Khorramabad lies in a basin of the Zagros mountains, and the country around it is one of the oldest inhabited in Iran. The Gar Arjeneh rock shelter is only five kilometres from the city, in a land of limestone ridges, caves and oak forest that has attracted people for tens of thousands of years. The region of Lorestan is known for its caves, which have yielded evidence of early human occupation, including Neanderthal-era stone tools, and for the Luristan bronzes, a spectacular series of metalwork produced by local craftsmen in the first millennium BC.
The rock shelter is one of several prehistoric sites in the area, and the details of what was found there belong to archaeologists, so treat any visit with respect. Rock shelters are fragile places, and the rule everywhere is to look without disturbing. What you can say with confidence is that the Zagros foothills were a corridor for people and animals moving between the highlands and the plains of Mesopotamia, and that Lorestan's caves preserve a long record of that movement.
Khorramabad itself is a town of nearly three hundred and thirty thousand people, dominated by the Falak-ol-Aflak, a big castle on a rocky hill in the centre that dates from the Sasanian period and was rebuilt several times. It houses a museum of local archaeology and ethnography, and its walls look out over the town and the green valley. The Lur people, who live in the region, have a lively culture of music, nomadic traditions and cooking, and in spring you may see their herds moving to the high pastures.
The mountain roads around are scenic. They curve through oak woods, along river valleys and over high passes, with surfaces that vary from good to poor, and wide views of folded ridges. Spring is the best season, when the slopes are green and wildflowers are abundant. Winter brings snow and ice, and summer is hot in the valleys.
Fuel and food are plentiful in Khorramabad, and the city has a good bazaar. Check local conditions before heading into remote areas, and carry water.