Manjil ( fa, Manjil, also
Romanize
Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...
d as Manjīl and Menjīl ; derived from
Manzil
For the convenience of those who read the Quran in a week the text may be divided into seven portions, each known as Manzil.
The following division to 7 equal portions is by Hamza Al-Zayyat (d.156/772):
# Al-Fatihah (chapter 1) through An-Nis ...
) is a city in the
Central District of
Rudbar County
Rudbar County ( fa, شهرستان رودبار) is in Gilan province, Iran. The capital of the county is the city of Rudbar. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 101,884 in 27,902 households. The following census in 2011 counted 1 ...
,
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 the 2006 census, its population was 16,028, in 4,447 families.
Geography
Manjil is known as the windy city of Iran, a reputation it owes to its geographical position in the
Alborz mountain range
The Alborz ( fa, البرز) range, also spelled as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran that stretches from the border of Azerbaijan along the western and entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea and finally runs nort ...
at a small cleft in Alborz that funnels the wind through Manjil to the
Qazvin plateau.
[Visible on ]Google earth
Google Earth is a computer program that renders a 3D computer graphics, 3D representation of Earth based primarily on satellite imagery. The program maps the Earth by superimposition, superimposing satellite images, aerial photography, and geog ...
at N36º45´18˝-N36º41´42˝ and E49º23´6˝ and E49º31´ 48˝ The biggest
wind farm
A wind farm or wind park, also called a wind power station or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used Wind power, to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundre ...
of Iran, the
Manjil and Rudbar Wind Farm, is located near Manjil.
Manjil is known for the river
Sefīd-Rūd
The Sefid-Rud ( fa, سفیدرود, lit=white river, glk, اسپي بيه, ''Espī bīeh'') (also known as Sepid-Rud) is a river approximately long, rising in the Alborz mountain range of northwestern Iran and flowing generally northeast to ent ...
(or "Sepid Rood", "Sefid Rood", "white river"). It passes by the town and is formed in Manjil by two joining rivers. Since 1960 it has been the site of the
Manjil Dam
Sefidrud Dam (originally named Shahbanu Farah Dam and also known as the Manjil Dam) is a buttress dam on the Sefīd-Rūd in the Alborz mountain range, located near Manjil in Gilan Province, northern Iran.
It was constructed to store water for i ...
that significantly contributes to
Gilan's agriculture, such as its
olive
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'' ...
groves, while generating electric power. The
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
impounded by the Manjil Dam adds to the beauty of the area.
[
]
History
Throughout the history Manjil has been a gate to the southern Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...
region. There are numerous archaeological site excavations (mostly illegal) in the Manjil area because of its rich cultural history. Some of these sites are related to the Ismaili
Isma'ilism ( ar, الإسماعيلية, al-ʾIsmāʿīlīyah) is a branch or sub-sect of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor (imām) to Ja'far al-Sa ...
era, i.e., Hassan Sabbah movement based in Alamoot forte (one may find artifacts from the 3rd-2nd millennia BC in some households).
Modern history
In the modern era, Manjil was the site of a historical battle between the nationalist revolutionary forces of Jangal (led by Mirza Koochak Khan
Mirza Kuchik Khan ( fa, میرزا كوچک خان) (common alternative spellings ''Kouchek'', ''Koochek'', ''Kuchak'', ''Kuchek'', ''Kouchak'', ''Koochak'', ''Kuçek'') (October 12, 1880 – December 2, 1921) was an Iranian twentieth-century ...
) and the joint British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
and White Russian forces on June 12, 1918. The latter forces (led by General Dunsterville
Major General Lionel Charles Dunsterville, (9 November 1865 – 18 March 1946) was a British Army officer, who led Dunsterforce across present-day Iraq and Iran towards the Caucasus and Baku during the First World War.
Early life
Lionel Charles ...
and Colonel Bicherakhov) willing to pass through Manjil as the only passage to the Caspian to reach Baku
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...
and overthrow the newly formed Baku Commune
Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world an ...
(led by Stepan Shahumian
Stepan Georgevich Shaumian (; , ''Step’an Ge'vorgi Shahumyan''; 1 October 1878 – 20 September 1918) was a Bolshevik revolutionary and politician active throughout the Caucasus. Arzumanyan, M. Շահումյան, Ստեփան Գևորգի. ...
). General Dunsterville's private diaries and notes, including those kept during his command of the Dunsterforce Mission to North Persia
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 ...
and Baku, 1918 were transcribed from the original by General Dunsterville's great granddaughter, and are co-located on th
Great War Primary Documents Archive
Although devastated by a 1990 Manjil–Rudbar earthquake
The 1990 Manjil–Rudbar earthquake occurred on Thursday, June 21, 1990 at in northern Iran. The shock had a moment magnitude of 7.4 and a Mercalli Intensity of X (''Extreme'').
Damage and casualties
Widespread damage occurred to the northwest ...
of magnitude 7.3, for the last few decades Manjil has enjoyed industrial and economic growth.
People
Manjil had a mainly Azerbaijani Turkish population from the ʿAmmārlu tribe, together with Tats and Kurds ug:كۇردلار
Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Ir ...
.
References
External links
General Dunsterville's diary - Great War Primary Documents Archive
{{Authority control
Cities in Gilan Province
Populated places in Rudbar County
Settled areas of Elburz
Cities destroyed by earthquakes