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Arrajan (Argan) was a medieval Persian city located between Fars and
Khuzestan Khuzestan Province (also spelled Xuzestan; fa, استان خوزستان ''Ostān-e Xūzestān'') is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the southwest of the country, bordering Iraq and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahvaz and it cover ...
, which was settled since
Elam Elam (; Linear Elamite: ''hatamti''; Cuneiform Elamite: ; Sumerian: ; Akkadian: ; he, עֵילָם ''ʿēlām''; peo, 𐎢𐎺𐎩 ''hūja'') was an ancient civilization centered in the far west and southwest of modern-day Iran, stretc ...
period and an important in the Sasanian period until the 11th century. It was the capital of a medieval province of the same name, which corresponds to the modern-day
Behbahan Behbahan ( fa, بهبهان, also romanized as Behbahān and Behbehān) is a city and capital of Behbahan County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. Etymology The origin of the name "Behbahan" may be from two words: "Beh" meaning good better, and "Baha ...
of Khuzestan Province, Ira

ref name="iranica-arrajan" /> The city was (re)founded by Sasanian Empire, Sasanian king
Kavad I Kavad I ( pal, 𐭪𐭥𐭠𐭲 ; 473 – 13 September 531) was the Sasanian King of Kings of Iran from 488 to 531, with a two or three-year interruption. A son of Peroz I (), he was crowned by the nobles to replace his deposed and unpopular un ...
and continued to develop in the Islamic period. Having a fertile soil and supplies of water and integrated in a major road system, the small province flourished and reached its peak in the 10th century. It declined by the 11th century as a result of an earthquake and military conflicts.


History

The archaeological site of Arrajan covers an area of about , with only scattered traces of buildings, walls, a castle, a
qanat A qanat or kārīz is a system for transporting water from an aquifer or water well to the surface, through an underground aqueduct; the system originated approximately 3,000 BC in what is now Iran. The function is essentially the same across ...
, a dam, and a bridge across the nearby Marun river. Arjan, or Argan / Arigan is the ancient name of
Behbahan Behbahan ( fa, بهبهان, also romanized as Behbahān and Behbehān) is a city and capital of Behbahan County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. Etymology The origin of the name "Behbahan" may be from two words: "Beh" meaning good better, and "Baha ...
. Which belongs to the Elamite / Khuzi period, in Iran.in 1982 there was a big discovery in the ruins of the ancient Arjan a bronze coffin discovered inside there was some preciously ancient artifacts. The remains of the city ruins is located on both sides of the Maroon River a site of about 500 hectares.


Sasanian period

According to Islamic sources, the city was established by the Sasanian Empire, Sasanian king Kavadh I (r. 484, 488–497 and 499–531), who in his third period of his rule launched a campaign as part of the
Anastasian War The Anastasian War was fought from 502 to 506 between the Byzantine Empire and the Sasanian Empire. It was the first major conflict between the two powers since 440, and would be the prelude to a long series of destructive conflicts between the t ...
against northern Roman Mesopotamia, and deported 80,000 prisoners from Amida, Theodosiopolis, and possibly Martyropolis to
Pars Pars may refer to: * Fars Province of Iran, also known as Pars Province * Pars (Sasanian province), a province roughly corresponding to the present-day Fars, 224–651 * ''Pars'', for ''Persia'' or ''Iran'', in the Persian language * Pars News A ...
and
Khuzestan Khuzestan Province (also spelled Xuzestan; fa, استان خوزستان ''Ostān-e Xūzestān'') is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the southwest of the country, bordering Iraq and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahvaz and it cover ...
provinces, some of whom are thought to have built the city of Arrajan. The people of the Amida region were experts in linen production, and Arrajan quickly became a center of this product. Kavadh allegedly renamed the city as ''Weh-az-Amid Kavād'' ( pal, wyḥcʾmtˈ kwʾtˈ; literally "Better than Amida, Kavadh uilt this) or ''Bih-az-Āmid-i Kavād'' ( fa, به از آمد کواد). This name is
Arabized Arabization or Arabisation ( ar, تعريب, ') describes both the process of growing Arab influence on non-Arab populations, causing a language shift by the latter's gradual adoption of the Arabic language and incorporation of Arab culture, ...
in medieval Islamic sources (including coins) as ''Wāmqubādh'' (), ''Bizāmqubādh'' (), ''Rām-Qubādh'' (), ''Birām-Qubādh'' (), and ''Āmid-Qubādh'' (). It is also erroneously recorded as ''Abar-Qubādh'' () and ''Abaz-Qubādh'' () in Arabic sources. The more common name ''Arrajān'' comes from an older town that was populated before the foundation of this new one. The name of Arrajan (''Argān'') can be found on a Sasanian clay bulla.A. Shapur Shahbazi, Erich Kettenhofen, John R. Perry
"Deportations"
''
Encyclopædia Iranica ''Encyclopædia Iranica'' is a project whose goal is to create a comprehensive and authoritative English language encyclopedia about the history, culture, and civilization of Iranian peoples from prehistory to modern times. Scope The ''Encyc ...
'', VII/3, pp. 297-312 (accessed on 30 December 2012).
The Pahlavi abbreviation WHYC found on
Sasanian The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...
and Arab-Sasanian coins is considered by some to refer to Arrajan. However, it is more likely that the abbreviation refers to two places; it refers to Arrajan in the coins of Kavad I, and refers to a place in
al-Mada'in Al-Mada'in ( ar, المدائن, , ; ) was an ancient metropolis situated on the Tigris River in modern-day Iraq. It was located between the ancient royal centers of Ctesiphon and Seleucia, and was founded by the Sassanid Empire. The city's na ...
in later coins; because it is unlikely that a small settlement continued to mint coins for all of these kings. File:Khuzestan,bahbahan2.jpg, Ruins of Arrajan's
bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually someth ...
File:Khuzestan.behbahan1.jpg, Ruins of walls File:سنگفرش راه کوهستانی باستانی در ارجان بهبهان.jpg, A stone-paved
Roman road Roman roads ( la, viae Romanae ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, and were built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Re ...
Other Sasanian cities located in the Arrajan province and recorded by Islamic sources include: *Jannāba () – near
Bandar Ganaveh Bandar or Bunder may refer to: Places * Bandar, Afghanistan * Bandar, Narayanganj, Bangladesh * Bandar, Isfahan, Iran * Bandar, Kermanshah, Iran * Bandar, Yazd, Iran * Banda Aceh, Indonesia * Bandar Lampung, Indonesia * Bandar Seri Begawan, ...
on the Persian Gulf), recorded only in Islamic sources * Rīshahr () – on the northern bank of the Hendijan river * Sīnīz () – about 23 km southeast of Bandar Daylam on the Persian Gulf, recorded only in Islamic sources File:سواحل بندر امام حسن سينيز - panoramio.jpg, Siniz's coast File:Reshehr view.png, Rishehr's coast There are remains of Sasanian buildings in Patāva (a bridge over
Khersan river The Khersan River (Persian خرسان) is a 180km long tributary of the Karun River in Iran (the river with the largest flows in Iran), flowing into an arm of the reservoir formed by the Karun-3 Dam. The Khersan-3 Dam is under construction, propo ...
) and Chahartaqi of Kheyrabad. File:ChaharTaqi-KheirAbad Darafsh (4).jpg, Chahartaqi of Kheyrabad, an early example of chahartaqi File:ChaharTaqi-KheirAbad-9.JPG, The Chahartaqi of Kheyrabad and the nearby Sasanian-era bridge


Islamic period

Arrajan's development continued even after the
Islamic conquest of Persia The Muslim conquest of Persia, also known as the Arab conquest of Iran, was carried out by the Rashidun Caliphate from 633 to 654 AD and led to the fall of the Sasanian Empire as well as the eventual decline of the Zoroastrian religion. The r ...
, reaching its peak in the 11th century. Medieval Islamic sources provide details about the city in that period, depicting it as a large and beautiful city. It featured six gates, an administrative building, and a citadel. The Great Mosque was located roughly at the city's center, and the
bazaar A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, such as in t ...
was located nearby.
Ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...
was used in the construction of the buildings. The houses featured cool apartments below ground level, as the city featured a "hot but tolerable" climate. There were subterranean canals supplying water to all houses in the town. Two bridges were constructed across the Kordestan river (Tāb []) nearby. Islamic sources mention 47 place names and/or districts located in the Arrajan province, including Jūma () (capital of the Bilad-Shabur, Bilād-Shābūr [] district), Junbadh-Mallaghān (), and Mahrūbān (). As a province, Arrajan, which is recorded as ''Kūra Qubāḏ-kurra'' or ''Kūra Qubāḏ'' in
New Persian New Persian ( fa, فارسی نو), also known as Modern Persian () and Dari (), is the current stage of the Persian language spoken since the 8th to 9th centuries until now in Greater Iran and surroundings. It is conventionally divided into thr ...
, was situated in an important position; it was integrated into a road system that connected Mesopotamia,
Susa Susa ( ; Middle elx, 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗, translit=Šušen; Middle and Neo- elx, 𒋢𒋢𒌦, translit=Šušun; Neo- Elamite and Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼𒀭, translit=Šušán; Achaemenid elx, 𒀸𒋗𒐼, translit=Šušá; fa, شوش ...
,
Shiraz Shiraz (; fa, شیراز, Širâz ) is the fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province, which has been historically known as Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the population of the city was 1,565,572 p ...
,
Isfahan Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Region, Isfahan Province, Iran. It is lo ...
, and the ports of Mahruban and
Basra Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is han ...
at
Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bo ...
to each other. Arrajan's economy was based on agricultural production and trade with
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...
, the
Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The t ...
, and
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
through the ports of Jannāba, Sīnīz, and Mahrūbān. Exporting goods included various cloths, dates, date syrup,
grapes A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...
, grape syrup,
olives The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' 'M ...
,
olive oil Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: ...
,
soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are us ...
, cactus figs,
corn Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The ...
, nuts, oranges, and
lemons The lemon (''Citrus limon'') is a species of small evergreen trees in the flowering plant family Rutaceae, native to Asia, primarily Northeast India (Assam), Northern Myanmar or China. The tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit is used for culina ...
.


Decline

Arrajan's decline began during
Buyid The Buyid dynasty ( fa, آل بویه, Āl-e Būya), also spelled Buwayhid ( ar, البويهية, Al-Buwayhiyyah), was a Shia Iranian dynasty of Daylamite origin, which mainly ruled over Iraq and central and southern Iran from 934 to 1062. Co ...
period. In 1052, the sons of the
Buyid The Buyid dynasty ( fa, آل بویه, Āl-e Būya), also spelled Buwayhid ( ar, البويهية, Al-Buwayhiyyah), was a Shia Iranian dynasty of Daylamite origin, which mainly ruled over Iraq and central and southern Iran from 934 to 1062. Co ...
Abu Kalijar Abu Kalijar Marzuban ( fa, ابوکالیجار مرزبان}; died October 1048) was the Buyid amir of Fars (1024–1048), Kerman (1028–1048) and Iraq (1044–1048). He was the eldest son of Sultan al-Dawla. Struggle for supremacy over the B ...
fought against each other for possession of Arrajan city and it changed hands several times between 1053 and 1057. The number of male inhabitants was allegedly 20,000 in 1052 AD. In 1085, Arrajan was destroyed by an earthquake and never recovered; the new settlement,
Behbahan Behbahan ( fa, بهبهان, also romanized as Behbahān and Behbehān) is a city and capital of Behbahan County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. Etymology The origin of the name "Behbahan" may be from two words: "Beh" meaning good better, and "Baha ...
, later arose nearby. The activities of the
Nizari Ismailis The Nizaris ( ar, النزاريون, al-Nizāriyyūn, fa, نزاریان, Nezāriyān) are the largest segment of the Isma'ilism, Ismaili Muslims, who are the second-largest branch of Shia Islam after the Twelvers. Nizari teachings emphasize ...
in the region, who launched raids from the nearby strongholds of Qal'at al-Jiss (), Qal'at Halādhān ( Dez Kelāt, ), and Qal'at al-Nazir () further harmed Arrajan and Juma. They eventually captured Arrajan, but were eventually repulsed during
Muhammad Tapar's anti-Nizari campaign Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد;  570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monoth ...
. As the Arrajan city declines, the province name "Arrajan" also disappears. Mahrūbān later became the most important center of the maritime trade, marginalizing Jannāba.


The Arjan Bowl

In 1982, the remains of a tomb belonging to the second millennium BC were discovered near the Arjan ancient site, which opened a new chapter in the archeology of this historical site and the region. The tomb contained a large bronze coffin. Along with the coffin were found a golden ring, ninety-eight golden buttons, ten cylindrical vessels, a dagger, a silver bar, a bronze tray with various images. it is called Arjan Bowl or Hotran Korlosh It is more than three thousand years old. Arjan tray drawings include 5 painting circles in its center a sixteen-pointed flower (similar to a sunflower and a type of chrysanthemum). This flower symbolizes the sun and the spinning wheel or wheel of destiny. A row of lions, and cattle, and birds are associated with various rituals, and seven circles or rings represent the sacred number 7. The number 7 is sacred in Judaism and many other religions. The origin of this sanctity is not clear, but like many symbols of famous religions it has a history in ancient primitives religions. The logo of the Iranian Olympic Iran at the 2020 Summer Olympics is the Arjan tray.
.[]


References

*The Arjan Bowl(article in Persian Language



*Elamite bowl selected symbol for Iran Olympic

* Arjan of the Elamite era, the armlet dates back to the Neo-Elamite perio

{{commons category, Arrajan Elamite cities Behbahan County Sasanian cities Martyropolis Populated places established in the 6th century Populated places disestablished in the 11th century 11th-century disestablishments in Asia Anastasian War 6th-century establishments in Asia Roman–Iranian relations Kavad I