Qasr-e Shirin is the capital of Qasr-e Shirin County in western Kermanshah Province. It was already engaged in conflict before the official start of the Iran-Iraq War on September 22, 1980.

The original structures of Qasr-e Shirin are attributed to the Sassanid king Khosrow Parviz, who, during his reign, built palaces in a vast garden for his wife, Shirin. Over time, a small town grew around them and became known as Qasr-e Shirin. The city’ s historical attractions include the Char Qapu (Char Taqi) column, the Sassanid palace, Hush Kuri, Shah-Gedar Canal, and the Shah Abbasi Caravanserai.⁠[1]

Covering roughly six square kilometers, the city borders Iraq to the north and southwest, the counties of Sarpol-e Zahab and Gilan-e Gharb to the east, and Ilam to the southeast.⁠[2] It sits at the foot of the Zagros Mountain range and has a hot, dry climate. The county comprises three districts: Haumeh, Zahab, and Sumar.⁠[3] The Alvand, Cham Imam Hassan (as), Tangab, Kangir, Kangagush, Kaneh Kabood, Kani Sheikh, and Sad rivers are among the most important waterways in Qasr-e Shirin.⁠[4] The northern slopes of the Bazi-Deraz Heights command a full view over the city.⁠[5]

According to the 1976 census, Qasr-e Shirin had a population of 28,345. By the 1986 census, the city was uninhabited.⁠[6]

The people of Qasr-e Shirin speak Persian with a Kurdish dialect and are predominantly Shia Muslim.⁠[7]

After the Islamic Revolution of Iran, Iraq redirected its training garrisons in border cities to training anti-revolutionary forces, organizing them to infiltrate the western half of Kermanshah Province, carry out harassing operations, ambushes, raids, bombings, mine-laying, and assassinations, and spread unrest. As a result of this program, Qasr-e Shirin was gripped by insecurity throughout 1979 and 1980. Iraqi incursions in 1980 increased noticeably as preparations for a military offensive and border crossing were underway, to the point where on most days in September 1980, Qasr-e Shirin was being shelled by Iraqi artillery.⁠[8] On September 7, the first Iraqi aerial and ground attack on the Qasr-e Shirin border post took place, and on September 17, the Iraqi army subjected the city to intense artillery fire and aerial bombing, resulting in the destruction of the city’ s infrastructure and the martyrdom and injury of several people. Large numbers of residents then fled to other cities, and the city was left in the hands of the military and security forces.⁠[9] The following day, September 18, Qasr-e Shirin was encircled by the Iraqi army.⁠[10]

On September 20, 1980, Iraqi forces shelled the area around the Qasr-e Shirin Gendarmerie Regiment, drawing a response from the Islamic Republic of Iran Army units.⁠[11]

On the first day of Iraq’ s full-scale invasion of Iran on September 22, 1980, the Iraqi troops reached the north of Qasr-e Shirin, and by September 24, the city was on the verge of falling.⁠[12]

Iraqi forces entered Qasr-e Shirin on September 25 and closed the road to Sarpol-e Zahab. Two days later, despite Iranian resistance, the Iraqi advance south of Qasr-e Shirin toward Gilan-e Gharb continued,⁠[13] and the occupation of the city was complete.⁠[14]

During 1980 and 1981, while Qasr-e Shirin was under Iraqi occupation, many operations were carried out to liberate the city and drive out the Iraqis. The main operational axis was the Sarpol-e Zahab– Qasr-e Shirin Road, which required clearing two key heights — Bazi-Deraz to the south and Qaraviz to the north — of enemy forces. The three operations named Bazi-Deraz were then launched toward this end but met with fierce Iraqi resistance, since the Qasr-e Shirin– Baqubah– Baghdad axis would have brought Iranian forces to the Iraqi capital. Conducted on December 11, 1981, Operation Matla al-Fajr failed to capture the Shia Kooh elevations or reach the Gilan-e Gharb– Qasr-e Shirin Road.⁠[15]

Following Iran’ s successful operations in early 1982 in the south and the recapture of occupied territories, including Khorramshahr, Iraq concentrated its forces on the southern front,⁠[16] and Qasr-e Shirin was liberated in July 1982, when the Iraqi army made a tactical withdrawal. At that point, the entire city had been completely destroyed, with the exception of the Mahdieh Mosque, which had served as the Iraqi headquarters.

After the city was evacuated and Iraqi forces repositioned to the heights overlooking it, the Sarpol-e Zahab– Qasr-e Shirin Road remained within their fire range, allowing them to continue disrupting Iranian movement. For this reason,⁠[17] on August 6, 1982, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched Operation Tharallah (as) to liberate the border heights of Qasr-e Shirin near the Pirouz Khan and Qaleh Sefid posts, removing six border hills from Iraqi occupation. However, under Iraqi pressure, the Iranian forces withdrew from four of them and held only two. The liberation of those two hills brought part of the Qasr-e Shirin Road out of enemy view. Also, the enemy’ s supply route from Pirouz Khan to Tang-e Bashgan came under direct Iranian observation. The operation, however, had no significant effect on the overall course of the war.⁠[18]

After Operation Moslim ibn Aqil on October 1, 1982, operations on the western front stopped. Qasr-e Shirin then became a defensive front where close-range combat did not take place, with the war in the area continuing through mortar fire and aerial bombing.⁠[19]

During Iraq’ s renewed general offensive against central-southern and western Iran on July 22, 1988, Qasr-e Shirin was occupied by Iraqi troops again in an operation named Tawakkalna Ala Allah 4. Iraq’ s advances in Qasr-e Shirin, Sarpol-e Zahab, Gilan-e Gharb, and Sardasht were intended to reduce the concentration of Iranian forces on the southern fronts. One day after the attack, the Iranian resistance forced the Iraqis to withdraw, and by July 26, all occupied areas, including Qasr-e Shirin, were liberated.⁠[20]

Over the course of the Iran-Iraq War, more than 95 percent of the city was damaged. Reconstruction began after the war’ s end in the 1990s.⁠[21] Among the newly built structures in Qasr-e Shirin are the Meraj Shuhada Headquarters and the Resistance Memorial — a symbol of the courage shown by the people of Qasr-e Shirin during the city’ s occupation.⁠[22] According to the 2016 census, the population of Qasr-e Shirin stands at 18,473.⁠[23]