The 1721 Tabriz earthquake occurred on April 26, with an
epicenter
The epicenter, epicentre () or epicentrum in seismology is the point on the Earth's surface directly above a hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or an underground explosion originates.
Surface damage
Before the instrumental pe ...
near the city of
Tabriz
Tabriz ( fa, تبریز ; ) is a city in northwestern Iran, serving as the capital of East Azerbaijan Province. It is the List of largest cities of Iran, sixth-most-populous city in Iran. In the Quri Chay, Quru River valley in Iran's historic Aze ...
,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. It leveled some three-quarters of the city, including many prominent mosques and schools in the city, and resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people. The total number of casualties caused by the earthquake is between 8,000 and 250,000;
it was most likely approximately 80,000.
At the time that it occurred, the earthquake was popularly interpreted as an omen of misfortune, or a demonstration of godly wrath.
The destruction that the earthquake caused was a significant factor in the successful
Ottoman takeover of Tabriz in 1725, as well as contributing to Tabriz's economic difficulties during that period.
It also caused the destruction of some of the city's significant historical monuments.
Accounts of the earthquake are often confused with descriptions of the
1727 Tabriz earthquake.
See also
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List of earthquakes in Iran
Iran is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, being crossed by several major faults that cover at least 90% of the country. As a result, earthquakes in Iran occur often and are destructive.
Geology and history
The Iranian ...
*
List of historical earthquakes
Historical earthquakes is a list of significant earthquakes known to have occurred prior to the beginning of the 20th century. As the events listed here occurred before routine Seismometer, instrumental recordings, they rely mainly on the analys ...
References
Sources
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{{Earthquakes in Iran
Earthquakes in Iran
History of Tabriz
1721 earthquakes
1721 in Iran
1721 in Asia