Ilam City

Located 710 kilometers from Tehran, the city of Ilam is surrounded by heights covered with forests enjoying a mild mountainous climate with very pleasant springs. In the ancient time, Ilam was known as Arboojan. Then, Ilam was known as Hossein Abad till 1929, when it was reconstructed. Hossein Qoli Khan, the most powerful governor of Poshtkooh, constructed numerous different buildings in the city that was his and successors summer resident. Regarding its historical background, in 1946. it was named Ilam by the approval of Iranian Academy. Presently, Ilam is the capital of the province and has developed considerably in recent years. Ilam is a very important city from the tourism point of view due to several natural, historical and cultural monuments.

Like many other regions of Iran the architecture in Ilam includes traditional and contemporary periods. Although easy access to fossil fuels and electricity may have aided the transition in Iranian architecture in other regions of Iran from its traditional to modern styles, in Ilam the increasing population has also played a kord.  The Governor Castle, Falahaty Mansion and The Mirgholam Castle are examples of some surviving traditional buildings in Ilam. The courtyard dwelling is the main type of the buildings of this period. This type of building was accepted as the main building type over all Iran for both climatic and cultural reasons. Brick is the main constructional material in these buildings. The passive thermal techniques indicated for the Iranian traditional buildings are commonly used in these buildings.  The Governor Castle of Ilam was built in type of courtyard. Adding shade and moisture by using green landscape, high trees and a pond, were the main passive techniques used in this building to reduce the temperature in summer. The Mirgholam Castle of Ilam presents a classic Iranian courtyard. The garden and the pound were the main elements of this type of buildings. The Falahaty Mansion used a pitched roof as it was regular beside the flat roofs in the traditional buildings in Ilam earlier.