Discover Pirmam: Hotels for a trip to the mountain town

The small mountain town of Pirmam lies on cool, green slopes below Mount Safeen. Its landscape and historic sites give the destination a clear thematic focus. If you are looking for a hotel in Pirmam, distinguishing between destinations within the town, places in the surrounding area, and the wider travel region of Shaqlawa can help. This makes it easier to distinguish the different locations when choosing your destination.

Mountain landscape and summer retreat

Pirmam and the nearby heights of Salahaddin have long been popular retreats from the summer heat of Erbil. This gives the location below Mount Safeen a specific seasonal connection: the mountain town and the heights of Salahaddin are explicitly associated with summer and the heat of Erbil. If landscape and a summer retreat are your main priorities when choosing a destination, this connection is a good starting point.

Castles in Pirmam and the surrounding area

Qala Dere Castle lies in the vicinity of Pirmam, at the western edge of the foothills of the Pirmam mountain range. It stands on a high hill surrounded by a substantial military fortification. There are loopholes in the towers and walls; the surviving wall remains are between 1 and 6 m high. The complex includes five rooms, a hall, a courtyard, and a water well.

Dwin Castle is located in the town of Pirmam. Visible features include the remains of rooms, carved rock features, torch niches, and four military towers. The castle sits at an altitude of about 1,475 m and offers panoramic views.

The two castles offer different highlights: at Qala Dere, the hill’s fortifications and the various rooms stand out; at Dwin Castle, the visible rock features, niches, and towers, as well as the high altitude, are notable. They also differ in location: Dwin Castle is in Pirmam, while Qala Dere is nearby.

A dated look at regional produce

On October 19, 2025, the three-day Pīrmām Autumn Festival took place near the Gomspan Dam. Farmers from Erbil Governorate and other governorates in the Kurdistan Region presented agricultural produce and local dairy products. This date relates to the 2025 event; if a festival is a deciding factor for your trip, check the specific event dates for your intended travel period.

Regional context: Shaqlawa

In the wider travel region of Shaqlawa, the district lies at the foot of Mount Safeen in a broad valley with dense forests and orchards. The Raban Boya Shrine is located there. It is a place of pilgrimage, especially for Christian and Muslim women who ask Saint Boya to grant their wish to have children. The shrine continues to be preserved as a mausoleum and houses revered relics of several holy monks, including those of the monk Boya. A large, rectangular, polished, sloping stone in the shrine is known as the “fertility stone” or wishing stone.

Spring, before and after Easter, is a busy pilgrimage season at the shrine; the feast of Raban Boya is celebrated in Shaqlawa one week after Easter. The first half of the route to the shrine is paved, while the second remains unpaved and basic. Check the condition of the route before making specific plans. The Church of the Virgin Mary also stands within the walled religious complex, and visitors pass through it to reach the shrine. The church was probably built in 1930 and renovated in 1992, after the establishment of the Kurdish no-fly zone north of the 36th parallel.

The shrine and pilgrimage tradition are part of the wider travel destination of Shaqlawa.

Discover more destinations: Shaqlawa

Go to the main travel overview: Shaqlawa.