Borujerd, Lorestan Province, Iran

🇮🇷 Borujerd (بروجرد) is a city and the capital of Borujerd County, Lorestan Province in western Iran. 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 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. Moreover, one of Iran's oldest mosques, the Jameh Mosque of Borujerd, was constructed on the remains of a Zoroastrian fire temple. 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 "Borujerd" stems from the Middle Persian word Wurūgird/Wulūgird/Orodhkard, meaning "built by Orodes". 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". The local name of the city is voroogerd.

History 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".

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 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. The high-elevated Zagros Mountains surrounds it from South East to North West and the peaks are covered with snow most of the times. 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.

Population Borujerd City is the 31st largest city in Iran and the 2nd largest in Lorestan. Borujerd is the industrial point of Lorestan. Its historical and cultural background as well as its remarkable nature, has changed it to a tourist destination. The city has been named as Dār-Al-Sorur which means the house of happiness.

Language The people of Borujerd speak mostly the Borujerdi dialect, which is a distinctive dialect on the continuum between Luri and Persian, though to high degree affected by the specific accent common among the Jewish population of Borujerd since their escape from Mesopotamia. Other speech varieties such as Luri, Laki, and the local Judæo-Iranian dialect can be heard as well.

Historical attractions • Jameh Mosque of Borujerd • Soltani Mosque of Borujerd • Imamzadeh Ja'far, Borujerd • Imamzadeh Ghasem, Borujerd • Imamzadeh Ibrahim, Borujerd • Imamzadeh Shahzadeh Abol-Hasan, Borujerd • Imamzadeh Vallian, Borujerd • Imamzadeh Ghasem, Borujerd • Zavvarian Tomb of Borujerd • Ghaleh Hatam Bridge, Borujerd • Chalanchulan Bridge, Borujerd • Ghorogh Hill, Borujerd • Roomian Hill, Borujerd • Bazaar of Borujerd.

Parks and natural attractions • Goldasht Valley, Borujerd • Vennaii Village, Borujerd • Chogha Hill of Borujerd • Bishe Dalan Pound, Borujerd • Oshtorankuh, Dorood • Women's Park of Borujerd.