Zanjan, Iran
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Zanjan (; ) is a city in the Central District of
Zanjan County Zanjan County () is in Zanjan province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Zanjan. History The village of Armaghankhaneh was elevated to the status of a city in 2009, and the village of Nik Pey became a city in 2011. Soharin Rural Distri ...
, Zanjan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. Zanjan's population boasts the highest level of happiness among the people of 30 other provinces in Iran, according to a detailed survey conducted by Isna.


History

According to the '' Nuzhat al-Qulub'' of the 14th-century Iranian geographer Hamdallah Mustawfi (died after 1339/40), Zanjan was said to have been founded by the first
Sasanian The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranians"), was an Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, the length of the Sasanian dynasty's reign ...
ruler
Ardashir I Ardashir I (), also known as Ardashir the Unifier (180–242 AD), was the founder of the Sasanian Empire, the last empire of ancient Iran. He was also Ardashir V of the Kings of Persis, until he founded the new empire. After defeating the last Par ...
(), who named it "Shahin." During the Arab invasion of Iran, Zanjan was conquered in 645 by a force led by al-Barra ibn Azib. Medieval geographers generally agree that Zanjan was located in the region of
Jibal Jibāl (), also al-Jabal (), was the name given by the Arabs to a region and province located in western Iran, under the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates. Its name means "the Mountains", being the plural of ''jabal'' ("mountain, hill"), highlight ...
/
Persian Iraq Persian Iraq, also uncommonly spelled Persian Irak ( ''Erāq-e Ajam'' or ''Erāq-e Ajami''; ''ʿIrāq al-ʿAjam'' or ''al-ʿIrāq al-ʿAjamī'', literally, "Iraq of the Ajam"), is a historical region of the western parts of Iran. The region, ...
, near the frontier of the neighbouring region of
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
. Some geographers also include Zanjan as part of
Daylam Daylam (), also known in the plural form Daylaman () (and variants such as Dailam, Deylam, and Deilam), was the name of a mountainous region of inland Gilan, Iran. It was so named for its inhabitants, known as the Daylamites. The Church of the Ea ...
or Ray. After 833, the
Abbasid Caliphate The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes ...
had a chain of forts constructed from Zanjan to
Ardabil Ardabil (, ) is a city in northwestern Iran. It is in the Central District (Ardabil County), Central District of Ardabil County, Ardabil province, Ardabil province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The ...
to counter the 817–837 rebellion of the Khurramite leader Babak Khorramdin (died 838). In the 10th-century, Zanjan was ruled by local Daylamite dynasties such as the Musafirids (919–1062). According to the 13th-century Arab geographer
Yaqut al-Hamawi Yāqūt Shihāb al-Dīn ibn-ʿAbdullāh al-Rūmī al-Ḥamawī (1179–1229) () was a Muslim scholar of Byzantine ancestry active during the late Abbasid period (12th–13th centuries). He is known for his , an influential work on geography con ...
(died 1229), the Persians referred the city as "Zangan." During the
Ilkhanate The Ilkhanate or Il-khanate was a Mongol khanate founded in the southwestern territories of the Mongol Empire. It was ruled by the Il-Khans or Ilkhanids (), and known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (). The Ilkhanid realm was officially known ...
era (1256–1335), the inhabitants were reported by Hamdallah Mustawfi to have spoken "pure Pahlavi" (''pahlavī-e rāst''), a
Median The median of a set of numbers is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a Sample (statistics), data sample, a statistical population, population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as the “ ...
or northern form of Persian. One important moment in the history of the city was in 1851 when the city became a center for the suppressed Babi religious movement, along with Neyriz and a fortress known as Shaykh Tabarsi. The forces of the central government captured the Babi fort in Zanjan after a long siege on the orders of Grand
Vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...
(
Prime Minister of Iran The prime minister of Iran was a political post that had existed in Iran (Persia) during much of the 20th century. It began in 1906 during the Qajar dynasty and into the start of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1923 and into the 1979 Iranian Revolution ...
) Amir Kabir and killed or expelled the Bab's followers. Before becoming the capital of the namesake
Zanjan province Zanjan province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Zanjan. It is a mountainous province with close to 22,000 km2 of land placed in Iran's Region 3. Two-thirds of the people of the province live in the cit ...
, Zanjan was a county of the
Gilan province Gilan Province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, in the northwest of the country and southwest of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is the city of Rasht. The province lies along the Caspian Sea, in Iran's Regions of Iran, Region 3, west of ...
.


Demographics


Language and ethnicity

The population of Zanjan consists mostly of Iranian Azeris who are bilingual in Azerbaijani and Persian. Approximately half of the population of Zanjan province lives in Zanjan city. In a 2017 study, researchers concluded that Azerbaijani-speaking families in the city display language shift to Persian.


Population

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 341,801 in 89,829 households. The following census in 2011 counted 386,851 people in 110,943 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 430,871 people in 132,469 households, making it the 20th largest city in Iran. The city lies northwest of
Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
on the main highway to
Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...
and
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, and approximately from 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 about south of the Qaflankuh Mountain Range.


Geography

According to the
Food and Agriculture Organization The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security. Its Latin motto, , translates ...
(FAO) of the United Nations, rainfed agriculture makes up around 42% of Zanjan's land cover and
grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...
s account for another 37%. The remainder is bareland, irrigated agriculture,
forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...
,
orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit tree, fruit- or nut (fruit), nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also so ...
and riverbanks. Only 1.07% of the land is
urban development Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of peop ...
.


Climate

Zanjan has a cool semi-arid climate (
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 ...
''BSk'') with hot, dry summers and cold, moist winters, often with snowfall. Precipitation is very low, and mostly falls between October and May. On February 13, 2020, a temperature of was recorded.


Main sights in the city of Zanjan


Zanjan bazaar

Zanjan's
bazaar A bazaar or souk is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, Central Asia, North Africa and South Asia. They are traditionally located in vaulted or covered streets th ...
is a public marketplace that started in Agha Mohammadkhan Ghajar-era in 1784 CE, and completed in 1792 CE during the Fath-Ali Shah-era. Mosques and a bath were added later. This bazaar has 940 shops, which consist of two defined parts, namely Bazaar-e Bala (upper bazaar) and Bazaar-e Paieen (lower bazaar). Vendors are organized by their professions and commodities.


Jameh Mosque of Zanjan

The central mosque of Zanjan is Jameh Mosque of Zanjan, also known as the Seyyed Mosque (Masjid-e-Seyyed), this was constructed in 1826 during the Qajar-era, by one of Fath-Ali Shah's sons. This mosque was built in the old area of the city and it's the religious center of Zajan.


Saltmen museum at Zolfaghari House

It's built on Imam Street. This building holds six naturally preserved human remains called saltmen or “namaki”, which had been discovered in 1993 in the
Chehrabad Chehrehabad () is a village in Ghanibeyglu Rural District of Zanjanrud District in Zanjan County, Zanjan province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It ...
salt mines. These remains are originally from
Achaemenian The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian peoples, Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, i ...
-era.


Tofighi’s building

Tofighi's building is related to last parts of Qajar-era and Pahlavi-era. It's built on Imam Street. It was a house of the greatest man of Zanjan that was mayor of city. This building has 2 floors and consists of a symmetrical form.


Match company

The Match company (3 stars match company) is related to Pahlavi-era and located on Safa street. It is the second company of city and constructed by Mahmud Shalchi, before the World War II. It has a brick chimney.


Dadamaan Hotel Zanjan

The old abbey was constructed 200 years ago in the area of Enghelab square which is the most central and oldest part of Zanjan. It initially served as a caravanserai and then for approx. 80 years it was the house of one of Zanjan's scholars, Sheikh Jalal Ashabi. It had been uninhabited for 20 years after the passing of the Seikh from 1997. It began to be renovated in 2017 and now serves as a traditional hotel.


Sangi Caravanserai

The Sangi
Caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...
(stone caravanserai) is an ancient roadside inn, constructed in Safavi-era and was converted into a restaurant in the 1990s. It's a single story stone building that has four iwans (porches) and a ceiling that is arcuate.


Rakhtshooy Khaneh Edifice

The Rakhtshooy Khaneh Edifice is a historical wash-house and Iranian national heritage site, that is currently being used as Zanjan anthropological museum.


Industries

* Lead * Zinc * Pasteurized milk * Chemical productions * Weaving * Cotton * Food productions * Transformer * Electrical productions


Handicrafts

The most famous handicrafts are knives, charuq (a local style of women's shoes, similar to clodhopper shoes),
filigree Filigree (also less commonly spelled ''filagree'', and formerly written ''filigrann'' or ''filigrene'') is a form of intricate metalwork used in jewellery and other small forms of metalwork. In jewellery, it is usually of gold and silver, m ...
and gilding. Gilding is the one important art for decoration the books and calligraphies. Other handicrafts include coppersmithing, rug weaving and carpet weaving (including
Kilim A kilim ( ; ; ) is a flat tapestry-weaving, woven carpet or rug traditionally produced in countries of the former Persian Empire, including Iran and Turkey, but also in the Balkans and the Turkic countries. Kilims can be purely decorative ...
and Jajim style).


Colleges and universities

Zanjan is also home to several universities such as: * University of Zanjan * Zanjan University of Medical Sciences * Islamic Azad University of Zanjan * Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS)


Sports

Zanjan is known for having one of the best indoor sport
climbing wall A climbing wall is an artificially constructed wall with manufactured grips (or "holds") for the hands and feet. Most walls are located indoors, and climbing on such walls is often termed indoor climbing. Some walls are brick or wooden constr ...
s in the Middle East, located in Enghelab sports complex. The facility also includes standard speed climbing walls. The city's football team is Shahrdari Zanjan F.C., who play in the 2nd Division.


Notable people

''For a complete list see: :People from Zanjan, Iran'' * Syed Miran Hussain Zanjani, 11th century Sayyid Sufi mystic, who travelled to and settled in
Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
to preach Islam * Shahab al-Din Yahya ibn Habash Suhrawardi, Persian philosopher and founder of the Iranian school of Illuminationism, an important school in Islamic philosophy that drew upon Zoroastrian and Platonic ideas * Asadollah Bayat-Zanjani, Iranian theologian, Islamic philosopher, writer and Grand marja of Islam * Hujjat, early leader of the Bábí movement of 19th-century Persia *
Reza Mirkarimi Reza Mirkarimi (; born 28 January 1967) is an Iran, Iranian screenwriter and film director. Early life He graduated from Fine Arts University in graphic arts in Tehran. Career His cinema activities started from 1987 with a short film named ''F ...
, contemporary film writer, director, and producer *
Mousa Shubairi Zanjani Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Mousa Shubairi Zanjani (, born 2 March 1928) is an Iranian Twelver Shia Marja'. Biography He was born in Qom to Sayyid Ahmed Shubairi Zanjani in Azerbaijani family. He has studied in the Qom Seminary under Sayyid Hoss ...
, Iranian shia Marja * Yousef Sobouti, contemporary Iranian theoretical physicist * Mehdi Sohrabi, Iranian professional racing cyclist * Amir Hatami, Iranian regular army (Artesh) officer with the rank of Brigadier general and the current minister of defense of Iran * Abbas-Ali Amid Zanjani, Iranian politician and cleric * Saeid Mahdioun, Iranian fighter pilot * Majid Shahriari, nuclear scientist and engineer who worked with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran * Jamileh Sheykhi, Iranian actress * Said Matinpour, Iranian activist, journalist and ex-political prisoner *
Mirza Abutaleb Zanjani Mirzā Abutāleb Zanjānī () also known as Sayyid Fakhr al-Din Mohammad Abutāleb Mousavi al-Zanjānī (10 December 1843 – 16 March 1911) was an Iranian Jurist and Shia scholar. He was born on 10 December 1843, to an educated family in Zanjan ...
, Iranian jurist and Shia scholar * Mohammad Ezodin Hosseini Zanjani, Iranian shia Marja * Farah Ossouli, Iranian painter * Jamshid Ansari, Iranian reformist politician * Abdulkarim Zanjani, Shiite teacher * Mohammad Yeganeh, Iranian economist who was the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran from 1973 to 1975 * Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini Zanjani, Iranian shia Marja * Reza Zanjani, Shia Iranian cleric * Masoud Roghani Zanjani, Iranian academic, economist, scholar * Fatemeh Rakeei, Iranian politician, linguist, poet * Ali Shakouri-Rad, Iranian physician and reformist politician * Mahsa Javar, Iranian competitive rower * Mohsen Mohammadseifi, Iranian wushu athlete * Abdul Karim Kho'ini Zanjani, Iranian scholar and cleric * Ali Akbar Saremi, Iranian architect *
Mohammad Kiavash Mohammad Alavi Tabar (, also known as Kiyavash; 1930 – 10 March 2020) was an Iranian politician. Biography Mohammad Alavi Tabar was born in 1930 in Zanjan. He was a follower of jurisprudential Islam. Mohammad Alavi Tabar served as a member ...
, Iranian politician * Meisam Nassiri, Iranian freestyle wrestler * Ebadollah S. Mahmoodian, retired professor of mathematics * Hossein Monzavi, prominent Iranian poet * Hossein Abedini, Iranian actor * Ahmad Hakimipour, Iranian reformist politician * Davoud Maleki, Iranian featherweight weightlifter * Seyed Esmaeil Mousavi Zanjani, Iranian politician * Sadollah Nasiri Gheydari, university professor * Narges Mohammadi, human rights activist and Nobel laureate File:Bayatzanjani2.jpg, Asadollah Bayat-Zanjani File:Grand Ayatollah Mousa Zanjani 5 (cropped).jpg,
Mousa Shubairi Zanjani Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Mousa Shubairi Zanjani (, born 2 March 1928) is an Iranian Twelver Shia Marja'. Biography He was born in Qom to Sayyid Ahmed Shubairi Zanjani in Azerbaijani family. He has studied in the Qom Seminary under Sayyid Hoss ...
File:Seyyed Reza Mirkarimi 2019-04-25.jpg,
Reza Mirkarimi Reza Mirkarimi (; born 28 January 1967) is an Iran, Iranian screenwriter and film director. Early life He graduated from Fine Arts University in graphic arts in Tehran. Career His cinema activities started from 1987 with a short film named ''F ...
File:Ali Akbar Saremi 2013 IAUCTB.jpg, Ali Akbar Saremi File:Prof.soubuti by Mardetanha.jpg, Yousef Sobouti File:Mehdi-Sohrabi.jpg, Mehdi Sohrabi


Sister cities

*
Trabzon Trabzon, historically known as Trebizond, is a city on the Black Sea coast of northeastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. The city was founded in 756 BC as "Trapezous" by colonists from Miletus. It was added into the Achaemenid E ...
, Turkey *
Malacca Malacca (), officially the Historic State of Malacca (), is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca ...
,
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...


Gallery

File:Zanjan archaeology museum.jpg, Archaeology museum of Zanjan Image:Jame'h Mosque of Zanjan.jpg, Jeme'h Mosque of Zanjan Image:Bazaar zanjan01.jpg,
Bazaar A bazaar or souk is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, Central Asia, North Africa and South Asia. They are traditionally located in vaulted or covered streets th ...
of Zanjan Image:Rakhtshurkahneh.jpg, Rakhtshur khaneh, (traditional laundry house of
Qajar The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic origin,Cyrus Ghani. ''Iran an ...
era, Zanjan's Museum of Anthropology) Image:Sakhteman markazi01.jpg, University of Zanjan Image:Soltaniyeh interiors.jpg,
Soltaniyeh Soltaniyeh () is a city in the Central District (Soltaniyeh County), Central District of Soltaniyeh County, Zanjan province, Zanjan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. History Soltaniyeh, located some ...
's tiles (interior designs)


See also

* Rakhtshooy Khaneh Edifice


Notes


References


Sources

* * * *


External links


Official website of Zanjan GovernorshipzanjansiteOfficial website of Zanjan chamber of commerceSultaniyeh Dome Official website
{{Provincial capitals of Iran Cities in Zanjan province Iranian provincial capitals Populated places in Zanjan County Sasanian cities