Mehran is one of the most important border cities of Iran located in Ilam province. It is just a few kilometers distance to the border of Iraq and the city is one of the mainland passages between Iran and Iraq. This city is about 100km far from Ilam, the capital city of the province.
Mehran was attacked during the war of Iran and Iraq and it was occupied by the Iraq army several times until 1365 SH when the city was freed on Tir10. Mehran was even attacked by Iraq army before the victory of the Islamic Revolution.
What makes Mehran an important and influential city in these days is the commute of Iraq holy shrines’ pilgrims in this city. Every year, on the occasion of Arbaeen Hosseini, ten thousands of people are passing the land border of Mehran each day in order to reach Iraq. Mehran is among the most active land borders of Iran where a part of export to Iraq is also carried out through this border, in addition to the commute of pilgrims.
Mehran is located in a fertile region where many agricultural fields surround it. Lots of people in Mehran are occupied with agriculture.
Two famous shrines of Mehran city are Imamzadeh Hasan ibn-Musa al-Kazem and Imamzadeh Ali Saleh holy shrines. Besides these shrines, the remaining regions from the war of Iran and Iraq, including the war refugees, are a part of attractions of the contemporary history of Iran in Mehran city.
Mehran airport was active many years ago, however, it is a long time that it was abandoned. The purpose of establishing this airport was the flight of spraying airplanes that are today obsoleted and consequently the airport become out of use. Although, some news has recently announced the future reconstruction and revival of this airport.
Zingan Cave is among the natural attractions of Mehran hosting many tourists during summers every year. The weather is more cool and pleasant than the surrounding regions, therefore, it is called the gateway of the paradise. An important point about Zingan cave is that it is in fact a canyon that is known as cave by mistake. Water is flowing in the route to this canyon which makes attractive landscapes. Zingan is close to Saleh Abad district.
Siahchador, carpet and Giveh are some of Mehran handicrafts and the embossed-flower kilim is the main handmade product of this city. The local bread, dairy products and okra are the souvenirs of Mehran.