Ilam and The Glorious Shadad Canyon
The tour starts right from Ilam and we move to Razianeh canyon, a natural, eye-catching phenomenon. It has been formed due to the faults and earth movements. The canyon is so peaceful as you can hear the wind’s sound as it spins into rocks and enjoy the fresh air for hours. After having breakfast here, we boat toward the next destination through a valley, called Shadad. As you see this area you’ll find out the reason it’s become a very popular tourist area. The oak trees and playful squirrels have made the valley sprightly vivacious and it also has a great view to Samireh river and dam.
The valley is about 700 meters tall; you may see many people boating or fishing downside. Apart from natural values, some prehistoric man-made works related to 3000 BC are visible on the rocks and we can easily say it’s a glorious masterpiece created by nature and human. The works show us the evolution of Bronze to Iron age. One of the region monuments is Shadad Cave. During a survey on the environment soil, they realized it was a part of the great historical architecture and it resulted in a Sassanid monument discovery. Still, there are a lot of historical signs to be found in this wonderland.
Next, we move to Badreh field that is 15 km away from Shadad, we eat lunch here and go to another town, 45 km further, is called Dareh Shahr. We come here to savor a combination of nature and history, where a towering castle was established on Kabirkouh mount in Bahram canyon. Bahram Choubin, the founder of this army castle, was one of the Sassanid generals. He used to come to this area for hunting and entertaining as it is a habitat for various animals. The castle also functioned as a strategic army refuge, because it’s hidden among rocks with high walls.
Finally, we go back to Ilam for having dinner and after a little walk around the city, we get back to the hotel. The best season for visiting Ilam is late winter and early spring when all plants are lively and lush. If you’re inspired by such a mysterious territory, just don’t forget to have your camera for recording the picturesque landscapes on this adventurous tour.