows — are a characteristic sight on sunny rock faces throughout the valleys.
Practical information
- Best time to visit: Late spring (April–June) for green terraces and wildflowers; autumn (September–October) for harvest colours and walnut season
- Access point: Paveh city (Kermanshah Province) is the main gateway; Marivan (Kurdistan Province) for the northern valleys
- Pir Shalyar ceremony: Held in Uraman al-Takht village mid-winter (exact dates vary by lunar calendar) — a rare opportunity to witness a living ancient ritual
- Accommodation: Basic guesthouses in Palangan and Paveh; homestays available in some villages
- Note: The Iran–Iraq border region requires normal travel documentation; some areas near the border may have restricted access
Getting there
The nearest major city is Kermanshah (approximately 120 km from Palangan), accessible by air from Tehran. From Kermanshah, shared taxis and occasional buses run to Paveh, the main gateway town for the southern Hawraman valleys. The mountain roads are scenic but winding; a 4WD vehicle is advisable for village access. From Marivan (Kurdistan Province), the northern Hawraman villages are accessible by local transport.
Nearby
The Bisotun UNESCO World Heritage Site (a monumental Achaemenid rock inscription of Darius the Great, 521 BCE) lies approximately 180 km to the east near Kermanshah city. The Taq-e Bostan Sasanian rock reliefs are a further cultural landmark near Kermanshah. The broader Zagros mountain range offers additional traditional villages and landscapes continuous with the Hawraman zone.
Sources
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