Qazvin Province

Qazvin Province
استان قزوین
Province
Map of Iran with Qazvin highlighted
Location of Qazvin within Iran
Coordinates: 36°16′09″N 50°00′10″E / 36.2693°N 50.0029°E / 36.2693; 50.0029Coordinates: 36°16′09″N 50°00′10″E / 36.2693°N 50.0029°E / 36.2693; 50.0029
Country  Iran
Region Region 1 [1]
Capital Qazvin
Counties 5
Area
 • Total 15,567 km2 (6,010 sq mi)
Population (2011)[2]
 • Total 1,201,565
 • Density 77/km2 (200/sq mi)
Time zone IRST (UTC+03:30)
 • Summer (DST) IRST (UTC+04:30)
Main language(s) Persian
Azerbaijani
Tati

The Qazvin Province (Persian: استان قزوین‎‎ Ostān-e Qazvīn, Azerbaijani: قزوین اوستانی Qəzvin Ostanı‎, Tati: قزوینی استان Qazvini Ostân) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the north-west of the country, and its center is the city of Qazvin. The province was created in 1993 out of part of Tehran Province and includes 20 cities: Qazvin, Takestan, Abyek, Buin-Zahra, Eqbaliyeh, Mohammadiyeh, Alvand, Esfarvarin, Mahmudabad Nemuneh, Sagezabad, Khorramdasht, Ziaabad, Avaj, Shal, Danesfahan, Abgarm, Ardak, Moallem Kalayeh, Razmian and Bidestan in the form of four townships (chief cities) contains 18 sections, 44 rural districts, and 1543 villages.

The province was put as part of Region 1 upon the division of the provinces into 5 regions solely for coordination and development purposes on June 22, 2014.[1]

The province had a population of 1.2 million people by the 2011 census, of which 68.05% lived in cities and 31.95% in villages. The ratio of men to women is 50.7 to 49.3%. 99.61% of the province population were Muslims and 0.39% of the rest came from other religions. The literacy rate is over 82%, ranking 7th in Iran.

Geography, climate and people

Ovan lake, Alamut
Barajin

The province covers 15821 km² between 48-45 to 50-50 east of Greenwich Meridian of longitude and 35-37 to 36-45 north latitude of the equator. The province is bounded on the north by Mazandaran and Gilan, on the west by Hamedan and Zanjan, on the south by Markazi and on the east by Tehran Provinces. The famous mountains of the province are those of Siälän, Shäh Alborz, Khashchäl, Sephidkouh, Shojä e din, Alehtareh, Rämand, Ägh dägh, Kharaghän, Saridagh, Soltan pïr, and Siähkouh, in which Siälän with a height of 4175m and Shäh Alborz which is 4056m are the highest. All are part of the central chain of Alborz. The lowest point of the province is in Tärom e Soflä.

The climate of the province in the northern parts is cold and snowy in winters and temperate in summers. In the southern parts the climate is mild with comparatively cold winters and warm summers.

The majority of the people of the province are Azeris and inhabitants of some counties are Persians,[3] and Tats.[4]

History

Qazvin was the location of a former capital of the Persian Empire and contains over 2000 architectural and archeological sites. It is a provincial capital today that has been a cultural center of mass throughout history.

Archeological findings in the Qazvin plain reveal the existence of urban agricultural settlements as far back as 7000 BC. The name “Qazvin” or “Kasbin” is derived from Cas, an ancient tribe that lived south of the Caspian Sea millennia ago. The Caspian Sea itself in fact derives its name from the same origin. Qazvin geographically connects Tehran, Isfahan, and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian seacoast and Asia Minor, hence its strategic location throughout the ages.

Qazvin has been a hotbed of historical developments in Iranian history. In the early years of the Islamic era Qazvin served as a base for the Arab forces. Destroyed by Genghis Khan (13th century), the Safavid monarchs made Qazvin the capital of the Safavid empire in 1548 only to have it moved to Isfahan in 1598. During the Qajar Dynasty and contemporary period, Qazvin has always been one of the most important governmental centers due to its proximity to Tehran. Abbas Mirza, a Crown Prince and Minister of Commerce, was also the governor of Qazvin.

Qazvin is situated close to Alamut, where the famous Hasan-i Sabbah, founder of the secret Ismaili order of the Assassins, operated from.

Qazvin is where the coup d’etat of General Reza Khan, with his Russian-trained Cossack brigade, was launched from - which led to the founding of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1921.

Main sights

Qazvin province contains fine examples of Iranian architecture from various ages.

Qazvin contains several archeological excavations dating back 9000 years ago. There are also 23 castles from the Ismaili Assassins nearby as well. And in the middle of the city, there lies the ruins of Meimoon Ghal'eh, one of several Sassanid edifices in the area.

Qazvin contains few buildings from the Safavi era when it was capital of Persia. Perhaps the most famous of the surviving edifices is the Ali Qapu mansion, today a museum in central Qazvin.

Historical mosques

After Islam, the abundant attendance of mystics (ascetics), as well as the prevalence of tradition (Hadith), religious jurisprudence (Fegh´h), and philosophy in Qazvin, led to the emergence of many mosques and religious schools among which the most magnificent ones are:

Churches and Russian architecture

Qazvin actually contains three buildings built by the Russians in the late 19th/early 20th century. Among these is the current Mayor's office (former Ballet Hall), a water reservoir, and the Cantor church where a Russian pilot is buried.

According to explorers Pietro Della Valle, Jean Baptist Tavenier, Johannes Chardin, and others, there have been many Christians of various sects living in Qazvin for centuries. Qazvin is the location of the Saint Hripsime church, and it is also where four Jewish prophets gave tidings of the arrival of Jesus Christ. Their tomb is now a popular shrine called Peighambariyeh.

Castles and forts

These are castles and fortifications left over mostly from the Isma'ili movement of the Middle Ages:

Tombs, shrines and mausoleums

The Kharaghan twin towers, built in 1067 AD, Qazvin province.

Another grand attraction in Qazvin Province, is the tombs of two Saljuki era princes, Aboo Saeed Bijar son of Sad and Aboo Mansoor Iltai son of Takin, that are located in two separate towers known as the Kharaghan twin towers. Constructed in 1067, these are the first monuments in Islamic Architecture which include a non-conic two-layered dome.

Both towers were severely damaged by a devastating earthquake on March 2003.

Some popular shrines and Mausoleums in Qazvin province are:

Traditional reservoirs

In the old days, Qazvin was nicknamed the 'city of water reservoirs'. Of the 100 or so water reservoirs of Qazvin, only 10 remain today, all protected by the Provincial Cultural Heritage Organization. See: List of famous ab anbars of Qazvin

Bazaars and caravanserais

Qazvin has some fine examples of centuries old Bazaars and caravanserais:

Qazvin Modern Towers

Residential towers like Ponak (536 units), Sky (Aseman, 300 units) 17 levels, Elahieh and Bademestan (440 units) with 17 levels.

Tejarat tower with 28 levels

Qazvin Shopping Complexes

City Star in Khayam street

Ferdosi in Ferdosi street

Iranian in Adl street

Qazvin hypermarket

Proma Hypermarket

Bridges

Famous Parks

Famous Hotels

City Gates and other edifices

Peihgambariyeh ("the place of the prophets"). The mausoleum contains the resting place of four Jewish saints.

During the 9th century AD seven gates made entrance to the city possible. In Qajar period there existed nine gates surrounding the city which were connected to each other through a wall around the city. These gates (darvāzeh in Persian) were:

Due to 20th century hasty urban expansion, only the last two gates remain standing. Other popular attractions of Qazvin province include:

Famous people

craftsmanship at Shazdeh Hosein shrine.

Aside from Shahzadeh Hossein, a shiite saint, where a handsome shrine has been built, there are an abundance of scientists and mystics who lived in Qazvin, or came from Qazvin, or whose tombs are scattered throughout the cities and villages of the province. Some of these are:

Economy

Agriculture

13,000 km² are under cultivation in the province, covering 12% of the cultivable lands of the country. These are fed by numerous subterranean canals, deep and semi-deep wells, and a large irrigating canal which originates from The Sangbän dam in Taleghän and Ziärän. The agricultural produce of the land is grape, hazelnut, pistachio, almond, walnut, olive, apple, wheat, barley, sugar beet, pomegranate, fig, and cereals. Animal husbandry, and aquatic and poultry breeding are developed throughout the province.

Industries

In recent decades, Qazvin has become a developing pole of the country, primarily due to its preferable location. Qazvin today is a center of textile trade, including cotton, silk and velvet, in addition to leather. It is on the railroad line and the highway between Tehran and Tabriz.

Qazvin has one of the largest power plants feeding electricity into Iran's national power grid, the Shahid Raja'i facility, which provides 7% of the country's electricity.

Colleges and universities

References

  1. 1 2 همشهری آنلاین-استان‌های کشور به ۵ منطقه تقسیم شدند
  2. ↑ National Census 2006
  3. ↑ Qazvin: Millennial land
  4. ↑ Tats of Iran and Caucasus, Ali Abdoli, 2010.
  5. ↑ Arash Nooraghayee
  6. ↑ iranian.com: Nima Kasraie, Qazvin water reservoirs
  7. ↑ Peighambarieh Mausoleum in Qazvin: Burial place of Israeli prophets

External links

Official links

Miscellaneous

 Gilan Province Mazandaran Province
Zanjan Province Alborz Province
   Qazvin Province  
Hamadan Province Markazi Province
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, May 04, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.