Khorramâbâd

Khorramabad lies in a valley of the Zagros, where the river of the same name flows beneath the great citadel of Falak al-Aflak. Built on a rocky height, the fortress with its towers and deep well was the seat of the atabegs of Luristan. Below it, a bazaar served the surrounding mountain communities, while bridges carried travellers across the river.

Shah Abbas I captured the formidable citadel in 1597 as the Safavids brought Luristan under their authority. In the early nineteenth century Mohammad Ali Mirza, son of Fath Ali Shah and governor of the region, built a palace within the old fortress. Its commanding position continued to make Khorramabad a centre of power among the valleys and pastoral lands of the western Zagros.