Kermanshah

"Kermanshah" derives from the Sasanian era title Kirmanshah, which translates as "King of Kerman". This title was held by the son of Shapur III, Prince Bahram, who was bestowed with the title upon being appointed governor of the province of Kirman (present-day Kerman Province). Later, in 390, when he had already succeeded his father as Bahram IV Kirmanshah (r. 388–399), he founded the city and his title was applied to it, i.e. "(City of the) King of Kirman".

Kermanshah is considered one of the cradles of prehistoric cultures. According to archaeological surveys and excavation, the Kermanshah area has been occupied by prehistoric people since the Lower Paleolithic period, and continued to later Paleolithic periods until late Pleistocene period. The Lower Paleolithic evidence consists of some hand axes found in the Gakia area to the east of the city. The Middle Paleolithic remains have been found in various parts of the province, especially in the northern vicinity of the city in Tang-e Kenesht, Tang-e Malaverd and near Taq-e Bostan. Neanderthal Man existed in the Kermanshah region during this period and the only discovered skeletal remains of this early human in Iran was found in three caves and rock shelter situated in Kermanshah province. The known Paleolithic caves in this area are Warwasi, Qobeh, Malaverd and Do-Ashkaft Cave. …

Kermanshah has a montane climate; heavily influenced by the proximity of the Zagros mountains, it is classified as a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa) or a hot-summer oceanic climate (Trewartha: Dohk). The city's altitude and exposed location relative to westerly winds makes precipitation a little bit high (more than twice that of Tehran), but at the same time produces huge diurnal temperature swings especially in the virtually rainless summers, which remain extremely hot during the day. Kermanshah experiences rather cold winters and there are usually rainfalls in fall and spring. Snow cover is seen for at least a couple of weeks in winter. Highest recorded temperature: 44.1 °C (111.4 °F) on 13 July 1998Lowest recorded temperature: −27.0 °C (−16.6 °F) on 6 February 1974

Kermanshah sights include Kohneh Bridge, Behistun Inscription, Taq-e Bostan, Temple of Anahita, Dinavar, Ganj Dareh, Essaqwand Rock Tombs, Sorkh Deh chamber tomb, Malek Tomb, Hulwan, Median dakhmeh (Darbad, Sahneh), Parav cave, Do-Ashkaft Cave, Takyeh Moaven-ol-Molk, Dokan Davood Inscription, Sarpol-e Zahab, Taq-e Gara, Sarab-e Nilufar, Quri Qala Cave, Statue of Hercules in Behistun, Emad o dolah Mosque, Jameh Mosque of Kermanshah, Godin Tepe, Behistun Inscription#Other historical monuments in the Behistun complex, and Anubanini rock relief. Taq-e Bostan is a series of large rock reliefs dating to the Sasanian era (224–651 AD). This example of Sasanian art is located 5 km (3 mi) from the city center of Kermanshah in western Iran. It is located in the heart of the Zagros mountains, where it has endured almost 1,700 years of wind and rain. …

At the time of the 2006 census, the city's population was 784,602 in 202,588 households. The following census in 2011 counted 851,405 people in 242,311 households. The last census measured the population of the city as 946,651 in 2016 and the 2025 estimate is around 1,117,000. The languages in Kermanshah are Southern Kurdish and Persian. The Kurdish language spoken in the city is called Kermashani, which is a variety of Southern Kurdish. People in the city speak Kermanshahi Persian, a local dialect which differs from standard Persian. The city has the largest Kurdish population in Iran. The predominance of Kurdish in the city has been the subject of several sociolinguistic studies documenting ongoing language maintenance and strong intergenerational transmission of the Kermashani dialect alongside bilingualism in Persian. …