Kermanshah

Capital of Kermanshahan province, northwest Iran, a major city of Iranian Kurdistan; population (2001 est) 757,900. The province (area 23,700 sq km/9,148 sq mi; population (2001 est) 1,945,400) is on the Iraqi border. Industries include oil refining, carpets, and textiles. Founded in the 4th century, its prosperity derived from its fertile agricultural hinterland and its site on caravan routes to Baghdad. In the years following the Islamic revolution in 1979 the city and province were known as Bakhtaran.