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Kermanshah is one of the 30 provinces of Iran. It is in the west of the country, bordering Iraq. Its center is Kermanshah. Between 1979 and the 1990s, the province was known as Bakhtaran.
The province is settled mostly by Iranian Kurds and Luri speakers.
Large parts of the province are flat and fertile, producing grain, rice, vegetables and fruits. High mountain ranges closer to the Iraqi border are home to Kurdish tribes people.
During the Iran-Iraq War the province saw heavy fighting. Most towns and cities were badly damaged, some like Zar-e Pol-e Zahab and Qhasr-e Shirin virtually destroyed.
During the period of the Achaemenids and later during the Sassanids the province and its capital were important centres of the Persian Empire. Significant archaeological locations are Bisoutoun, Tagh-e Bostan and the temple of Anahita in Kangavar.
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