Khorramshahr

Has anyone been to Khorramshahr? I can't find any info about it in the LP, and very little online. Any good places to stay and to eat?

Hi!
I didn't go to Khoramshahr until now. But it is situated in the Khorasan province. There is the place with the nicest people in Iran(the most hospitable and helpful!), so everybody will help you.
bye

Hi,

I've been there, it's not a tourist destination for sure!
Khorram-shahr is famous for its history during the Iran-Iraq war, where was invaded by Iraqis after 33 days of field battle and then Iranians freed it after one and half year which make that day a national celebration.
Khorram-shahr used to be a very beautiful romantic city next to Arvand river and Persian Gulf ... but not such an interesting city these years.
By the way, it's in Khuzestan province, most southwestern Iran.

Do you visit there on business?

Regards,
Ali

Khoramshahr and Abadan are virtually one town located at the banks of the Shatt-al-Arab, very close to Basra accross the border in Iraq, and approx 1,5 hrs. ride from Ahwaz, the Khuzestan capital. As Khoramshar was made a free-trade zone about 2 years ago, and the region is THE oil-refining center of Iran (its the same high-quality oil as it is found in Iraq and Kuwait), economy has been booming throughout recent years. Before you enter the town, lots of quite modern hotels have been built, and goods from accross the Persian Gulf are chealpy for sale so that many Iranians from at least Khuzestan go there for shopping. Yet, apart from a museum still showing the bullet hoes of the Iran-Iraq war and sort of a veteran center, there are no touristic attractions around.

The population is predominantely Arab(-Iranian) even though because of the war, many locals left the region and settled elsewhere in Iran, made a life and did not return, and on the other hand, many Persians and other Iranians settled there for work (work is above all in the oil sector and wages are at least double as in the rest of the country, even in Tehran).

If you talk to Arab-Iranians they will always get teary-eyed if they talk about Khoramshahr and Abadan and what happend to the towns during the war and since then. It used to be an extremely modern place (at it was full of foreigners also working in the oil sector before the war / revolution), which was destroyed virtually completely during the war and not really rebuilt since then. Rumers are that the Iranian govt. has no interest to make the region beautiful and interesing for tourists (as they largely attempt in other parts of Iran) as this would even strengthen the position of the Arab-Iranians (who have the advantage of sitting on the biggest oil sea of Iran, anyways).

If you want to have a real good lunch, go to the Pakistani in downtown Abadan (as I said, the two towns are virtually one and distances are not great). It is called Central Pakistan or something like that but everybody will know if you ask around, as the restaurant has been existing for the last 60 years with owners unchanged. Do not miss the delicious Ghallie-mahi or Ghallie-meygoo (spicy herbal sauce with either fried fish or shrips) or the fish dishes in general. Actually for obvious geografic reasons, this is the only place to eat delicious fish in Iran.

If you need more specific information, please ask, and I will try to find out if I can.

Lorah