Kashan County ( fa, شهرستان کاشان) is in
Isfahan
Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empire, middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Regio ...
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 ...
. The capital of the county is the city of
Kashan. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 297,000 in 81,816 households.
[ Retrieved 26 October 2022] The following census in 2011 counted 323,371 people in 95,260 households.
At the 2016 census, the county's population was 364,482 in 112,258 households.
Administrative divisions
The population history and structural changes of Kashan County's administrative divisions over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table. The latest census shows four districts, nine rural districts, and seven cities.
Geography
To the north is
Qom
Qom (also spelled as "Ghom", "Ghum", or "Qum") ( fa, قم ) is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. Qom is the capital of Qom Province. It is located to the south of Tehran. At the 2016 census, its popul ...
, to the east is
Aran va Bidgol
Aran o Bidgol ( fa, آران و بیدگل, also Romanized as Ārān va Bīdgol and Ārān-o-Bīd Gol, meaning "Aran and Bidgol") is a city and capital of Aran va Bidgol County, Isfahan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 55, ...
, the desert, and the
Salt lake
A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per litre). ...
, to the south is
Isfahan
Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empire, middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Regio ...
, and to the west is
Ghamsar
Qamsar ( fa, قمصر, also Qamşar, Ghamsar and Kamsār) is a small town in central Iran. It is the administrative centre of the Qamsar District, which forms part of Kashan County is 15 km south of Kashan in the Province of Isfahan. In the ...
and the
Karkas Mountains.
The rivers flowing from the mountains to the desert are small and temporary. The most important is Šāh-āb, originating in
Qohrud
Ghohrud ( fa, قهرود), also Romanized as Ghohrud and Qohrūd and Ghohrood and Qahrū and Ghahru and Ghahrood and G also known as Kūhrūd) is a village in Ghohrud Rural District, Qamsar District, Kashan County, Isfahan Province, Iran
...
. Irrigation is mainly dependent on subterranean channels, and the water is slightly salty. There are also several springs, the most notable of which is the Fin water source.
History
The etymology of the city's name comes from Kasian, the original inhabitants of the city, whose remains are found at Tapeh Sialk dating back 9,000 years; later this changed to Kashian, hence the town name. Between the 12th and the 14th centuries, Kashan was an important centre for the production of high quality pottery and tiles. In modern
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
, the word for a tile (''kashi'') comes from the name of the town.
Archeological discoveries in the
Sialk Hillocks, which lie 4 km west of Kashan, reveal that this region was one of the primary centers of
civilization
A civilization (or civilisation) is any complex society characterized by the development of a state, social stratification, urbanization, and symbolic systems of communication beyond natural spoken language (namely, a writing system).
Ci ...
in
pre-historic ages. Kashan dates back to the
Elamite
Elamite, also known as Hatamtite and formerly as Susian, is an extinct language that was spoken by the ancient Elamites. It was used in what is now southwestern Iran from 2600 BC to 330 BC. Elamite works disappear from the archeological record ...
period of Iran. The
Sialk ziggurat
A ziggurat (; Cuneiform: 𒅆𒂍𒉪, Akkadian: ', D-stem of ' 'to protrude, to build high', cognate with other Semitic languages like Hebrew ''zaqar'' (זָקַר) 'protrude') is a type of massive structure built in ancient Mesopotamia. It has ...
still stands today in the suburbs of Kashan after 7,000 years.
The artifacts uncovered at
Sialk reside in
the Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, the
New York Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 F ...
, and
Iran's National Museum.
By some accounts, although not all, Kashan was the origin of the
three wise men
3 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
3, three, or III may also refer to:
* AD 3, the third year of the AD era
* 3 BC, the third year before the AD era
* March, the third month
Books
* ''Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 n ...
who followed the star that guided them to Bethlehem to witness the
nativity of Jesus
The nativity of Jesus, nativity of Christ, birth of Jesus or birth of Christ is described in the biblical gospels of Gospel of Luke, Luke and Gospel of Matthew, Matthew. The two accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judaea (Roman ...
, as recounted in the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
. Whatever the historical validity of this story, the attribution of Kashan as their original home testifies to the city's prestige at the time the story was set down.
According to a legend dating from the
Safavid
Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...
era,
Abu Lu'lu'a, the
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
skilled craftsman who was
enslaved by the Islamic conquerors and who eventually assassinated the caliph
Umar ibn al-Khattab
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...
in 644, fled to Kashan after the assassination.
[ p. 127, note 23. On Abu Lu'lu'a, see ] The shrine that was built over his supposed tomb is one of Kashan's notable landmarks.
Sultan
Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...
Malik Shah I of the
Seljuk dynasty
The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; fa, سلجوقیان ''Saljuqian'', alternatively spelled as Seljuqs or Saljuqs), also known as Seljuk Turks, Seljuk Turkomans "The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes
by the Turk ...
ordered the building of a fortress in the middle of Kashan in the 11th century. The fortress walls, called ''Ghal'eh Jalali'' still stand today in central Kashan.
Kashan was also a leisure vacation spot for
Safavi King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
s.
''Bagh-e Fin'' (Fin Garden), specifically, is one of the most famous gardens in Iran. This beautiful garden with its pool and orchards was designed for
Shah Abbas I
Abbas I ( fa, ; 27 January 157119 January 1629), commonly known as Abbas the Great (), was the 5th Safavid Shah (king) of Iran, and is generally considered one of the greatest rulers of Iranian history and the Safavid dynasty. He was the third so ...
as a classical
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
vision of paradise. The original Safavid buildings have been substantially replaced and rebuilt by the
Qajar dynasty
The Qajar dynasty (; fa, دودمان قاجار ', az, Qacarlar ) was an IranianAbbas Amanat, ''The Pivot of the Universe: Nasir Al-Din Shah Qajar and the Iranian Monarchy, 1831–1896'', I. B. Tauris, pp 2–3 royal dynasty of Turkic peoples ...
although the layout of trees and marble basins is close to the original. The garden itself however, was first founded 7,000 years ago alongside the ''Cheshmeh-ye-Soleiman''. The garden is also notorious as the site of the murder of Mirza Taghi Khan known as
Amir Kabir, chancellor of
Nasser-al-Din Shah, Iran's King in 1852.
![Kashan-borujerdis house](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Kashan-borujerdis_house.jpg)
The earthquake of 1778 leveled the city of Kashan and all the edifices of
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 ...
Abbas Safavi, leaving 8,000 casualties. But the city started afresh and has today become a focal tourist attraction due to the numerous large
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
s from the 18th and 19th centuries, illustrating the finest examples of
Qajari aesthetics.
Tourism
Kashan has many tourist locations.
Fin Garden to west of Kashan, at end of Amir kabir road (fin road), is an old and beautiful garden from 300 years ago. The garden has a museum and a bath. In the museum you can find many ancient tools from 3,000 years ago.
Amir Kabir, the chief minister to
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 ...
(
Shah of Persia
Iranian monarchism is the advocacy of restoring the monarchy in Iran, which was abolished after the 1979 Revolution.
Historical background
Iran first became a constitutional monarchy in 1906, but underwent a period of autocracy during the years ...
), was killed 200 years ago in the bath.
The ancient
Tepe Sialk (or Sialk hill)
ziggurat
A ziggurat (; Cuneiform: 𒅆𒂍𒉪, Akkadian: ', D-stem of ' 'to protrude, to build high', cognate with other Semitic languages like Hebrew ''zaqar'' (זָקַר) 'protrude') is a type of massive structure built in ancient Mesopotamia. It has ...
is on Amir Kabir road and tourists can visit this ancient hill that was used 3,500 years ago.
Ancient houses are located in the Soltan Mir Ahmad neighborhood in Alavi Street. In this neighborhood you can find many ancient houses from 300 years ago.
The desert to the east of city is a beautiful place for people that like deserts and salt lakes. If you plan on going to Maranjab Kavir and the salt lake beach, you can go to
Aran va bidgol
Aran o Bidgol ( fa, آران و بیدگل, also Romanized as Ārān va Bīdgol and Ārān-o-Bīd Gol, meaning "Aran and Bidgol") is a city and capital of Aran va Bidgol County, Isfahan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 55, ...
town, and then continue to the salt lake beach and Maranjab Inn.
The
Karkas mountains are located behind the
Fin Garden
Fin Garden ( fa, باغ فین ''Bagh-e Fin'') located in Kashan, Iran, is a historical Persian garden. It contains Kashan's Fin Bath, where Amir Kabir, the Qajarid chancellor, was murdered by an assassin sent by King Nasereddin Shah in 1852. Com ...
and the Tehran-Isfahan Highway.
The most important Kashan souvenirs are
cotton candy
Cotton candy, also known as fairy floss and candy floss, is a spun sugar confection that resembles cotton. It usually contains small amounts of flavoring or food coloring.
It is made by heating and liquefying sugar, and spinning it centrifu ...
,
pancakes,
sesame
Sesame ( or ; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a flowering plant in the genus ''Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cu ...
, and
rosewater
Rose water ( fa, گلاب) is a flavoured water made by steeping rose petals in water. It is the hydrosol portion of the distillate of rose petals, a by-product of the production of rose oil for use in perfume. Rose water is also used to flavour ...
.
Kashan County today
Although there are many sites in Kashan of potential interest to tourists, the city remains largely undeveloped in this sector, with fewer than a thousand foreign tourists per year.
Qamsar
Qamsar ( fa, قمصر, also Qamşar, Ghamsar and Kamsār) is a small town in central Iran. It is the administrative centre of the Qamsar District, which forms part of Kashan County is 15 km south of Kashan in the Province of Isfahan. In the ...
and
Abyaneh
Abyaneh ( fa, ابيانه, also Romanized as Ābyāneh, Ābiāneh, and Abyāneh) is a village in Barzrud Rural District, in the Central District of Natanz County, Isfahan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 305, in 160 familie ...
are notable towns around Kashan, which attract tourists all year around. The nearby town of
Niasar
Neyasar ( fa, نياسر, also Romanized as Niāsar, Nīāsar, and Nīyā Sar; also known as Nezār) is a city and capital of Neyasar District, in Kashan County, Isfahan Province, Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, ...
features a man-made cave and fireplace of historical interest.
Kashan is internationally famous for manufacturing
carpet
A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, nylon, or polyester hav ...
s,
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
and other
textiles
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
. Kashan today houses most of Iran's mechanized carpet-weaving factories, and has an active marble and copper mining industry.
Ghaleh Jalali is not located in the centre of kashan. It is located on the edge of souther margin of the old wall of the city. As a matter of fact, the southern part of the wall and the Ghaleh (the citadel) join up and forms just one piece.
Areas outside the wall used to be simply irrigated farm lands, but today is sporadically residential.
Main sights
Kashan's
architectural
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...
sights include:
*
Agha Bozorg Mosque
*
Āmeri House
*
Boroujerdi House
*
Jalali castle
*
Tabātabāei House
The Tabatabai House is a historic house museum in Kashan, Iran. It was built around 1880, during the reign of the Qajar dynasty, for the affluent Tabātabāei family. It is one of the prominent historic houses of Kashan and Iran, together with the ...
*
Abbāsi House
* Attarha House
* Al-e Yaseen House
*
Sultan Amir shrine and bath
* ''40 Dokhtaran'' Fortress
*
Shrine of Abu Lu'lu'a, the assassin of the second caliph
Umar ibn al-Khattab
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...
*
Fin Garden
Fin Garden ( fa, باغ فین ''Bagh-e Fin'') located in Kashan, Iran, is a historical Persian garden. It contains Kashan's Fin Bath, where Amir Kabir, the Qajarid chancellor, was murdered by an assassin sent by King Nasereddin Shah in 1852. Com ...
*
Sialk ziggurat
A ziggurat (; Cuneiform: 𒅆𒂍𒉪, Akkadian: ', D-stem of ' 'to protrude, to build high', cognate with other Semitic languages like Hebrew ''zaqar'' (זָקַר) 'protrude') is a type of massive structure built in ancient Mesopotamia. It has ...
* Ghal'eh jalali
*
Kashan Bazaar
Bazaar of Kashan ( fa, بازار کاشان ''Bāzār-e Kāshān'') is an old bazaar in the center of the city of Kashan, Iran. It is thought to have been built in the Seljuk era with renovations during the Safavid period.
The bazaar has a famous ...
* Timcheh Amin-o-dowleh
Education
Colleges and universities in Kashan include:
*
Kashan University of Medical Sciences
Kashan University of Medical Sciences (KAUMS) is a medical school of Iran. Located in the central city of Kashan
Kashan ( fa, ; Qashan; Cassan; also romanized as Kāshān) is a city in the northern part of Isfahan province, Iran. At th ...
*
Islamic Azad University of Kashan
The Islamic Azad University (IAU; fa, دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی, ''Dāneshgāh-e Āzād-e Eslāmi'') is a private university system headquartered in Tehran, Iran. It is one of the largest comprehensive systems of universities, college ...
*
University of Kashan
Transportation
*
Road 71
*
Freeway 7, located near the city
Kashan is connected via freeways to
Isfahan
Isfahan ( fa, اصفهان, Esfahân ), from its Achaemenid empire, ancient designation ''Aspadana'' and, later, ''Spahan'' in Sassanian Empire, middle Persian, rendered in English as ''Ispahan'', is a major city in the Greater Isfahan Regio ...
and
Natanz to the South, and
Qom
Qom (also spelled as "Ghom", "Ghum", or "Qum") ( fa, قم ) is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. Qom is the capital of Qom Province. It is located to the south of Tehran. At the 2016 census, its popul ...
, which is an hour drive away to the north.
Notable people
*
Sohrab Sepehri
Sohrab Sepehri ( fa, سهراب سپهری; October 7, 1928 – April 21, 1980) was a notable Iranian poet and painter. He is considered to be one of the five most famous Iranian poets who have practiced modern poetry alongside Nima Youshij, A ...
*
Ghyath ad-Din Jamshid Kashani
*
Kamal-ol-Molk
Mohammad Ghaffari ( fa, محمد غفاری), better known as Kamal-ol-Molk (), was an Iranian painter and part of the Ghaffari family in Kashan.
Biography
Mohammad Ghaffari, better known as Kamal-ol-Molk, born in Kashan in 1848, to a family wi ...
*
Mohammad-Nabi Sarbolouki
Mohammad-Nabi Sarbolouki ( fa, محمدنبی سربلوکی) was a distinguished Iranian biophysicist and polymer chemist and one of the most influential individuals behind modern scientific movement in Iran. He was known as the inventor of a DNA ...
*
Ustad Ali Maryam
Ustad Ali Maryam ( fa, استاد علی مریم) was a famous mimar of 19th century Persia.
He is famous for designing three edifices in particular, all in Kashan:
* The Borujerdi-ha House (1857)
* The Tabatabaei House (1840s)
*
Muhsen Feyz Kashani
*
Yedidia Shofet, Former chief rabbi of Iran and the worldwide spiritual leader of Persian Jewry.
*
Uriel Davidi
Hakham Uriel Davidi Khansari ( he, אוריאל דוידי lived 1922 - December 24, 2006) was a famous Jewish (Judæo-Khunsari) religious leader and theologian, who was born in Khansar (Iran) and died in the Neve Yaakov section of Jerusalem, Isra ...
, Former chief rabbi of Iran and the worldwide spiritual leader of Persian Jewry.
*
Isaac Larian
Isaac Larian (born March 28, 1954) is an Iranian-born American billionaire businessman, founder and the chief executive officer (CEO) of MGA Entertainment, the world's largest privately owned toy company.[MGA Entertainment
MGA Entertainment Inc. (short for Micro-Games America Entertainment; sometimes referred to as MGA) is a manufacturer of children's toys and entertainment products founded in 1979. Its products include, Bratz, L.O.L. Surprise!, Num Noms and Rainbow ...]
*
David Alliance, Baron Alliance, Businessman and a
Liberal Democrat politician in the United Kingdom.
*
Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Seyyed Hossein Nasr (; fa, سید حسین نصر, born April 7, 1933) is an Iranian philosopher and University Professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University.
Born in Tehran, Nasr completed his education in Iran and the United St ...
, Leading Islamic Philosopher and exponent of the
Perennial Philosophy
Sister cities
*
Umeå
Umeå ( , , , locally ; South Westrobothnian: ;). fi, Uumaja; sju, Ubmeje; sma, Upmeje; se, Ubmi) is a city in northeast Sweden. It is the seat of Umeå Municipality and the capital of Västerbotten County.
Situated on the Ume River, Ume ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
*
Kazanlak,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
*
Sabzevar,
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 ...
See also
*
Iranian Architecture
Iranian architecture or Persian architecture (Persian: معمارى ایرانی, ''Memāri e Irāni'') is the architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia, the Caucasus and Central Asia. Its history dates back to at least 5,000 BC w ...
*
Kashan rug
A Persian carpet ( fa, فرش ایرانی, translit=farš-e irâni ) or Persian rug ( fa, قالی ایرانی, translit=qâli-ye irâni ),Savory, R., ''Carpets'',(Encyclopaedia Iranica); accessed January 30, 2007. also known as Iranian ...
*
*
Sialk - Kashan's ancient architecture.
*
Traditional Persian residential architecture
Traditional Persian residential architecture is the architecture employed by builders and craftsmen in the cultural Greater Iran and the surrounding regions to construct vernacular houses. The art draws from various cultures and elements from bot ...
References
{{Kashan County, state=collapsed
Counties of Isfahan Province