Gilan Province: Picturesque land in northern Iran

Climate and geography

As you travel north into Gilan Province, there is an abrupt change in the terrain. The city of Rudbar welcomes visitors to Gilan Province with its roadside restaurants and shops selling local produce such as olives, pickles, and pottery, iran.1stquest.com wrote.

Passing through Rudbar, you cross the Sefidrud river, a fast-flowing snow-fed stream that flows all the way to the Caspian Sea. Travel 20 kilometers further into Gilan Province and all signs of aridness disappear, giving way to thick, green forests.

The forests are what make Gilan so special. Temperate rainforests are quite uncommon, only existing in a handful of locations globally. The quintessential features of these forests are high rainfall and low temperatures which allow for lots of moss and ferns. Beech, elm, poplar, oak and the prized Persian ironwood grow everywhere.

Visitors can enjoy a unique experience in Gilan Province year round. Many Iranians (especially Tehranis) flock to Gilan for weekends and holidays 12 months a year. The summers are cooler than central Iran with the mercury hovering around 30°C most days. Winters are cold and the mountains will be snowcapped from December through to March- April. Gilan is much wetter than the majority of Iran, so you can expect rains anytime during the year and long rainy periods are also common.

People and culture

Both linguistically and ethnically unique, the people of Gilan are renowned for their cuisine, relaxed lifestyle and bossy women.

Gilan Province has two languages – Gilaki and Talashi. Gilaki was traditionally spoken by the low-land people and Talashi is the tongue of the mountain people. Both distinct from one another and Persian (the official national language), these languages still are spoken by most of Gilan’s population today.

The women of Gilan are famous for being hard working, strong matriarchal figures. Dressed in their brightly patterned clothes, women work in the paddy fields and as cow herders, as they have done for centuries. The women also weave beautiful baskets from the seagrasses of the Caspian coastline which are sold locally and exported nationwide.