Sanandaj

Overview

Sanandaj is located in the south of Kurdistan Province, at the altitude of 1450 to 1538 meters above sea level. This city climate is cold and semi-arid. Originally known as Senna (as it still is to local Kurds), the city was of major importance in the middle Ages but withered to nothing in the chaotic post-Chaldoran era. A dej (fortress) was   built here in the early 18th century   and   Senna-dej slowly developed into Sanandaj.

Sanandaj occupies a fertile valley in the Zagros Mountains. The city is a major manufacturing and retail trade center with many diverse products, including carpets, cotton textiles, leather, metal ware, cutlery, pottery, wood furniture and wood crafts, milled rice, refined sugar, and processed foods. Its old bazaar is noted as a place to buy Kurdish handicrafts.

Sanandaj is home to the ruins of an 11^th and 12^th century fortress, the Dar al-Ehsan Mosque, and the Sanandaj Museum. The museum is housed in a 19th century royal palace whose Arusi Room, or Wedding Room, is considered a masterpiece of handcrafted woodwork.

The area around Sanandaj is known for its many mountain caves, hot springs, and freshwater lakes, many of which cater to tourists. The nature around Sanandaj is very beautiful.

The spoken language in the city is Kurdish, but the language which is used in schools and offices is Persian, as the official language in Iran in which almost everyone in the city is fluent.

Even by Iran’s super-hospitable standards, Sanandaj is a remarkably friendly city. It’s the capital of Kordestan province, a good base for visits to Marivan, and a great place to learn more about Kurdish history and culture. You’ll see plenty of men wearing traditional cummerbunds and baggy Kurdish trousers. Yet it’s a modern, noticeably prosperous city with a large, fashionable population of students keen to try out their English. In Sanandaj’s Sorani-Kurdish language, ju-an means beautiful and deso hoshbe means thank you.
Busily commercial Ferdosi St links the twin centres of Enqelab Sq and Azadi Sq. From the latter, Abidar St slopes up into the folds of a rocky ridge that was the city’s historic defence and is today the pleasant Abidar mountain park.

Sights

• Asef Mansion; Museum

A fascinating museum of Kurdish culture awaits in a restored two-storey mansion dating back to the Safavids, complete with subterranean hammam. Mannequins are dressed in the distinctive tribal costumes still worn in valleys around Kordestan province. One room features Sanandaj’s wood-inlay crafts; another has busts of prominent Kurds. The inner courtyard with its pond is a pleasant place to escape the traffic. A side courtyard leads through to a vaulted gallery that has sporadic art exhibitions.

• Lotfolla Sheik-al-Islam Mansion; Museum

The well-renovated Qajar Lotfolla Sheikh-al-Islam Mansion houses the regional museum, whose orosi (multicoloured windows) – said to have 42,000 pieces of stained glass – were designed for practicality as well as beauty: supposedly they disorient mosquitoes. Exhibits include some extraordinarily old pottery and metalwork treasures, and the odd skeleton.

• Moshir Divan; Historic Site

This iconic Qajar mansion, one of several historic buildings in town that are undergoing excruciatingly slow renovations, hides seven courtyards behind its formidable entrance off Sho-hoda St. Buzz if the doors are closed.

• Khan Hammam

One of sever-al historic hammams of Sanandaj, the unusual 1805 Khan Hammam has grey-and-white floral and bird motifs, attractive tiling and remarkably lifelike ‘bathers’. The easily missed door has a brass ‘fist’ knocker: enter the bazaar just north of Engelab Sq and go about 100m, then start asking.

• Khosroabad Mansion

This for-merly grand mansion was once the palace of Amonulla Khan. It has an impressive central courtyard with reflecting pools but is otherwise now in a fairly parlous state. Find it at the western end of the park behind the hospital on Keshavarz St.

• Masjed-e Jameh

This Qajar-era mosque was built for Amonulla Khan, with tiled twin minarets, 32 interior domes and two verandas.

• PALANGAN

Brilliant Palangan is one of Iran’s most picturesque villages. Its earth-coloured stone houses climb   steeply up both   sides   of a rocky chasm while traditionally dressed villagers shoe horses in the narrow path- ways or simply stand gazing from their flat rooftops. Wobbly old bridges cross the gushing river at either end of town.  Unlike Howraman, though, this is not an ‘undiscovered’ gem.  Local tourists come in considerable numbers at weekends to picnic in the local orchards. However, because many come dressed up in Kurdish Friday-best costumes this adds further photogenic colour to the scene