Lying at a high altitude, surrounded by permanently snow-capped mountains, Kermanshah is an ideal base to explore the many historical sights in the surrounding area. These include Bisotoon with its bas-reliefs from the Achmaenian period (5th century BC) showing Darius I victory over his enemies; Taghe-Bostan built by the Sassanians in the 3rd century AD with impressive rock carvings and the Temple of Anahita , the goddess of beauty and fecundity dating from Parthian times (200 BC).

Kermanshah is a picturesque and lively market town with a largely Kurdish population who speak their own language and have their own traditions. In the countryside the Kurdish peasants still wear their typical and colourful clothes.