Located 98 kilometers from the city of Sanandaj in Kurdistan Province, Divandarreh or Diwandarreh sits between the city of Takab in West Azarbaijan Province in the north, Bijar city in the east, the cities of Saqez and Marivan in the northwest and Sanandaj in the south.

With an average height of 1,850 meters above sea level, this mountainous city experiences long and cold winters and mild summers and springs . Its temperatures vary between -20 degrees centigrade and +32 degrees centigrade.

The city appears to have an ancient history based on the manmade Karaftu Caves. Excavations at the site have yielded evince, showing that the caves were created and lived in during the Parthian (247 BC–224 CE) and Sassanid (226-651 CE) eras.

The city was originally called Nivandarreh, which means city located between two valleys. Over time its name was changed to Diwandarreh which loosely means the place of justice. Although some believe that the name of the city comes from the words ‘Diwan’, which could mean demons or giants, and ‘Darreh,’ which means valley in the Persian language, and hence Divandarreh means the ‘valley of giants or demons.’  

This farming town has multiple ethnicities and its people speak in Central Kurdish but have their own unique dialect. The people of Divandarreh observe customs and rituals believed to be Aryan in origin.

The city has a number of seasonal rivers like Shorab (salt water) and two permanent rivers Sefid Rud or Qezel Ozan meaning white river, which originates in the snow covered peaks of the Chehel Cheshmeh (Forty Springs) Mountains and ultimately meets the Caspian Sea in northern Iran, and Yul Keshi.

The city has very green meadows during the spring such has Saral Valley, which has been nicknamed heaven on earth because of its beautiful nature and mild weather.