Mazandaran Province
Mazandaran is a province in northern
Iran, bordering the
Caspian Sea in the north. Mazandaran was part of the
Persian province of
Hyrcania.
Sari is the provincial capital.
Gorgan also used to be a part of Mazandaran until recently, but is now the capital city of the new Iranian province of
Golestan .
The
Caspian Sea is to the north, the provinces of
Tehran and
Semnan provinces lie to the south. To the west it has common borders with
Gilan province, and to the east stands the province of
Golestan.
Encyclopedia
Mazandaran is a province in northern
Iran, bordering the
Caspian Sea in the north. Mazandaran was part of the
Persian province of
Hyrcania.
Sari is the provincial capital.
Gorgan also used to be a part of Mazandaran until recently, but is now the capital city of the new Iranian province of
Golestan .
The
Caspian Sea is to the north, the provinces of
Tehran and
Semnan provinces lie to the south. To the west it has common borders with
Gilan province, and to the east stands the province of
Golestan.
In 1996, the province had a population of about 2.6 million.
History
Climatic conditions of Mazandaran have prevented the preservation of historical monuments. Thus there are only a few sound vestiges remaining from pre-Islamic periods in the coastal plains of Mazandaran. But the province is known to have been populated from early antiquity, and Mazandaran has changed hands among various dynasties from early in its history. There are several fortresses remaining from
Parthian and
Sassanid times, and many older cemeteries scattered throughout the province.
In 662, ten years after the death of Yazdegerd III the last Sassanian Emperor, a large Muslim army under the command of Hassan ibn Ali invaded Tabarestan only to be severely beaten, suffering heavy losses to the forces of the Zoroastrian princes of the Dabboyid house. For the next two hundred years, Tabaristan maintained an existence independent of the Umayyad Caliphate which supplanted the
Persian Empire in the early seventh century, with independent Zoroastrian houses like the Bavand and Karen fighting an effective guerilla warfare against Islam. A short-lived Alid Shiite state collapsed before the subsequent take-over by the Zyarid princes. Mazandaran, unlike much of the rest of the Iranian Plateau maintained a Zoroastrian majority until the 12th century CE, thanks to its isolation and hardy population which fought against the Caliph's armies for centuries.
During the Abbasid caliphate of Abou Jafar Al-Mansur,
Tabaristan witnessed a wave of popular revolt. Ultimately, Vandad Hormoz established an independent dynasty in Tabaristan in 783CE. In 1034CE, Soltan Mahmoud
Ghaznavi entered Tabarestan via
Gorgan followed by the invasion of Soltan Mohammad
Kharazmshah in 1209CE. Thereafter, the Mongols governed the region and finally were overthrown by the
Timurid Dynasty.
After the dissolution of the feudal government of Tabaristan, Mazandaran was incorporated into modern
Persian Empire by
Shah Abbas I in 1596.
During the reign of
Nadir Shah, the province was briefly occupied by Russians in the aftermath of the
Russo-Persian War, 1722-1723.
Geography
Mazandaran province is geographically divided into two parts: the coastal plains, and the mountainous areas. The
Alborz Mountain Range surrounds the coastal strip and plains of the Caspian Sea like a huge barrier.
There is often snowfall during most of the seasons in the
Alborz regions, which run parallel to the
Caspian Sea's southern coast, dividing the province into many isolated valleys. The province enjoys a moderate, semitropical climate with an average temperature of 25 °C in summer and about 8 °C in winter. Although snow may fall heavily in the mountains in winter, it rarely falls around sea lines.
Administrative Divisions
The province covers an area of 46,656 km².
According to the census of 1996, the population of the province was 2,602,008 of which 45.89% were registered as urban dwellers, 54.1% villagers, and remaining were non- residents.
Sari is the capital city of the province.
Mazandaran is connected to the capital of Iran,
Tehran, through three transit roads of
Haraz ,
Kandovan , and
Firouzkouh , while
Sari, Nowshahr and
Ramsar airports connect it to the other parts of the country.
Counties of the province are:
Culture
Language
Main Article: Mazandarani LanguageMazanderani or
Tabari is an ancient northwestern branch of the Iranian languages, and is even considered by some a language in its own right.
Notably, the language did not come under the influence of other incoming languages such as Mongolian, Arabic, or Tatar, and is still spoken in various dialects in the region.
In Literature
Mazandaran is mentioned frequently in Persian epic
Shahnameh, it is an area in north of Iran which is mostly inhabited by Div . The legendary Iranian Shah Kaykavus as well as the Iranian hero
Rostam each take turn to go to Mazandaran in order to battle the demons.
Significant natives of Mazandaran
Mazandaran has been home to many significant Iranian figures. These range from scholars and poets to politicians and actors. Of the most notable Mazandaranian figure is
Reza Shah Pahlavi who was born in
Alasht,
Savad Kooh, Mazandaran in 1877. Reza Pahvalavi became the Iranian Shah from 1925 until 1941, when he was forced to relinquish his throne to his son.
Notable Mazandaranian poets include the modernist poet
Nima Yooshij, the great late contemporary poet of Iran who was born in Yush,
Mazandaran.
Interesting note: Being formerly part of the greater province of Taparestan or Tabaristan, two famous 9th-century Persian scholars are from Mazandaran, both commonly called "al-Tabari" .Mazandaran today
Economy
Rice,
grain,
fruits,
cotton,
tea,
tobacco,
sugarcane, and
silk are produced in the lowland strip along the Caspian shore.
Oil wealth has stimulated industries in food processing, cement, textiles, cotton, and fishing .
Suitable environmental conditions, pleasant and moderate climate, beautiful natural landscapes, and proximity to
Tehran, have led the province to be one of the main recreational and tourism areas of
Iran.
Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization lists close to 630 sites of historical and cultural significance, hence a wealth of tourist attractions.
Colleges and universities
- Babol University of Medical Sciences
-
- University of Mazandaran
-
- Islamic Azad University of Neka
-
- Islamic Azad University of Tonekabon
- Islamic Azad University of Babol
- Islamic Azad University of Amol
- Imam Khomeini University for Naval Sciences
-
External links
