Sarpol-e Zahab (Serpêl): Ancient Reliefs on the Kurdish Border
- Hojîn Rostam
- 11 hours ago
- 4 min read
Introduction
Sarpol-e Zahab (Kurdish: Serpêl) is a Kurdish city in the west of Kermanshah province in Iran, set on the old road between the Iranian plateau and the Mesopotamian plains, close to the Iraqi border. It is a town where the very deep past and the painful present meet: above it, carved into the rock, stands one of the oldest monuments in the region, while in living memory the city has endured both war and a catastrophic earthquake.
This profile looks at Sarpol-e Zahab’s ancient reliefs, its place on a historic frontier, and the disaster of 2017 that tested its people.
Key Takeaways
• Sarpol-e Zahab (Kurdish: Serpêl) is a Kurdish city in Kermanshah province, western Iran, near the Iraqi border.
• Above the town is the Anubanini rock relief, carved by a Lullubi king over 4,000 years ago.
• It sits on the historic road linking Mesopotamia with the Iranian plateau.
• The city was on the front line of the Iran–Iraq War in the 1980s.
• In 2017 it was the worst-hit city in a devastating earthquake on the Iran–Iraq border.
Quick Facts
Name (Kurdish): Serpêl
Country / Region: Iran (Rojhelat / Eastern Kurdistan)
Province: Kermanshah
Setting: Western Zagros, near the Iraqi border
People: Kurdish
Ancient Site: The Anubanini (Lullubi) rock relief
Modern Tragedy: The 2017 earthquake
Population: around 85,000
Contents
Where Is Sarpol-e Zahab?
Sarpol-e Zahab lies in the far west of Kermanshah province, in the foothills of the Zagros close to the Iraqi border, not far from the crossing toward Khanaqin on the other side. It stands on one of the oldest routes in the world — the great road that has linked Mesopotamia with the Iranian plateau since antiquity — which made the spot strategically important for thousands of years.
It is a Kurdish town of the western Zagros, in a region of dry hills and river valleys, where the mountains begin to give way to the lowlands of Iraq.
The Anubanini Relief
Sarpol-e Zahab’s greatest treasure is its ancient rock carving. High on the rock above the town is the Anubanini relief, carved more than four thousand years ago for Anubanini, a king of the Lullubi — an ancient people of the Zagros mountains. The relief shows the victorious king before a goddess, with captives bound before him, and it ranks among the oldest rock reliefs in Iran. Together with other nearby carvings, it marks Sarpol-e Zahab as one of the deepest layers of human history in the Kurdish lands.
A Frontier of Empires
Because it guards the road between the plateau and the plains, Sarpol-e Zahab has seen empires pass for millennia — from the ancient Lullubi and their neighbours to the Parthians and Sasanians, who also left carvings in the area, and on through the Islamic centuries. The town has always been a threshold, a place where travellers, armies, and traders crossed between two worlds, and that frontier role has shaped its entire history.
War and the 2017 Earthquake
That same border position brought modern suffering. During the Iran–Iraq War of the 1980s, Sarpol-e Zahab lay on the front line and was badly damaged in the fighting. Then, in November 2017, a powerful earthquake struck the Iran–Iraq border region, and Sarpol-e Zahab was the hardest-hit city of all: much of it was wrecked, and the majority of the hundreds who died in the quake were among its people. The disaster, and the long recovery that followed, became a defining recent chapter in the town’s story.
Sarpol-e Zahab Today
Today Sarpol-e Zahab is a rebuilt and recovering Kurdish city, still living between its ancient heritage and its modern trials. Its reliefs draw those interested in the deep past, while its people carry the memory of war and earthquake — a community that has endured, on one of the oldest and most contested thresholds of the Kurdish world.
Timeline
c. 2000 BCE — The Lullubi king Anubanini carves his rock relief above the town.
antiquity — Parthian and Sasanian rulers leave further carvings in the area.
1980–1988 — Sarpol-e Zahab is on the front line of the Iran–Iraq War.
Nov 2017 — A major earthquake devastates the city, the worst-hit in the disaster.
today — Sarpol-e Zahab is rebuilt, holding both ancient heritage and recent memory.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Anubanini relief?
The Anubanini relief is an ancient rock carving above Sarpol-e Zahab, made over 4,000 years ago for Anubanini, a king of the Lullubi people of the Zagros; it is one of the oldest rock reliefs in Iran.
Where is Sarpol-e Zahab?
Sarpol-e Zahab (Serpêl) is a Kurdish city in the west of Kermanshah province in Iran, near the Iraqi border, on the old road between Mesopotamia and the Iranian plateau.
What happened in the 2017 earthquake?
In November 2017 a powerful earthquake struck the Iran–Iraq border region; Sarpol-e Zahab was the worst-hit city, suffering massive destruction and the majority of the deaths.
Is Sarpol-e Zahab a Kurdish city?
Yes. Sarpol-e Zahab is a Kurdish city in the western Zagros of Kermanshah province in Iran.
Related People, Places, and Topics
The Anubanini relief · the Lullubi · the Iran–Iraq War · Kermanshah · Khanaqin · Sardasht.
References and Further Reading
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