Current Time in Borūjerd, Iran

Borūjerd lies in western Iran, in the north of Lorestan province, spread across a fertile plain enclosed by the folded ridges of the Zagros mountains at about sixteen hundred metres above sea level. Snow-capped peaks rise to the south and east, streams from the mountains water orchards and wheat fields around the city, and the climate is cold in winter and dry and pleasantly warm in summer. Tehran lies some four hundred kilometres to the north-east.

The city is home to roughly a quarter of a million people, which makes it the second largest in Lorestan and one of the main urban centres of western Iran. Its economy rests on agriculture and food processing, textiles, cement, steel fabrication and a long-established craft sector. Wheat, barley, sugar beet, fruit and dairy products from the surrounding plain are traded here, and the city has historically been an important stop on the routes linking the Iranian plateau with the western provinces and the lowlands beyond.

Borūjerd has a long history and appears in medieval geographies as a prosperous town of the region once known as Media. It flourished under the Seljuks, suffered during the Mongol invasions and rose again in the Safavid and especially the Qajar periods, when it served for a time as the administrative seat of Lorestan and gained a reputation for gardens, prosperity and refined manners. Older residents still use its traditional epithet, the abode of joy.

The architectural heritage of the city reflects that history. The Jameh Mosque preserves work from the Seljuk era, including a fine brick dome and a soaring minaret, and the Soltani Mosque is a large and richly tiled Qajar foundation. The shrine of Imamzadeh Ja'far, several old bathhouses, caravanserais and the covered bazaar with its metalworkers and carpet dealers give the older quarters a distinctive character.

The surrounding region is one of the most scenic in Iran. The Oshtorankuh massif with its high ridges and alpine meadows lies a short distance away, and the celebrated Gahar Lake, set among rock walls at over two thousand metres, attracts trekkers from across the country. Waterfalls, cool summer pastures and the spectacular mountain railway through the Zagros are all within easy reach.

Local culture is Luri, with its own dialect, music, dances and a strong tradition of hospitality. Borūjerd is well known for its copperware and coppersmiths' bazaar, for silverwork, and for sweets and dairy specialities that visitors often take home.

Ayatollah Boroujerdi University, an Islamic Azad University branch and several technical colleges serve local students, and the city has produced many respected religious scholars, including the leading twentieth-century cleric who took his name from it.

Roads connect Borūjerd to Khorramabad, Arak and Hamadan, and the nearby town of Dorud on the Trans-Iranian Railway provides rail links to Tehran and the south.

Borūjerd is valued as a historic mountain city with fine early Islamic architecture, skilled craftsmen and easy access to some of Iran's finest highland scenery.