Piran Waterfall

Piran Waterfall, also known as Rijav (Rijab), is considered one of the tallest waterfalls in Iran and the tallest tiered waterfall in the Middle East. It is located in Kermanshah Province, in the Sarpol-e Zahab area. The waterfall takes its name from the village of the same name in which it lies. However, the Piran Waterfall of Kermanshah is also known by the name of another village, Rijav. In Kurdish, "Rij" is equivalent to the Persian "riz", meaning pouring or falling, and "av" means water, so Rijav as a whole translates to "Rizab or Abriz", meaning "the falling of water", a name that itself announces the presence of a waterfall in this area. This tall and attractive waterfall has three tiers. The two upper tiers are much taller than the lower one, and because of the many trees that have grown at the foot of the waterfall, the lowest tier cannot be seen clearly from the top. In other words, the full view of all three tiers can only be enjoyed from below.

Piran Waterfall is about 150 meters high, but when the height of all its tiers is added together, the total reaches 180 meters, and it stands out with striking grandeur in the middle of a wide, lush valley. For this reason, some consider it the tallest waterfall in Iran and rank the Varvar Waterfall in Kerman, at an approximate height of 175 meters, second. With its astonishing nature and attractive rocks rising from the heart of the Zagros mountain range, Piran Waterfall has also been inscribed on Iran's list of natural heritage sites. Among the vegetation around Rijav Waterfall are species such as oak, wild pistachio, hawthorn, wild sour cherry, wild blackberry, willow, wild fig, walnut, pomegranate, plane tree, grape, peach and olive. In addition, there are medicinal plants such as chinur, ginur and rhubarb, sumac, wild rue (espand), zu, artichoke, sironeh, ivy and kul, mushrooms, tulkeh, torshkeh, gilakheh, chavbazeh, shen and siyakuz.

The climate of western Iran is usually cold or cool for most months of the year. The average annual temperature in the Piran area is estimated at 30 degrees Celsius, and its annual rainfall at about 68 millimeters. For this reason, the best time to visit Piran Waterfall is spring and summer, when the air temperature is moderate and rainfall is lower. At this time, the pristine and unique surrounding nature appears in dazzling greenery and beauty, giving visitors a good opportunity for recreation, photography and enjoying the natural scenery. By contrast, the second six months of the year, when the weather in this area is very cold with snow and rain, is usually not a good time to travel to or visit the region.