Fuman ( fa, فومن ''Fuman'') is the capital of

Fuman County Fuman County ( fa, شهرستان فومن) is in Gilan province, Gilan province, Iran. The capital of the county is the city of Fuman, Iran, Fuman. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 96,788 in 25,978 households. The following cen ...

in Gilan Province,

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 ...

. At to the 2006 census, its population was 27,763 in 7,728 families. Rice has been cultivated in this region for many years, where some indigenous

cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture, ...

s were conventionally bred by farmers. Fuman also produces popular cookies known as '' koluche''. Fuman's koluche is thinner and larger than its brethren in

Lahijan Lahijan ( fa, لاهیجان, Lāhijān, also known as, Lāyjon in Gilaki) is a city near the Caspian Sea and the capital of Lahijan County, Gilan Province, Iran. According to the 2016 census, its population was 167,544 in 58,378 families. La ...

. The city is also known for its statues, including the statue of the ancient Iranian goddess

Anahita Anahita is the Old Persian form of the name of an Iranian goddess and appears in complete and earlier form as ('), the Avestan name of an Indo-Iranian cosmological figure venerated as the divinity of "the Waters" (Aban) and hence associate ...

and the statue of the Four Girls.

Location

Fuman is only 21 kilometres to the west-southwest of

Rasht Rasht ( fa, رشت, Rašt ; glk, Rəšt, script=Latn; also romanized as Resht and Rast, and often spelt ''Recht'' in French and older German manuscripts) is the capital city of Gilan Province, Iran. Also known as the "City of Rain" (, ''Ŝahre B ...

, and 356 kilometres away from the national capital

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

. It is situated near the foothills of the Talysh Highlands. Fuman is on the road to the historical city of Masuleh and as a result receives a sizeable number of tourists.

History

From 660 to 760, Fuman functioned as the seat of the

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic on ...

Dabuyid The Dabuyid or Gaubarid Dynasty was a Zoroastrian Iranian dynasty that started in the first half of the seventh century as an independent group of rulers, reigning over Tabaristan and parts of western Khorasan. Dabuyid rule over Tabaristan and Kh ...

rulers. During the period of the

Mongol The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member of ...

occupation of Iran, Fuman and

were among the main towns of Gilan. The local ruler of Fuman at that time, who was reportedly the "only

Shafi'ite The Shafii ( ar, شَافِعِي, translit=Shāfiʿī, also spelled Shafei) school, also known as Madhhab al-Shāfiʿī, is one of the four major traditional schools of religious law (madhhab) in the Sunnī branch of Islam. It was founded by A ...

among the rulers of Gilan", was able to generate a large amount of revenue through lucrative silk trade. According to

Hamdallah Mustawfi Hamdallah Mustawfi Qazvini ( fa, حمدالله مستوفى قزوینی, Ḥamdallāh Mustawfī Qazvīnī; 1281 – after 1339/40) was a Persian official, historian, geographer and poet. He lived during the last era of the Mongol Ilkhanate, and ...

(died 1349), Fuman was a large city, and the center of a wealthy region which produced large quantities of "wheat, rice and silk". Fuman continued to function as the capital of the Bia-pas region (western Gilan) until 1572–1573, when ruler Jamshid Soltan made

the capital. From the reign of King (''

Shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

'')

Sultan Husayn Soltan Hoseyn ( fa, شاه سلطان حسین, Soltān-Hoseyn; 1668 – 9 September 1727) was the Safavid shah of Iran from 1694 to 1722. He was the son and successor of Shah Solayman (). Born and raised in the royal harem, Soltan Hoseyn ascen ...

(1694–1722) to

Fath-Ali Shah Qajar Fath-Ali Shah Qajar ( fa, فتحعلى‌شاه قاجار, Fatḥ-ʻAli Šâh Qâjâr; May 1769 – 24 October 1834) was the second Shah (king) of Qajar Iran. He reigned from 17 June 1797 until his death on 24 October 1834. His reign saw the irr ...

(1797–1834), the local rulers of Fuman were involved in a fierce rivalry with the local rulers of neighboring Shaft. John Elton, who had been prominent under

Nader Shah Nader Shah Afshar ( fa, نادر شاه افشار; also known as ''Nader Qoli Beyg'' or ''Tahmāsp Qoli Khan'' ) (August 1688 – 19 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian h ...

(1736–1747), was killed in 1751 on the order of one of these rulers, Agha Jamal Fumani. In 1805, during the reign of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, Fuman was reportedly "still a small, open town with about a thousand houses and a very lively market". However, the situation changed when Hajji Mohammad Khan abandoned Fuman for Rasht during the early reign of

Naser al-Din Shah Qajar Naser al-Din Shah Qajar ( fa, ناصرالدین‌شاه قاجار; 16 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. He was the son of Mohammad Shah Qajar and Malek ...

(1848–1896). In the subsequent period, Fuman "fell into decay". According to Grigorii Melgunov, who visited Fuman in 1860, it was little more than a village consisting of just 140 houses surrounding the palace of the local ruler. Fuman has regained importance since the mid-20th century.

Demographics

The inhabitants of Fuman are mainly

Gilaks Gilaks (Gileki: گیلک) are an Iranian ethnic group native to the south of Caspian sea. They form one of the main ethnic groups residing in the northern parts of Iran. Gilak people, along with the closely related Mazandarani people, comprise ...

who speak the

Gilaki language The Gilaki language ( ) is an Iranian language of the Northwestern branch, spoken in Iran's Gilan Province. Gilaki is closely related to Mazandarani and the two languages have similar vocabularies. Though the Persian language has influence ...

, and the

Talysh people The Talysh people ( tly, Tolışon, script=Latn تالشان; az, Talışlar; fa, تالشان) are an Iranian ethnic group indigenous to a region shared between Azerbaijan and Iran which spans the South Caucasus and the southwestern shore ...

who speak the

Talysh language The Talysh language (زبان تالشی, Tolışə Zıvon, Tолышә зывон), is a Northwestern Iranian language spoken in the northern regions of the Iranian provinces of Gilan and Ardabil and the southern regions of the Republic of Azer ...

. The majority of the inhabitants are

Shia Muslims Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most n ...

, with a minority of

Sunnis Sunni Islam () is the largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word ''Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia ...

present in the city.

Language

Linguistic composition of the city.

Sports

Football is the most popular sport in Fuman, and the city is host to Shahrdari Fuman who play in the Iranian third tier.

Gallery

Fooman cookie.jpg, Renowned thin koluche (cookies) in Fuman. Fuman Koloocheh.jpg, Fuman's koluche prior to being cooked. Fuman anahita.jpg, The statue of

, an ancient Iranian goddess, in Fuman. Dff.2.jpg, The Engineering College of Fuman belongs to the

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...

. Gasht Rodkan Protected Area in Fuman County.jpg, Gasht is also located in

, near the city of Fuman.

Notes

References

Sources

* * {{Authority control Populated places in Fuman County Cities in Gilan Province Talysh settlements in Gilan Province Gilak settlements in Gilan Province