“Tilehkouh, Sar-e Pol Zahab” Market
“Tilehkouh” border market is located at a distance of 45 km away from Sar-e Pol Zahab town. This market is involved in commercial activities such as trading and hawking through border cooperatives. It is worth mentioning that, in administrative divisions, this market has been joined to Sar-e Pol Zahab.
Sar-e Pol Zahab town is roughly 1271 square km in area and located in western side of Iran, at the farthermost of Zagros heights. It is between the Tehran-Baghdad International Road, known as Karbala Road. This town is one of the ancient and fertile towns in Kermanshah Province.
This town has a common border with Javanrood town in north, Ghasreh Shirin town and Iraq in west, Islamabad in east and Guilangharb town in west.
Due to lack of required infrastructures, Tilehkouh market had no effective activities in commercial exchanges during recent years. However, some importations were made in the form of backpacking and within the facilities of boundary cooperatives.
Increase of activities and construction of required infrastructure may make a significant difference in economic flourish of Sar-e Pol Zahab Town.
“Soomar” Market
Soomar border market, a flat area of 20 hectares, is located in southeastern side of Kermanshah Province, at a distance of 5 km from Soomar town, 67 km from Guilangharb and 220 km away from Kermanshah roughly. At the moment, regarding the length of common boundary with Arab-dwelling cities, it is considered as 6th commercial border and 2nd commercial border after Khosravi border. Soomar is the nearest market to the Province market. Both temporally and spatially, among western borderlands, it is located in the closest distance with Bagdad, Iraqi capital. Nearest city to this border is Mandeley in Diyala Province, one of the suburbs located in Balad Ruz Governorship. This city is at a distance of 20 km away from the zero point border. Somar-Mandeley border decreases the distance to Baghdad almost 70 km from the viewpoint of goods transportation. Soomar border market is at a distance of 155 km away from Baghdad and 230 km away from Karbala.
Iranian hawkers and tradesmen have been exporting their goods to Iraq since the initial days of October 2015. Goods are exported to Diyala, Wassit and eastern provinces of Iraq.
Moreover, Soomar border Market was officially established in the presence of Kermanshah and Diyala Governors, Iraq Interior Minister and Iran Ambassador to Iraq, Commercial Chamber and some other local authorities on Apr. 07, 2015. Constructing different infrastructures such as bank branches, customs and border police department, passport office and medical station for quarantining medical goods is one of the ongoing plans.
Considering geographic position and appropriate land condition this border enjoys, it will potentially increase the capacity of commercial exchange.
Now, to develop this border, improvement of inappropriate conditions of the accessing road is one of the most important actions that must be taken.
“Shoushemi”, Paweh Market
Shoushemi border market, 2 hectares in area, is located in a high and step-like land, at a distance of 35 km from Paweh town, 5 km away from the western side of Nosoud, Paweh and 155 km from Kemanshah Province. On the side of Iraq, this market is located in Sulaymaniah Province's Halabcheh in northern Iraq, next to Tavileh town of Iraq.
Between 40 to 50 trucks transits to and from the said market. Goods such as fruits, cement, Giwah (traditional shoes), bread made of rice flour, cucurbits etc. are exported from Shoushemi market. It has improved subsistence and economic conditions of the local people and flourished commerce and business in Paweh Town.
Paweh is located in northwestern side of Kermanshah Province at a distance of 120 km from capital of the province. It is 35 km away from the last border point, Ouramanat Lahoun. Being 800 Square Km in area and located 1540 m above sea level, it has common borders with Marivan town and Kurdistan Province at north, Javanroud town at south and has a common border 96 km of common border with Iraq at west.
The value of goods exported to Iraq's Kurdistan from this border was 14.2 million dollars in 2014.
“Sheykh Saleh Salas Babajani” Border Market
Being located 45 km away from Tazehabad town, of the suburbs of Salas Babajani town and next to a village with the same name, Sheykh Saleh Salas Babajani border market, as an Iranian official market has started its activities since 1996. Geographically, it is located in a step-like area with an area of more than 4 hectares.
If the roads ending to this market are widened and improved, commercial activities can considerably be raised.
According to the fact that this market is at the vicinity of Iraq, it has played an important role in the economy of Salas town as an exchange center.
Mostly, Sheykh Saleh market is the host to trucks, which contain some goods such as cement. Averagely, 50 to 60 Iranian trucks transit to and from this boundary per day. The goods exported by them to Iraq include cement, chips, aluminum plates, different plastic equipment, iron powder etc.
The area of market is fully fenced and it has two buildings to accommodate personnel.
In initial years, importation of scraps covered a big deal of market's activities but it was banned due to some reasons.
Salas Babajani became a town in July, 2002. Taze Abad is the capital of this town with a population of 10,000. Salas Babajani town has a 75-km common boundary with Iraq in west. It is 1920 square km in area. In the meantime, population of the town is 42,000.
“Parviz Khan” Market
"Parviz Khan" commercial border is located at a distance of 5 km away from the northwest of Ghasreh Shirin town, at the zero point border of Iran-Iraq. This place is named after a village near to boarder in Iraq. The distance between Parviz Khan market and Sulaymaniah, Iraq is almost 150 km. Kelar (Garmian), Darbandikhan, Zarian, Halabcheh, Arbat and Seyed Ghasem in Iraqi Kurdistan are located between the said distance. Moreover, the distance between Kermanshah and Sulaymaniah through Parviz Khan is 320 km.
This commercial border is one of the economic hubs of the country. It was established in 1997. At the very beginning, it was 3 hectares in area but it has been expanded into 30 hectares in recent years. It has to be mentioned that according to the ongoing plans of the province officials, Parviz Khan boundary market will be broadened to 400 hectares in the near future.
Parviz Khan commercial border has been established with the purpose of flourishing commercial activities and tightening the relationships between people in both countries. In addition, the reason for doing so has been to provide requirements of exportation, decrease the amount of contraband, develop non-oil exportations and provide the borderers with subsistence at last. Currently, 1000 merchants are working in this border and 3000 persons have been directly employed.
According to existing statistics, the dollar value of exported goods from Parviz Khan border is more than the value of exported goods in other markets and even some state customs. Different goods exported through this border include biscuits, cakes, mineral water, glass, ceramics, cement, granule, polyethylene, plastic artefacts, stone, potato, tomato, onion, watermelon, cucumber, shoes, plastic made slippers, air conditioner and the like. Moreover, fuel trucks daily travels to Iraq through this border. Parviz Khan border, directly and indirectly, also provides employment for 3000 persons.
Passenger terminal of Parviz khan border was established in 2015 and it is being operated since then. The terminal covers conductance of administrative and customs affairs of the border.
Moreover, passenger terminal is being constructed. Upon operation, it will eliminate the issues of passenger-related problems will be eliminated.
“Khosravi” Commercial Border
Khosravi commercial border is located in Ghasreh Shirin town, south of Khosravi terminal, next to its customs. Improvement and mobilization of this commercial border has been being carried out since 2001. A fenced area of almost 5 hectaresis being used for transportation of oil trucks to Iraq within this border. The distance between Khosravi and Parviz Khan commercial border is approximately 22 km. This border is one of the 14 borders used specially for oil transportation. It is located at a distance of 18 km away from Ghasreh Shirin town, at the zero point border of Iran-Iraq. The distance between this border and Kermanshah is 180 km.
Currently, a part of exported shipments is loaded and unloaded in the Arabic area of Khosravi commercial border, in Iraq.
Averagely, in 2014, 51,000 exported shipments were transferred through this commercial border. The most important goods exported from this border to the central and southern parts of Iraq were cement, tiles, ironware, fruit, and vegetables.
Due to the fact that Khosravi border is an official border and relevant authorities such as passport office, transport organization, customs and other appropriate administrative facilities exist therein, the capacity thereof can be improved for passengers and goods transportation if some physical changes occur therein.
Now, on the ground of some security problems, passengers do not cross the border frequently.