Qazvin Province: Facts, Discussion Forum, and Encyclopedia Article

All Topics

Qazvin Province

	Email		Print
	Bookmark		Link

	Qazvin Province
	Home Discussion
	Topics Qazvin Province Topic Home Qazvin is one of the 30 provincesProvinces of Iran Iran is subdivided into thirty provinces, each governed from a local center, usually the largest local city, which is called... of IranIran 'Throughout history, Iran has been of great geostrategic importance because of its central location in Eurasia.... . It is in the north-west of the country, and its center is the city of Qazvin. The province was created in 1996 out of part of Zanjan ProvinceZanjan Province Zanjan is one of the 30 provinces of Iran.... and includes 20 cities: QazvinQazvin Qazvin is the largest city and capital of the Province of Qazvin in Iran with an estimated population of 331,409 in 2005.... , TakestanTakestan Takestan is the capital of Takestan County, a township in Qazvin province, Iran.... , Abyek, Booin Zahra, Eqhbalieh, Mohammadieh, AlvandAlvand Alvand , Alwand or Alvand Kuh is a mountain chain in western Iran.... , Isfarvadin, Mahmood Abad Nemooneh, Khoram Dasht, Ziä Abad, AvajAvaj Avaj is a town in Iran, 130 miles west of Tehran.... , Shäl, Danesfahan, Abgarm, Ardägh, Moallem Keläyeh, Razmian Kouhin and Bidestan in the form of four townships (chief cities) contains 18 sections, 44 rural districts, and 1543 villages. The population of the province is more than one million people (2003) of which 62 % live in the cities and 38 % live in the villages. Concerning the sex-ratio, the ratio of men to women is 50.7 to 49.3 %. 99.6% of the province population are Muslims and 0.4% of the rest come from other religions. The literacy rate is a bit higher than 82 % which represents the 7th rank in IranIran 'Throughout history, Iran has been of great geostrategic importance because of its central location in Eurasia.... . Geography and climate 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 GilanGilan Gilan may refer to:Gilan Province , Iran... , on the west by HamedanHamedan Hamadan* or Hamedan is the capital city of Hamadan Province of Iran.... and ZanjanZanjan Province Zanjan is one of the 30 provinces of Iran.... , on the south by MarkaziMarkazi Province Markazi is one of the 30 provinces of Iran.... and on the east by Tehran ProvinceTehran Province The Tehran Province is one of the 28 provinces of Iran.... s. 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 AlborzAlborz Alborz, also written as Alburz or Elburz, is a mountain range in northern Iran, stretching from the borders of A... . 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. Introduction and history Qazvin was the location of a former capital of the Persian EmpirePersian Empire The Persian Empire was a series of historical empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau and beyond.... 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 7000BC. The name “Qazvin” or “Kasbin” is derived from Cas, an ancient tribe that lived south of the Caspian SeaCaspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the largest lake on Earth by both area and volume, with a surface area of 371,000 square kilometres and ... millennia ago. Qazvin is historically also rendered as Kazvin, Kasvin, and Casbin in western texts. The Caspian Sea itself in fact derives its name from the same origin. Qazvin geographically connects Tehran, Isfahan, and the Persian GulfPersian Gulf The Persian Gulf , in the Southwest Asian region, is an extension of the Gulf of Oman located between Iran and the Arabian ... 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 KhanGenghis Khan Genghis Khan, , was a Mongol political and military leader or Khan who united the Mongol tribes and founded the Mongol Emp... , the Safavid monarchs made Qazvin the capital of the Safavid empire in 1548 only to have it moved to IsfahanIsfahan (city) Overview Isfahan or Esfahan, located about 340 km south of Tehran, is the capital of Isfahan Province and Iran's third largest ... 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. Bombed and occupied by RussiaRussia Russia , also the Russian Federation , is a country that stretches over a vast expanse of Eurasia.... n forces in both World Wars, Qazvin is also where the famous coup d’etat was launched from that led to the rise of the first Pahlavi dynasty in 1921. Qazvin is also situated near AlamutAlamut Alamut was once a mountain fortress in the arid hills by the Elburz mountains, south of the Caspian Sea, near Qazvin, about ... , where the famous Hasan-i Sabbah, founder of the secret IsmailiIsmaili The Isma?ili branch of Islam is part of Shi?a community after the Twelvers.... order of the AssassinsHashshashin Overview The Hashshashin had a militant basis as a religious sect of Ismaili Muslims from the Nizari sub-sect.... , operated from. Qazvin has been able to survive all this turmoil, today having a population of 290,000 (1996). Qazvini Attractions 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'ehMeimoon Ghal'eh Summary Meimoon Ghal'eh Castle, also known as Mehman Ghal'eh Castle is one of several castle ruins scattered throughout the Qa... , one of several Sassanide 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: Jame e Atigh Mosque: One of the oldest mosques in Iran constructed by the orders of Harun al-RashidHarun al-Rashid Harun al-Rashid was the fifth and most famous Abbasid Caliph.... in 807AD. In spite of the devastating MongolMongols Mongols are an ethnic group that originated in what is now Mongolia, Russia, and China or more specifically on the Central ... invasion, this mosque still stands today in its full glory. Heidarieh Mosque: Renovated by Amir Khomär-täsh after the earthquake of 1119 AD, the history of construction of this mosque goes back to pre-Islam, where it was a fire temple. Masjed Al-nabiFacts About Al-Nabi Mosque, Qazvin The al-Nabi mosque also known as Masjed e Soltani is a famous mosque in Qazvin.... (Soltani Mosque): With an area of 14000m², this mosque is one of the most glorious mosques of antiquity, built in the Safavid period. Sanjideh Mosque: Another mosque of Qazvin dating back to pre-Islamic Iran; a former fire temple. Its present day form is attributed to the Seljukian era. Panjeh Ali Mosque: A former place of worship for royal harem members in the Safavid period. Peighambarieh School-Mosque: Founded 1644 according to inscription. Molla Verdikhani School-Mosque: Founded in 1648. Salehieh School-Mosque: Founded in 1845. Sheikhol Islam School-Mosque: Renovated in 1903. Eltefatieh School: Dating back to the Il-Khanid period. Sardar School- Mosque: Made by two brothers Hossein Khan and Hassan Khan Sardar in 1815, as a fulfillment of their promise if they came back victorious from a battle against the Russians. 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 VallePietro Della Valle Pietro della Valle was an Italian traveler in Asia. ... (1588-1713), Jean Baptist Tavenier (1605-1689), Johannes Chardin (1643-1713), and others, there have been many Christians of various sects living in Qazvin for centuries. Qazvin is where The Saint Hripsime Church is located, 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: Alamout CastleAlamut Alamut was once a mountain fortress in the arid hills by the Elburz mountains, south of the Caspian Sea, near Qazvin, about ... Lambesar Castle Shirkouh Castle Qez Qaleh Castle Shemiran Castle Meimoon Ghal'ehMeimoon Ghal'eh Meimoon Ghal'eh Castle, also known as Mehman Ghal'eh Castle is one of several castle ruins scattered throughout the Qa... Barajin Qaleh Tombs, Shrines, and Mausoleums 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: Imamzadeh Hossein Peighambarieh (where 4 Jewish prophets are buried) Imamzadeh Ismail Ameneh Khatoon Zobeideh Khatoon (that has also a unique traditional water reservoir) Imamzadeh Abazar Imamzadeh Abdollah and Imamzadeh Fazlollah in Farsajin Imamzadeh Vali in Ziaabad Imamzadeh Kamal in Ziaabad Imamzadeh Ali in Shekarnab Haft Sandoogh Pilgrimage Place Tombs of Hassan Abad and Shahkouh Soltan Veis Mausoleum of Pir e Takestan Kafar Gonbad Hamdollah MostowfiHamdollah Mostowfi Hamdollah Mostowfi, is an Ilkhanid Iranian historian and geographer.... 's Tomb Imam Ahmad Ghazali's Tomb Molla Khalila's Tomb Shahid Sales' Tomb Raeesol Mojahedin's Tomb 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 QazvinList of famous ab anbars of Qazvin Qazvin is known to have had close to, or in excess of 100 ab anbars before modernization in the 20th century.... Bazaars and Caravanserais Qazvin has some fine examples of centuries old BazaarBazaar * The Grand Bazaar, Istanbul* Bazaar of Isfahan, Iran... s and caravanseraiCaravanserai A caravanserai, means home or shelter for caravans.... s: Sa'd-ol-Saltaneh ComplexCaravanserai of Sa'd al-Saltaneh The Caravanserai of Sa'd al-Saltaneh is a large Caravanserai located in the city of Qazvin in Qazvin Province of Iran.... Qeisarieh Saray e Vazir Saray e Razavi (Shah) Saray e Hadj Reza Sadieh Bazaar Shah Abbasi Caravanserai of Avaj Shah Abbasi Caravanserai of Mohammad Abad Hajib Shah Abbasi Caravanserai (Keikhosro) Old City Gates and other popular edifices During the 9th century A.D. 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: Panbeh Riseh Sheikh Abad Rasht Maghlävak Khandaghbar Shahzadeh Hossein Mossala Tehran Räh e Koushk Due to 20th century hasty urban expansion, unfortunately only the last two gates remain standing. Other popular attractions of Qazvin province include: Chehel Sotun Museum-Palace Hosseinieh Aminiha, a fine example of Traditional Persian residential architecture indigenous to Qazvin. Shah Abbasi Bridge Safa Traditional Bath Qajar Traditional Bath Famous Qazvinis 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: Ali Akbar DehkhodaAli Akbar Dehkhoda Summary Allameh Ali Akbar Dehkhoda was a prominent Iranian linguist, and author of the most extensive dictionary of the Persian lang... : Prominent linguist and author of Iran's first modern PersianPersian language Persian is an Indo-European language spoken in Iran , Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Armeni... dictionary, was originally from Qazvin. Obeid Zakani Oveis Qarani: A celebrity of early Islam, thought to have been killed here while fighting against an army of Deilamian origin. His tomb is known as Sultan Veis. Hamdollah MostowfiHamdollah Mostowfi Hamdollah Mostowfi, is an Ilkhanid Iranian historian and geographer.... : The great Il-Khanid historian and writer (1281-1349) and author of The Selected History (Tarikh Gozideh), Nezhatol Qoloub and Zafar Nameh. The turquoise conic dome and its inscription in Sols calligraphy in which Mostowfi’s family tree and his works are introduced are the features that distinguish the tomb from other historical monuments of Qazvin. Imam Ahmad Ghazali: Famous Iranian Gnostic who died in 1126 CE and was buried beside Shahzadeh Hossein. His tomb up to the end of the 16th century A.D. became the pilgrimage place for mystical sects. Following Shah Tahmasb’ s stubborn policies against philosophers and mystics and destroying Ghazali’s tomb, a group of his disciples took the remains of his body to the present place in Imamzadeh Ismail alley and constructed a new mausoleum for him. The monument was destroyed again in Mohammad Shah Qajar’s period only to be re-constructed by Majdol Islam Qazvini in 1910. Beside Ghazali’s tomb there is another tomb belonging to Soltan Seyed Mohammad Vali which dates back to 1625 CE Molla Khalil Ibn Ghazi Qazvini: Famous faghih (religious jurist) and famous commentator of the Qur'anQur'an The Qur'an , is the central religious text of Islam.... in Safavid period (d 1678). Shahidsaless: Killed in 1846. The third religious leader to be killed during prayer (first one being Imam Ali). Ra'ees ol-Mojahedin: The late Mirza Hassan Sheikhol Islam son of Mirza Masood Sheikhol Islam, leader of the liberals and constitutionalists of Qazvin whose endeavors and devotion to abolish the Qajar dynasty and conquer Tehran brought the title of Raeesol Mojahedin (chief of fighters) for him. Ali Ibn Shäzän Ibn Majeh Kheirol Nesaj Ibrahim Estanbeh Heravi Razi-olddin Taleghani Noor-olddin Geeli Ali Ibn Ghazi Ibn Ahmad Imam-olddin Rafee Siah Kolah Vaez Qazvini Allameh Zarabadi Sheikh Alak Qazvini Davoud Ibn Soleiman Ghazi Pir e Sefid Pir e Alamdar Molla Abdolvahab Darolshafaee Mohammad Ibn Yahya: Commentator of Qamoosol Loghat TáhirihTáhirih Thirih or Qurratu'l-`Ayn are both titles of Ftimih Baraqn, an influential poet and theologian of the Bb faith in... Qazvin today Agriculture 13000km² is under cultivation in Qazvin, 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, barely, 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 textileTextile A textile is a flexible material comprised of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn.... trade, including cottonCotton Cotton is a soft fiber that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant , a shrub native to the tropical and subtropical regi... , silkSilk Silk is a natural protein fibre that can be woven into textiles.... and velvetVelvet Velvet is a type of tufted fabric in which the cut threads are very evenly distributed, with a short dense pile, giving it i... , in addition to leatherLeather Leather is a material created through the tanning of hides, pelts and skins of animals, primarily cows.... . It is on the railroad line and the highwayHighway Highway is a term commonly used to designate major roads intended for travel by the public between important destinations, s... between Tehran and TabrizTabriz Tabriz is the largest city in north-western Iran with a population of 1.2 million people.... . 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 Imam Khomeini International UniversityImam Khomeini International University The Imam Khomeini International University is a university in Iran, offering both undergraduate and postgraduate studies.... Qazvin University of Medical SciencesQazvin University of Medical Sciences Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, is a medical school in Qazvin Province of Iran.... External links Official links Miscellaneous (based in Qazvin) (Economic Monthly from Qazvin) (Qazvin Religious Cultural Organization) li>