Nodshah is a town in the Lihon Hawraman in Kermashan (Kermanshah) Province; it is located on the border of the South and East parts of Kurdistan. It is 150 kilometers away from Kermashan and 32 kilometers away from Paweh. The location on which Nodshah is occupying is known for its special weather conditions and spectacular nature thus it has been a touristic zone for visitors from Kurdistan and other parts of Iran.
The geography of Nodshah
From the north, Nodshah is abutting Marivan, from the west it is a neighbor of Nowsoud and some cities in the South part of Kurdistan such as “Halabja and Biyara”.
This town is surrounded by high mountains and narrow, deep valleys that are known as “Mahouri Baxtyiari Hills” which are encircled with oak and terebinth trees and rivers.
Nodshah is 1450 meters high from the sea level. The average amount of rainfall is about 500 to 600 millimeters. There is mountainous weather in this area which has led to ecotourism growth.
According to the latest census done in 2016, the number of citizens of this town was 3683 people. More than a thousand families from Nodshah have left the town and settled down in the neighboring cities in the East part of Kurdistan such as; Paweh, Marivan, Sina (Sanandaj), Rwansar, and Jwanro (Javanroud). The university students from Nodshah have settled in big cities of Iran like Tehran.
The historical features of Nodshah
This town is a mountainous zone and an old town amongst the ancient mountains. This town was once Lihoni Sans and it is a very important part of the Hawraman area.
There are more than ten ancient neighborhoods in this town including Qala, Bin Dogah, Roqn, Lamara, Baxcha, Darawmasoura, and Kawndan. Each of these neighborhoods is considered very significant due to their dialectical characteristics which indicates this town’s ancient culture and of this town and its residents.
The word Nodshah means “Diji nwe” (New Castle) or “No danah dij” (Nine Castles). The people of this town speak in the Hawrami dialect of Kurdish.
The mountains and the caves in Nodshah
The mountains have created a splendid architectural feature to the town’s houses in a way that has affected the lifestyle of this community.
Nodshah is encircled by mountains. One of these mountains is Darband, 2750 meters high, in the northern part of the town; Kamjar mountain, Shalkhah, and Chinarah in the southern part of the town as high as 1800 to 1900 meters and Shamshi mountain in the western part of the town as high as 2100 meters.
The spectacular valley of Nodshah in the east part of the town reaches Sirvan River and Shaho Mountain which is 3410 meters high.
Qajalyan cave in the northeast part of the town is located on Darband Mountain which is as wide as 25 meters and as high as 16 meters on the inside. This cave had been used as a temporary home for the gypsies who had migrated back and forth in the area.
Dalani camping site of Nodshah
Dalani camping site is located 13 kilometers away from Nodshah that reaches 1600 meters in height. This site is famous for Dalani Lake and the springs around it.
Tatah Road which is as high as 1700 meters high from sea level begins from Nodshah and passes across Dalani and finally reaches the peak of Jalanah Hawraman; this road reaches the road to Marivan city and passes some beautiful villages and camping sites.
Daryan Dam
It is an embankment dam built on the Sirwan River as high as 155 meters which is located between Wira, Daryan, and Hajij villages and has covered several hectares of forests, villages, and Bil River. Based on the experts and environmentalists, Daryan Dam has caused damage to the Bil River and it will destroy it completely over long periods of time.
Bil River
It is a natural river near Hajij village coming out of Shaho and a chain of mountains in Zagros. This river is very important to the people of Hawraman and they like it very much. Bil River is the largest river in Kurdistan that has 4 thousand liters of water per second. It also can provide drinking water for two million people.
Conclusion
Due to the geographical location of Nodshah, this town is always beautiful throughout the year and it can be a special place for Eco tourists to visit. Not only the nature of this town is breathtaking but also the people’s hospitality and their well-preserved culture can make the tourists enjoy their visit.
