Mazandaran Province
Encyclopedia
Mazandaran Province is a Caspian
province
in the north of Iran
. Located on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea
, it is bordered clockwise by the Golestan
, Semnan
, Tehran
, Alborz, Qazvin
, and Gilan
provinces.
Mazandaran is one of the most densely populated provinces in Iran and has diverse natural resources, especially large reservoirs of oil and natural gas. The province's five largest counties are Sari
, Behshahr
, Babol
, Amol
and Qaemshahr. Founded as province in 1937, Mazandaran was declared the second modern province after neighbouring Gilan.
The diverse nature of the province features plains, prairies, forests and rainforest stretching from the sandy beaches of the Caspian Sea to the rugged and snowcapped Alborz
sierra, including Mount Damavand
, the highest peak and volcano in the Middle East
and Western Asia, which at the narrowest point (Nowshahr County) narrows to 5 miles.
Mazandaran is a major producer of farmed fish, and aquaculture
provides an important economic addition to traditional dominance of agriculture
. Another important contributor to the economy is the tourism
industry, as people from all of Iran enjoy visiting the area. Mazandaran is also a fast-growing centre for biotechnology
and civil engineering
.
Human habitation in the area dates back at least 75,000 years. Recent excavations in Goher Tippe provide proof that the area has been urbanized for more than 5,000 years, and the area is considered one of the most important historical sites of Iran. It has played an important role in cultural and urban development of the region.
Indigenous peoples of the region include the ethnic Mazanderanis speaking an Iranian language which most resembles Gilaki and Sangiseri.
n and Sassanid times, and many older cemeteries scattered throughout the province. During this era, Mazandaran was part of Hyrcania Province which was one of important provinces.
With the advent of the Sassanid dynasty, the King of Mazandaran (Tabaristan and Padashkhwargar) was Gushnasp, whose ancestors had reigned in the area (under the Parthian empire) since the time of Alexander. In 529-536, Mazandarn was ruled by the Sassanid prince Kawus, son of Kawadh. Anushirawan, the Sassanid king, defeated Zarmihr, who claimed his ancestry from the legendary blacksmith Kaveh. This dynasty ruled till 645 A.D., when Gil Gilanshah (a descendant of the Sassanid king Jamasp and a son of Piruz) joined Mazandaran to Gilan. These families had descendants who ruled during the Islamic period.
During the post-Islamic period the local dynasties fall into three classes: 1. local families of pre-Islamic origin, 2. the ʿAlid sayyid s, and 3. local families of secondary importance.
The Bawandids who claimed descent from Kawus provided three dynasties. The first dynasty (665-1007) was overthrown on the conquest of Tabaristan by the Ziyarid Kabus b. Wushmgir. The second dynasty reigned from 466/1073 to 606/1210 when Mazandaran was conquered by 'Ala al-Din Muhammad Khwarzamshah. The third ruled from 635/1237 to 750/1349 as vassals of the Mongols. The last representative of the Bawandids was killed by Afrasiyab Chulawi.
The Karinids claimed descent from Karin, brother of Zarmihr who was the pre-Islamic ruler under the Sassanids. Their last representative Mazyar was put to death in 224/839.
The Paduspanids claimed descent from the Dabyuids of Gilan. They came to the front about 40/660 and during the rule of the ʿAlids were their vassals. Later, they were vassals of the Buyids and Bawandids, who deposed them in 586/1190. The dynasty, restored in 606/1209-10, survived till the time of Timur; the branch descended from Kawus the son of Kayumarth reigned till 975/1567 and the other, that of Iskandar the son of Kayumarth, till 984/1574.
In 662
CE, ten years after the death of Yazdegerd III the last Sassanian Emperor, a large Muslim army under the command of Hassan ibn Ali (Imam Hassan, the second Sunni's/Shi'a Imam) invaded Tabarestan (Mazandaran as it was then called) 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 Ziyarid
princes. Mazandaran, unlike much of the rest of the Iranian Plateau maintained a Zoroastrian majority until the 12th century, 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 783
. In 1034, Soltan Mahmoud Ghaznavi
entered Tabarestan via Gorgan
followed by the invasion of Soltan Mohammad Kharazmshah in 1209. Thereafter, the Mongols governed the region until they 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. In the Safavid era Mazandaran was settled by Georgian
migrants, whose descendants still live across Mazandaran. Towns, villages and neighbourhoods in Mazandaran still bear the name "Gorji" (i.e. Georgian) in them, although most of the Georgians
are already assimilated into the mainstream Mazandaranis. The history of Georgian settlement is described by Eskandar Beyg Monshi, the author of the 17th century Tarikh-e Alam-Ara-ye Abbasi, among other authors.
Before the reign of Nadir Shah, the province was briefly occupied by the Russian army in the aftermath of the Russo-Persian War, 1722-1723
and returned to Persia in 1735.
Mazandaran is located on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea
. It is bordered clockwise by Golestan
, Semnan
and Tehran
provinces. This province also borders Qazvin
and Gilan
to the west.
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.
There is often snowfall 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, subtropical 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 at sea level.
Ecoregions:
The population of the province has been steadily growing during the last 50 years. The following table shows the approximate province population, excluding the Golestan province
, which has separated as an independent province in 1998 http://www.ostan-mz.ir/.
The population is of Caucasian Iran
ian stock with a minority of non-native neighboring Turkic tribes (esp. the Turkomen).
According to the census of 2006, the population of the province was 2,922,432 of which 53.18% were registered as urban dwellers, 46.82% villagers, and remaining were non-residents. Sari
is the capital city of the province.
Mazandaran is divided into 15 counties (shahrestan
in Persian
). All the shahrestans are named after their administrative center, except Savadkooh. The following map shows the respective positions of the counties.
, through three transit roads: Haraz road (Amol
-Rudehen), Kandovan road (Chalus
-Karaj
), and Firoozkooh road (Qaem Shahr-Rudehen).
, Noshahr Airport
, and Ramsar Airport
are the domestic airports that connect the province to the other parts of the country. There are some Hajj
flights from Dasht-e Naz Airport as well.
to the east. The cities of Sari
, Qaemshahr, and Pol Sefid
are major stations of the department.
The cuisine of the province is very rich in seafood due to its location by the Caspian Sea, and rice is present in virtually every meal. Indeed, the rest of Iran was introduced to rice through Gilan and Mazandaran. Before the 1800s, Persians, Kurds, and other Iranian ethnic groups used bread rather than rice as an accompaniment to their meals, though bread remains a prominent staple among them. While bread remains very popular among those groups, in Gilan and Mazandaran, rice remains the choice staple of the indigenous inhabitants.
such as Mazanderani, and Gorgani and possibly Qadikolahi (Ghadikolahi) and Palani. Today, Mazandaranis also use Persian (Western Persian). The educated can communicate and read Persian well.
A dialect of Azeri
is spoken in the town of Galoogah.
, Mazandaran is mentioned in two different sections. The first mention is implicit, when Fereydun
sets its capital in a city called Tamishe near Amol
:
بیاراست گیتی بسان بهشت.................... به جای گیا سرو گلبن بکشت
از آمل گذر سوی تمیشه کرد .............. نشست اندر آن نامور بیشه کرد
under the title "فریدون چو شد بر جهان کامگار", and when Manuchehr
is returning to Fereydun
's capital, Tamisheh in Mazandaran (known as Tabarestan), after his victory over Salm and Tur
:
ز دريای گيلان چون ابر سياه.............. دمادم به ساری رسيد آن سپاه
چو آمد بنزدیک شاه آن سپاه.................. فریدون پذیره بیامد براه
under the title "تهی شد ز کینه سر کینه دار".
In the second section, a region called Mazandaran is mentioned in the Kai Kavoos era; it is an area which is mostly inhabited by Div (demons). The legendary Iranian Shah
Kaykavoos, as well as the Iranian hero Rostam
, each take turn to go to Mazandaran in order to battle the demons.
A famous verse from Shahnameh is when Zal
tells Kai Kavoos:
شنیدم یکی نو سخن بس گران ..........که شه دارد آهنگ مازندران
"I heard troubling news that the king is planning to go to Mazandaran"
However, this Mazandaran is not considered identical to the modern province of Mazandaran, and is instead a land to the west of Iran. The current province was simply considered a part of Tabaristan; the name Mazandaran is a later development, perhaps based upon local terminology.
In Gaston Leroux's 'The Phantom of the Opera,' one of the characters was formerly the daroga (chief of police) of Mazanderan.
, Savad Kooh, Mazandaran in 1877. Reza Pahlavi 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.
Another famous contemporary poet is Mina Assadi
, a Mazandarani native, born and raised in Sari
, who is known for writing about controversial and provocative subjects.
Mírzá `Abbás Núrí
, father of Mirzá Husayan-Alí Núrí, known as Bahá'u'lláh
, founder of the Bahá'í Faith
, is a native of Núr (Noor
) in Mazandaran.
Rice
, grain
, fruit
s, 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 (caviar
).
The province's 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.
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
province
Provinces of Iran
Iran is subdivided into thirty one provinces , each governed from a local center, usually the largest local city, which is called the capital of that province...
in the north of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. Located on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
, it is bordered clockwise by the Golestan
Golestan Province
Golestan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, located in the north-east of the country, south of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is Gorgan....
, Semnan
Semnan Province
Semnan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the north of the country, and its center is Semnan. The province of Semnan covers an area of 96,816 square kilometers and stretches along the Alborz mountain range and borders to Dasht-e Kavir desert in its southern parts.Counties of...
, Tehran
Tehran Province
Tehran Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It covers on area of 18,909 square kilometers and is located to the north of the central plateau of Iran....
, Alborz, Qazvin
Qazvin Province
The Qazvin Province 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, Eqhbalieh, Mohammadieh, Alvand,...
, and Gilan
Gilan Province
Gilan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It lies along the Caspian Sea, just west of the province of Mazandaran, east of the province of Ardabil, north of the provinces of Zanjan and Qazvin....
provinces.
Mazandaran is one of the most densely populated provinces in Iran and has diverse natural resources, especially large reservoirs of oil and natural gas. The province's five largest counties are Sari
Sari County
Sari County is a county in Mazandaran Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Sari. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 490,830, in 132,919 families; excluding those portions, the population was 436,968, in 118,695 families...
, Behshahr
Behshahr
Behshahr is a city in and the capital of Behshahr County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 83,537, in 22,034 families.It is approximately forty kilometers from Sari. The name Behshahr literally means The Best city...
, Babol
Babol County
Babol County is a county in Mazandaran Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Babol. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 464,538, in 125,187 families. The county is subdivided into six districts: the Central District, Bandpey Gharbi District, Bandpey Sharqi District, Lalehabad...
, Amol
Amol County
Amol County is a county in Mazandaran Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Amol. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 343,747, in 93,194 families. The county is subdivided into three districts: the Central District, Larijan District, and Dabudasht District...
and Qaemshahr. Founded as province in 1937, Mazandaran was declared the second modern province after neighbouring Gilan.
The diverse nature of the province features plains, prairies, forests and rainforest stretching from the sandy beaches of the Caspian Sea to the rugged and snowcapped Alborz
Alborz
Alborz , also written as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran stretching from the borders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the northwest to the southern end of the Caspian Sea, and ending in the east at the borders of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan...
sierra, including Mount Damavand
Mount Damavand
Mount Damāvand also known as Donbavand, a potentially active volcano and the highest peak in Iran, has a special place in Persian mythology and folklore...
, the highest peak and volcano in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and Western Asia, which at the narrowest point (Nowshahr County) narrows to 5 miles.
Mazandaran is a major producer of farmed fish, and aquaculture
Aquaculture
Aquaculture, also known as aquafarming, is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic plants. Aquaculture involves cultivating freshwater and saltwater populations under controlled conditions, and can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is the...
provides an important economic addition to traditional dominance of agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. Another important contributor to the economy is the tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
industry, as people from all of Iran enjoy visiting the area. Mazandaran is also a fast-growing centre for biotechnology
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
and civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
.
Human habitation in the area dates back at least 75,000 years. Recent excavations in Goher Tippe provide proof that the area has been urbanized for more than 5,000 years, and the area is considered one of the most important historical sites of Iran. It has played an important role in cultural and urban development of the region.
Indigenous peoples of the region include the ethnic Mazanderanis speaking an Iranian language which most resembles Gilaki and Sangiseri.
History
-
- See Also:History of Tapuria
Pre Islamic history
The region 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 ParthiaParthia
Parthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasty, rulers of the Parthian Empire....
n and Sassanid times, and many older cemeteries scattered throughout the province. During this era, Mazandaran was part of Hyrcania Province which was one of important provinces.
With the advent of the Sassanid dynasty, the King of Mazandaran (Tabaristan and Padashkhwargar) was Gushnasp, whose ancestors had reigned in the area (under the Parthian empire) since the time of Alexander. In 529-536, Mazandarn was ruled by the Sassanid prince Kawus, son of Kawadh. Anushirawan, the Sassanid king, defeated Zarmihr, who claimed his ancestry from the legendary blacksmith Kaveh. This dynasty ruled till 645 A.D., when Gil Gilanshah (a descendant of the Sassanid king Jamasp and a son of Piruz) joined Mazandaran to Gilan. These families had descendants who ruled during the Islamic period.
Post Islamic history
The Bawandids who claimed descent from Kawus provided three dynasties. The first dynasty (665-1007) was overthrown on the conquest of Tabaristan by the Ziyarid Kabus b. Wushmgir. The second dynasty reigned from 466/1073 to 606/1210 when Mazandaran was conquered by 'Ala al-Din Muhammad Khwarzamshah. The third ruled from 635/1237 to 750/1349 as vassals of the Mongols. The last representative of the Bawandids was killed by Afrasiyab Chulawi.
The Karinids claimed descent from Karin, brother of Zarmihr who was the pre-Islamic ruler under the Sassanids. Their last representative Mazyar was put to death in 224/839.
The Paduspanids claimed descent from the Dabyuids of Gilan. They came to the front about 40/660 and during the rule of the ʿAlids were their vassals. Later, they were vassals of the Buyids and Bawandids, who deposed them in 586/1190. The dynasty, restored in 606/1209-10, survived till the time of Timur; the branch descended from Kawus the son of Kayumarth reigned till 975/1567 and the other, that of Iskandar the son of Kayumarth, till 984/1574.
In 662
662
Year 662 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 662 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* The regent Grimuald usurps the kingship of...
CE, ten years after the death of Yazdegerd III the last Sassanian Emperor, a large Muslim army under the command of Hassan ibn Ali (Imam Hassan, the second Sunni's/Shi'a Imam) invaded Tabarestan (Mazandaran as it was then called) 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
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, whose name derives from Umayya ibn Abd Shams, the great-grandfather of the first Umayyad caliph. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the...
Caliphate which supplanted the Persian Empire in the early seventh century, with independent Zoroastrian houses like the Bavand
Bavand Dynasty
The Bavandi Dynasty was an Iranian dynasty that started in the early seventh century, as an independent group of rulers, reigning over Tabaristan in what is now northern Iran....
and Karen fighting an effective guerilla warfare against Islam. A short-lived Alid Shiite state collapsed before the subsequent take-over by the Ziyarid
Ziyarid
The Ziyarids, also spelled Zeyarids , were an Iranian dynasty that ruled in the Caspian sea provinces of Gorgan and Mazandaran from 928-1043 . The founder of the dynasty was Mardavij , who took advantage of a rebellion in the Samanid army of Iran to seize power in northern Iran...
princes. Mazandaran, unlike much of the rest of the Iranian Plateau maintained a Zoroastrian majority until the 12th century, 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
Al-Mansur
Al-Mansur, Almanzor or Abu Ja'far Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Mansur was the second Abbasid Caliph from 136 AH to 158 AH .-Biography:...
, Tabaristan witnessed a wave of popular revolt. Ultimately, Vandad Hormoz established an independent dynasty in Tabaristan in 783
783
Year 783 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 783 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Byzantine Empire :* Campaigns of the Byzantine...
. In 1034, Soltan Mahmoud Ghaznavi
Ghaznavid Empire
The Ghaznavids were a Persianate Muslim dynasty of Turkic slave origin which existed from 975 to 1187 and ruled much of Persia, Transoxania, and the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent. The Ghaznavid state was centered in Ghazni, a city in modern-day Afghanistan...
entered Tabarestan via Gorgan
Gorgan
Gorgan Some east of Gorgan is the Golestan National Park. The city has a regional airport and several universities. Gorgan Airport was opened in September 2005.-Etymology:...
followed by the invasion of Soltan Mohammad Kharazmshah in 1209. Thereafter, the Mongols governed the region until they were overthrown by the Timurid Dynasty
Timurid Dynasty
The Timurids , self-designated Gurkānī , were a Persianate, Central Asian Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turko-Mongol descent whose empire included the whole of Iran, modern Afghanistan, and modern Uzbekistan, as well as large parts of contemporary Pakistan, North India, Mesopotamia, Anatolia and the...
.
After the dissolution of the feudal government of Tabaristan, Mazandaran was incorporated into modern Persian Empire by Shah Abbas I in 1596. In the Safavid era Mazandaran was settled by Georgian
Georgian people
The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....
migrants, whose descendants still live across Mazandaran. Towns, villages and neighbourhoods in Mazandaran still bear the name "Gorji" (i.e. Georgian) in them, although most of the Georgians
Georgians
The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....
are already assimilated into the mainstream Mazandaranis. The history of Georgian settlement is described by Eskandar Beyg Monshi, the author of the 17th century Tarikh-e Alam-Ara-ye Abbasi, among other authors.
Before the reign of Nadir Shah, the province was briefly occupied by the Russian army in the aftermath of the Russo-Persian War, 1722-1723
Russo-Persian War, 1722-1723
Russo-Persian War, 1722-1723, known in Russian historiography as the Persian campaign of Peter the Great, was a war between Russia and Persia , triggered by the tsar's attempt to expand Russian influence in the Caspian and South Caucasus regions and to prevent its rival, Ottoman Turkey, from...
and returned to Persia in 1735.
Geography
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
. It is bordered clockwise by Golestan
Golestan Province
Golestan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, located in the north-east of the country, south of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is Gorgan....
, Semnan
Semnan Province
Semnan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the north of the country, and its center is Semnan. The province of Semnan covers an area of 96,816 square kilometers and stretches along the Alborz mountain range and borders to Dasht-e Kavir desert in its southern parts.Counties of...
and Tehran
Tehran Province
Tehran Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It covers on area of 18,909 square kilometers and is located to the north of the central plateau of Iran....
provinces. This province also borders Qazvin
Qazvin Province
The Qazvin Province 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, Eqhbalieh, Mohammadieh, Alvand,...
and Gilan
Gilan Province
Gilan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It lies along the Caspian Sea, just west of the province of Mazandaran, east of the province of Ardabil, north of the provinces of Zanjan and Qazvin....
to the west.
Mazandaran province is geographically divided into two parts: the coastal plains, and the mountainous areas. The Alborz
Alborz
Alborz , also written as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran stretching from the borders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the northwest to the southern end of the Caspian Sea, and ending in the east at the borders of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan...
Mountain Range surrounds the coastal strip and plains of the Caspian Sea.
There is often snowfall in the Alborz
Alborz
Alborz , also written as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran stretching from the borders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the northwest to the southern end of the Caspian Sea, and ending in the east at the borders of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan...
regions, which run parallel to the Caspian Sea's southern coast, dividing the province into many isolated valleys. The province enjoys a moderate, subtropical 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 at sea level.
Ecoregions:
- Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forestsCaspian Hyrcanian mixed forestsThe Caspian Hyrcanian Mixed Forests ecoregion, in the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome, is an area of lush lowland and montane forests covering about near the southern shores of the Caspian Sea of Azerbaijan and Iran.-Setting:...
- Elburz Range forest steppeElburz Range forest steppeThe Elburz Range forest steppe ecoregion is an arid, mountainous 1,000-kilometer arc south of the Caspian Sea, stretching across northern Iran from the Azerbaijan border to near the Turkmenistan border. It covers and encompasses the southern and eastern slopes of the Alborz Mountains as well as...
Population
Golestan Province
Golestan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, located in the north-east of the country, south of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is Gorgan....
, which has separated as an independent province in 1998 http://www.ostan-mz.ir/.
The population is of Caucasian Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian stock with a minority of non-native neighboring Turkic tribes (esp. the Turkomen).
| Year | 1956 | 1966 | 1976 | 1986 | 1996 | 2006 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approximate population | 835,000 | 1,250,000 | 1,596,000 | 2,275,000 | 2,602,000 | 2,922,000 | 3,090,000 |
Administrative divisions
The province covers an area of 23,842 km²http://www.sci.org.ir/content/userfiles/_sci_en/sci_en/sel/year85/f1/CS_01_4.HTM.According to the census of 2006, the population of the province was 2,922,432 of which 53.18% were registered as urban dwellers, 46.82% villagers, and remaining were non-residents. Sari
Sari, Iran
Sari is the provincial capital of Mazandaran and former capital of Iran , located in the north of Iran, between the northern slopes of the Alborz Mountains and southern coast of the Caspian Sea...
is the capital city of the province.
Mazandaran is divided into 15 counties (shahrestan
Shahrestan
Shahrestan or Shahristan may refer to:*Counties of Iran*Shahristan District*Shahrestan, Afghanistan...
in Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
). All the shahrestans are named after their administrative center, except Savadkooh. The following map shows the respective positions of the counties.
Transportation
Roads
Mazandaran is connected to the capital of Iran, TehranTehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, through three transit roads: Haraz road (Amol
Amol
Amol is a city in and the capital of Amol County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 197,470, in 55,183 families.Amol and the old part of town is the first of the four towns that populate the world in which there is Nzamyh...
-Rudehen), Kandovan road (Chalus
Chalus
Chalus can refer to:* Châlus, a commune in the Haute-Vienne département of France* Chalus, Puy-de-Dôme, a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme département of France* Chalus, Iran, a city in Mazandaran province of Iran...
-Karaj
Karaj
Karaj is a city in and the capital of Karaj County, Alborz Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 1,377,450, in 385,955 families, , making it the fifth-largest city in Iran after Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan and Tabriz.) It is situated west of Tehran, at the foothills of the Alborz...
), and Firoozkooh road (Qaem Shahr-Rudehen).
Airports
Dasht-e Naz Airport, serving the capital SariSari, Iran
Sari is the provincial capital of Mazandaran and former capital of Iran , located in the north of Iran, between the northern slopes of the Alborz Mountains and southern coast of the Caspian Sea...
, Noshahr Airport
Noshahr Airport
-Airlines and destinations:...
, and Ramsar Airport
Ramsar Airport
Ramsar Airport is an airport in Ramsar/Tonekabon, Iran.Ramsar was one of the popular cities of northern Iran during Pahlavi era and the airport was constructed to serve the tourists visiting Ramsar...
are the domestic airports that connect the province to the other parts of the country. There are some Hajj
Hajj
The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...
flights from Dasht-e Naz Airport as well.
Railway
Mazandaran is served by the North Railway Dept. of the Iranian Railways. The department connects the province to Tehran to the south and GorganGorgan
Gorgan Some east of Gorgan is the Golestan National Park. The city has a regional airport and several universities. Gorgan Airport was opened in September 2005.-Etymology:...
to the east. The cities of Sari
Sari, Iran
Sari is the provincial capital of Mazandaran and former capital of Iran , located in the north of Iran, between the northern slopes of the Alborz Mountains and southern coast of the Caspian Sea...
, Qaemshahr, and Pol Sefid
Pol Sefid
Pol-e Sefid is a city in the Central District of Savadkuh County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 8,473, in 2,163 families....
are major stations of the department.
Culture
The culture of Mazandaran is closely related to that of neighboring Gilan (or Guilan). The peoples of the two provinces are largely secular, and consequently women have had greater social freedom and independence than their Persian cousins. (Reference: "The Soviet Socialist Republic of Iran, 1920-1921: Birth of the Trauma" by Cosroe Chaqueri.)The cuisine of the province is very rich in seafood due to its location by the Caspian Sea, and rice is present in virtually every meal. Indeed, the rest of Iran was introduced to rice through Gilan and Mazandaran. Before the 1800s, Persians, Kurds, and other Iranian ethnic groups used bread rather than rice as an accompaniment to their meals, though bread remains a prominent staple among them. While bread remains very popular among those groups, in Gilan and Mazandaran, rice remains the choice staple of the indigenous inhabitants.
Language
Mazanderani or Tabarian is a Northwestern Iranian language. Various Mazandarani dialects exist which are spoken in Mazandaran province and the neighbor province GolestanGolestan Province
Golestan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, located in the north-east of the country, south of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is Gorgan....
such as Mazanderani, and Gorgani and possibly Qadikolahi (Ghadikolahi) and Palani. Today, Mazandaranis also use Persian (Western Persian). The educated can communicate and read Persian well.
A dialect of Azeri
Azerbaijani language
Azerbaijani or Azeri or Torki is a language belonging to the Turkic language family, spoken in southwestern Asia by the Azerbaijani people, primarily in Azerbaijan and northwestern Iran...
is spoken in the town of Galoogah.
In literature
In the Persian epic, ShahnamehShahnameh
The Shahnameh or Shah-nama is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c.977 and 1010 AD and is the national epic of Iran and related societies...
, Mazandaran is mentioned in two different sections. The first mention is implicit, when Fereydun
Fereydun
Fereydūn also pronounced Farīdūn or Afrīdūn , also called Apam Napat, "Son of the Waters", is the name of an Iranian mythical king and hero who is an emblem of victory, justice and generosity in the Persian literature.-Etymology:All of the forms of...
sets its capital in a city called Tamishe near Amol
Amol
Amol is a city in and the capital of Amol County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 197,470, in 55,183 families.Amol and the old part of town is the first of the four towns that populate the world in which there is Nzamyh...
:
بیاراست گیتی بسان بهشت.................... به جای گیا سرو گلبن بکشت
از آمل گذر سوی تمیشه کرد .............. نشست اندر آن نامور بیشه کرد
under the title "فریدون چو شد بر جهان کامگار", and when Manuchehr
Manuchehr
Manūchehr , older Persian Manōčihr, Avestan Manuščiθra, is a character in Shahnameh. He is the first of the legendary Shāhs who ruled Iran after the breakup of the world empire of Manūchehr's great-grandfather, Fereydūn....
is returning to Fereydun
Fereydun
Fereydūn also pronounced Farīdūn or Afrīdūn , also called Apam Napat, "Son of the Waters", is the name of an Iranian mythical king and hero who is an emblem of victory, justice and generosity in the Persian literature.-Etymology:All of the forms of...
's capital, Tamisheh in Mazandaran (known as Tabarestan), after his victory over Salm and Tur
Tur (son of Fereydun)
Tur is a character in the Persian epic Shahnameh. He is the second son of the legendary Iranian king Fereydun and brother of both Salm and Iraj. His name, meaning "brave", was given to him by his father when the young prince bravely fights the dragon that had attacked him and his brothers. When...
:
ز دريای گيلان چون ابر سياه.............. دمادم به ساری رسيد آن سپاه
چو آمد بنزدیک شاه آن سپاه.................. فریدون پذیره بیامد براه
under the title "تهی شد ز کینه سر کینه دار".
In the second section, a region called Mazandaran is mentioned in the Kai Kavoos era; it is an area which is mostly inhabited by Div (demons). The legendary Iranian Shah
Shah
Shāh is the title of the ruler of certain Southwest Asian and Central Asian countries, especially Persia , and derives from the Persian word shah, meaning "king".-History:...
Kaykavoos, as well as the Iranian hero Rostam
Rostam
Rostam is the national hero of Greater Iran from Zabulistan in Persian mythology and son of Zal and Rudaba. In some ways, the position of Rostam in the historical tradition is parallel to that of Surena, the hero of the Carrhae. His figure was endowed with many features of the historical...
, each take turn to go to Mazandaran in order to battle the demons.
A famous verse from Shahnameh is when Zal
Zal
Zāl , also transliterated Zaal, is a legendary Persian warrior from the old Persian "The Book of Kings/ The king of books" or Shahnameh.-Background:...
tells Kai Kavoos:
شنیدم یکی نو سخن بس گران ..........که شه دارد آهنگ مازندران
"I heard troubling news that the king is planning to go to Mazandaran"
However, this Mazandaran is not considered identical to the modern province of Mazandaran, and is instead a land to the west of Iran. The current province was simply considered a part of Tabaristan; the name Mazandaran is a later development, perhaps based upon local terminology.
In Gaston Leroux's 'The Phantom of the Opera,' one of the characters was formerly the daroga (chief of police) of Mazanderan.
Significant natives of Mazandaran
Mazandaran has been home to many significant Iranian figures. These range from scholars and poets to politicians and actors. Perhaps the most notable Mazandaranian figure is Reza Shah Pahlavi who was born in AlashtAlasht
Alasht is a city in the Central District of Savadkuh County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 976, in 287 families....
, Savad Kooh, Mazandaran in 1877. Reza Pahlavi 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
Nima Yooshij
Nimā Yushij also called Nimā, born Ali Esfandiāri , was a contemporary Tabarian and Persian poet who started the she’r-e no also known as she’r-e nimaa'i trend in Iran...
, the great late contemporary poet of Iran who was born in Yush, Mazandaran.
Another famous contemporary poet is Mina Assadi
Mina Assadi
-Biography:Mina Assadi is a famous poet, author, journalist and songwriter who lives in exile in Stockholm, Sweden. She is known for writing about controversial and provocative subjects, especially when she describes the fight against the Iranian regime. In 2007 she wrote the poem called "Pimps"...
, a Mazandarani native, born and raised in Sari
Sari
A sari or sareeThe name of the garment in various regional languages include: , , , , , , , , , , , , , is a strip of unstitched cloth, worn by females, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. It is popular in India, Bangladesh, Nepal,...
, who is known for writing about controversial and provocative subjects.
Mírzá `Abbás Núrí
Mírzá `Abbás Núrí
Mírzá `Abbás-i-Núrí more commonly known as Mírzá Buzurg was the father of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. Mírzá Buzurg was a nobleman from the Persian province of Núr, and worked for a time in the service of Fatḥ-`Alí Sháh....
, father of Mirzá Husayan-Alí Núrí, known as Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
, founder of the Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
, is a native of Núr (Noor
Noor, Iran
Nur is a city in and capital of Nur County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 21,806, in 6,164 families.Located on the Caspian Sea coast, Nur is one of the oldest cities of west Mazandaran Province...
) in Mazandaran.
Economy
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, grain
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
, fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, sugarcane
Sugarcane
Sugarcane refers to any of six to 37 species of tall perennial grasses of the genus Saccharum . Native to the warm temperate to tropical regions of South Asia, they have stout, jointed, fibrous stalks that are rich in sugar, and measure two to six metres tall...
, and silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
are produced in the lowland strip along the Caspian shore. Oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
wealth has stimulated industries in food processing, cement, textiles, cotton, and fishing (caviar
Caviar
Caviar, sometimes called black caviar, is a luxury delicacy, consisting of processed, salted, non-fertilized sturgeon roe. The roe can be "fresh" or pasteurized, the latter having much less culinary and economic value....
).
The province's pleasant and moderate climate, beautiful natural landscapes, and proximity to Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, have led the province to be one of the main recreational and tourism areas of Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
.
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 Noshirvani University of TechnologyBabol Noshirvani University of TechnologyBabol Noshirvani University of Technology is a technical university in the city of Babol, 200 km north of Tehran, Iran. It is one of the oldest technical universities in the country.- History and mission :...
- Babol University of Medical SciencesBabol University of Medical SciencesBabol University of Medical Sciences , is a medical sciences university in the city of Babol, Mazandaran province, Persia .It was founded originally as a school for laboratory technicians in 1962, and was elevated to university status in 1985....
- Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences
- University of MazandaranUniversity of MazandaranUniversity of Mazandaran is a university located in Mazandaran Province of Iran, headquartered in the city of Babolsar.-History:Mazandaran University, formerly Reza Shah Kabir University, was founded in 1979 by the merging of Babolsar College of Economics and Social Sciences est...
- Behshahr University of Science and Technology
- Islamic Azad University of Mazanderan (Sari, Behshahr, Ghaemshahr, Babol, Amol, Chalus, Shahsawar, Neka)
- Imam Khomeini University for Naval Sciences
- Shomal University Amol
- M.I.T. located in Babol (Mazanderan Institute of Technology)
- Babol Tabari University
- Babol Olum-Fonun University
- Babol Imam Sadegh University
- Tabarestan UniversityTabarestan UniversityTabarestan Higher Education Institution is an institution of higher education in Formal sciences, Physical sciences , Social sciences, Behavioral sciences and Engineering in Chaloos , Iran. Tabarestan Higher Education Institution is one of the most prestigious Institution between Institutions...
in ChaloosChaloosChalus is a city in and the capital of Chalus County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 44,618, in 12,791 families.-Location:...
(Tabarestan University's Website)