ILĀM, a province, sub-province, and town in western Iran. The name “Ilām” was given to the above localities for the first time in 1936, after the breakdown of armed resistance of the Lor tribes and establishment of the authority of the central government during the Reza Shah era. The name was taken from the ancient kingdom of Elam, which extended from the above region to the provinces of Ḵuzestān, Fārs, Isfahan, and Kermān. Until the mid-1930s the region was known as the Poštkuh of Lorestān as opposed to the Piškuh of Lorestān, which was located in the eastern part of the region. Since the Ṣafavid era Lorestān had been administered under the wālis (governors-general), who came from the chieftains of Lor-e Kuček tribes (vs. Lor-e Bozorg or Baḵtiāris, q.v.; see Afšār Sistāni, pp. 148-73).

i. Geography.

ii. History.

iii. Population.