Astara (; ) is a city in the Central District of

Astara County Astara County () is in Gilan province, in northwestern Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to ...

, Gilan province,

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, serving as the capital of both the county and the district. It lies on the

border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...

with the Republic of Azerbaijan and on the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, described as the List of lakes by area, world's largest lake and usually referred to as a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia: east of the Caucasus, ...

. It is an important border trade center between Iran and the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

History

The earliest mention, under the name ''Astārāb'', comes in the Ḥodūd al-ʿālam, written toward the end of the 10th century. In the 14th century, Astara became the seat of the small

principality A principality (or sometimes princedom) is a type of monarchy, monarchical state or feudalism, feudal territory ruled by a prince or princess. It can be either a sovereign state or a constituent part of a larger political entity. The term "prin ...

of the Esfahbad or Espahbad (-bod) of Gīlān. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, the Ṭālešī Khans of Āstārā were either autonomous or nominally subordinate to the governors of Gīlān or Ardabīl; on several occasions they played an important role in the history of the Caspian provinces. According to Minorsky, we do not know whether the later governors of Astara still continued the line of the Ispahbads. Even after the conquest of Northern Tālish by the Russians (1813) the family of the Tālish-khans retained certain rights. Astara was part of the short lived Talysh Khanate in the 18th and 19th centuries, and for a short while it was the capital of the Khanate before it was moved to

Lankaran Lankaran (, ) or Lánkon () is a city in Azerbaijan, on the coast of the Caspian Sea, near the southern border with Iran. As of 2021, the city had a population of 89,300. It is next to, but independent of, Lankaran District. The city forms a disti ...

. In 1828, with the signing of the

Treaty of Turkmenchay The Treaty of Turkmenchay (; ) was an agreement between Qajar Iran and the Russian Empire, which concluded the Russo-Persian War (1826–1828). It was second of the series of treaties (the first was the 1813 Treaty of Gulistan and the last, the ...

, Astara was split into two. The city of Astara in Azerbaijan is located just across the Astarachay River.

Demographics

Language

Linguistic composition of the city.

Population

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 40,664 in 11,436 households. The following census in 2011 counted 48,470 people in 14,639 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 51,579 people in 16,696 households.

Climate

Astara has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

: ''Cfa'', Trewartha: ''Cf''), with relatively cold, wet winters and warm, humid summers. It has the most precipitation days than any other cities in Iran.

Agriculture

Rice has been cultivated in this region for many years, where some indigenous cultivars (landrace) were conventionally bred by farmers.

Culture

Astara is home to one of the first libraries established in the country.

Tourism

Astara has various attractions and is considered a major tourist destination for Iranians and foreigners, especially those from the

. The city has a selection of beaches and is near to a

Temperate rainforest Temperate rainforests are rainforests with coniferous or Broad-leaved tree, broadleaf forests that occur in the temperate zone and receive heavy rain. Temperate rainforests occur in oceanic moist regions around the world: the Pacific temperate ...

. Annually over six million Iranians, and six hundred thousand foreigners visit the city. The most popular beaches in this city are Shariati park and Sadaf beach. Shariati beach park is located in the city, and Sadaf beach is 7 kilometers from Astara city

Education

* Islamic Azad University of Astara

Notable people

* Fereydun Ebrahimi – Procurator-General in Azerbaijan People's Government * Ebrahim Nabavi – Iranian journalist * Payan Rafat – football player * Kamal Habibollahi – last Commander of the Imperial Iranian Navy

Notes

References

External links

Astara
entry in the * {{Astara County, state=collapsed Populated places in Astara County Cities in Gilan province Azerbaijan–Iran border crossings Populated places on the Caspian Sea Port cities and towns in Iran Populated coastal places in Iran Ports and harbours of Iran Port cities and towns of the Caspian Sea Divided cities Azerbaijani settlements in Gilan province