Qazvin (Province)

استان قزوين Qazvin
	Location of the Qazvin Province in Iran
Basic data
Country	Iran
Capital	Qazvin
surface	15,549 km²
Residents	1,273,761 (2016 census)
density	82 inhabitants per km²
ISO 3166-2	IR-28

36.128055555556 49.842777777778Coordinates: 36 ° 8 ' N , 49 ° 51' E

The province of Qazvin (also "Province of Caswin"; Persian استان قزوين) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran and is located in the northwest of the country. The capital is Qazvin .

1,273,761 people live in the province (2016 census). The province covers an area of 15,549 square kilometers. The population density is 82 inhabitants per square kilometer.

geography

Geographical location

Qazvin is bordered by the provinces of Mazandaran and Gilan to the north, by Hamadan and Zanjan to the west, by Markazi to the south and by the province of Tehran to the east (the province of Qazvin was separated from the province of Tehran in 1996 ). The province lies at 48–51 ° E and 35–37 ° N in the northern Iranian highlands, which are formed by the southern foothills of the Elburs Mountains. These include the Siälän, Schäh Alborz, Chaschtschäl, Sephidkoh, Schodschä e din, Alehtareh, Rämand, Aegh dägh, Charaghän, Saridagh, Soltan pïr and Siähkouh mountain ranges, with the Siälän at an altitude of 4175 m and the Schäh Alborz at an altitude of 4056 m reached. The lowest point in the province is in Tärom e Soflä.

Cities and population

The population was estimated to be over 1 million in 2003, of which around 62% were city dwellers. The provincial capital is Qazvin . There are also the following larger cities: Takestan, Abidschek, Buin Sahra, Ekbalieh, Mohammadieh, Alwand, Isfarwadin, Mahmud Abad Nemuneh, Choram Dascht, Siaabad, Awaj, Schäl, Danesfahan, Abgarm, Ardägh, Moallem Keläyeh, Rasmian Kohin and Bidestan Kohin.

There are also 44 rural districts and 1,543 villages.

50.7% of the population are male, 99.6% of the province's population are Muslims (mostly Shiites ). The literacy rate is over 82%.

Administrative division

The Qazvin Province is divided into four administrative districts:

climate

The climate of the northern regions is rather cool and has snowfall in winter, while summers are mild. The south, with its greater distance from the Caspian Sea, has a more inland climate and thus colder winters and hotter summers.

history

Pre-Islamic period

Since around 7000 BC In the region arable farming is practiced. The name “Qazvin” can be derived from the Kas, an ancient people living south of the Caspian Sea. The name of the Caspian Sea itself apparently also has this origin. The area gained its strategic importance because it represented a link between the important centers of Tehran and Isfahan on the one hand and the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf and Asia Minor or the Levant ; Correspondingly often it was a transit area for Persian or foreign armies: In the 8th and 7th centuries Assyrian campaigns led to this area, afterwards it belonged to the empire of the Medes , which 550 BC. Chr. By the Persian Empire were replaced. Even Alexander the Great moved in v 330th . Chr by Qazvin, when he, of Ekbatana coming, moved towards Hyrcania (on the southeast shore of the Caspian Sea). After him Qazvin was part of the Diadochian Empire of the Seleucids until the Parthians under their great kings occupied the country around 140 BC. Chr. Took possession and qualified by back to Persian traditions. From 226 the Parthians were followed by the Sassanids , under whom Zoroastrianism flourished .

Early Islamic rule

Weakened by battles with Byzantium , the Persian Empire was easy prey for the Muslim conquerors, who defeated the Persians in 642 in the Battle of Nehawend (southwest of Qazvin). From then on, the province of Jibal existed here . With the Umayyad caliphs still dominated by the Arab tradition, the Abbasids , who took up residence in Baghdad , brought the Persian tradition to the fore. Qazvin also became an important center. With the weakening of the caliphate, Qazwin became dependent on regional dynasties. The Bujids in the 10th and 11th centuries were followed by the conquest by the Turkish-born Seljuks , who, coming from Central Asia, overthrew the Bujids around 1055, but were quickly Islamized. The notorious assassins also operated from nearby Alamut . The first Islamic heyday came to an abrupt end with the invasion of the Mongols . Genghis Khan destroyed the city in 1220 when he marched from the eastern Rai to Tabriz . As a result, the province was ruled by the Ilkhan people . Small empires followed, such as the empires of the white and black mutton , interrupted again by devastating campaigns, this time by Timur around 1400 .

Modern times

The Tschehel Sotun pavilion in the city of Qazvin, built in the 16th century under the Safavid Shah Tahmasp (1524–1576)

Only with the establishment of the Safavid dynasty (since 1501 ) did it flourish again. In the years 1548 to 1598 Qazvin was even the residence of the empire, of which numerous buildings bear testimony to this day, such as the Imamzade Hossein . In 1598, however, the capital was moved to Isfahan. Because of its proximity to Tehran, Qazvin has always retained a certain importance. The Safavids were followed in the 18th century by the Afsharids and the Qajars, among whom, influenced by the West, industrialization began in Qazvin from the middle of the 19th century. Since then, a railway line has been running from Tehran via Qazvin to Tabriz, and road, post and telegraph connections have also been expanded. Western political ideas also spread, but also encountered Islamic traditionalism at an early stage, especially since Qazvin saw himself as part of the Russian sphere of interest from 1907 as part of the territorial division of the imperial European powers with the entire north of Persia . In the First World War, for example, formally independent Persia had to allow the passage of Russians and British, who proceeded from here against the Ottoman Empire ; Qazvin also suffered from occupation and destruction. In 1921, Qazvin launched the coup d'état of the Pahlavi dynasty under Reza Shah Pahlavi against the Qajars. Great Britain and the Soviet Union also intervened in the country now known as Iran during the Second World War , with the pro-German Shah having to abdicate in favor of Mohammad Reza Pahlavis . This was overthrown in 1979 by the Islamic Revolution , which also led in Qazvin to a return to the old Islamic traditions and to a rejection of the Western lifestyle. The Shah's dictatorship with its all-powerful secret police was followed by the hardly less dictatorial mullah regime with its strict interpretation of Shiite Islam. Liberalization is only gradually emerging in Qazvin.

Attractions

In addition to the archaeological excavation sites, the 23 castles of the Assassins are particularly worth mentioning from early history. In the center of the city of Qazvin, the ruins of the Sassanid castle Meimun Ghal'eh can be visited, which, although badly dilapidated, with its 5000 square meters is still quite impressive today; it was also used by the Abbasids and possibly also by the Bujids. From the time as the Safavid residence, the Ali Kapu Palace is particularly worth mentioning, which is now a museum.

Mosques

View from above at the Jame Mosque

As a religious center of the traditional direction ( Hadith ) as well as of religious jurisprudence ( Fiqh ) and philosophy, Qazvin has a number of important mosques. The following are to be mentioned in particular:

the Dschame e Atigh Mosque ; it is one of the oldest mosques in Iran and was built in 807 on the orders of the caliph Hārūn ar-Raschīd . It also survived the destruction by the Mongols and can now be admired in its old splendor.
the Heidarieh Mosque ; it was rebuilt after an earthquake in 1119 by Amir Khomär-tach. In pre-Islamic times, one of the fire temples typical of Zoroastrianism was located here.
the Nabi Mosque (Soltani Mosque); it was built in the Safavid period and covers an area of 14,000 square meters.
the Sandjideh Mosque; this mosque is also located on the site of a pre-Islamic fire temple. The mosque owes its current shape to the Seljuks.
the Pandscheh Ali Mosque; it served as a place of prayer for members of the court and the ruling harem during the Safavid period.
the mosque of the Peighambarieh School; According to an inscription, it was built in 1644.
the mosque of the Molla Verdichani school; it dates from 1648.
the mosque of the Salehieh school from 1845.
the mosque of the Sheikhol Eslam School; it was renewed in 1903.
the Elefatieh School; it comes from the time of the Ilkhan.
the mosque of the Sardar School; it was built in 1815 by the brothers Hussein Khan and Hassan Khan Sardar. It was built in fulfillment of their vow, if they were victorious against the Russians, to build a mosque.

Churches and Russian buildings

In Qazvin you can also find three important buildings from the period of Russian domination at the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century: These include today's town hall (the ballet theater at the time), a water reservoir and the cantor church, in which a Russian pilot was buried .

According to travel reports from past centuries, there were numerous churches in Qasvin even in Islamic times, of which the Church of St. Hrispin has survived as the most important to this day. However, there are very few Christians left in the province.

Castles

In addition to the aforementioned Meimun Ghal'eh castle and Alamut, the main fortress of the assassins, we should mention:

Lambesar Castle
Schirkoh Castle
Kes Kaleh Castle
Shemiran Castle
Barajin Kaleh Castle
Meimoon Ghal'eh (today: ruin)

Tombs, shrines and mausoleums

A major attraction in the province of Qazvin, the tombs of Seljuk Prince Abu Said Bijar, son of the Sad, and Abu Mansur Iltai, son of Takin, which, called in two adjacent small towers Charagan Twin towers are . These were built in 1068 and 1093 and are the first Islamic buildings to feature a non-tapered dome made of two layers. Unfortunately, both tombs were seriously damaged in the severe earthquake in June 2002.

Other tombs, shrines and mausoleums should be mentioned:

Imamsadeh Hussein
Peighambarieh (4 Jewish prophets are buried there)
Imamsadeh Ismail
Ameneh Chatun
Sobeideh Chatun (with a unique traditional water reservoir)
Imamsadeh Abasar
Imamsadeh Abdullah and Imamsadeh Faslollah in Farsajin
Imamsadeh Wali in Siaabad
Imamsadeh Kamal in Siaabad
Imamsadeh Ali in Shekarnab
Haft Sandugh pilgrimage site
Tombs of Hassan Abad and Shahkouh
Soltan Weis
Mausoleum of Pir e Takestan
Kafar Gonbad
Hamdollah Mostowfi's tomb
Imam Ahmad Ghasali's tomb
Mullah Chalila's tomb
Shahid Sales' tomb
Raisol Mujahideen tomb

Traditional water reservoirs

Qazvin used to be known as the city of water reservoirs . Qasvin originally had around 100 such reservoirs, 10 of which have survived to this day and are protected by the organization responsible for the province for the protection of cultural heritage:

Masjed Jame water reservoir
Molla Verdichani water reservoir
Sardar-e-Bosorg water reservoir
Sardar-e-Kuchak water reservoir
Bazaar water reservoir
Agha water reservoir
Hajj Kasem water reservoir
Hakim Reservoir

Bazaars and caravanserais

There are also a number of bazaars and caravanserais in Qazvin :

Sadol Saltaneh Complex
Kaisarieh
Saray e Wasir
Saray e Razawi (Shah)
Saray e Hajj Resa
Sadieh Bazaar
Shah Abbasi caravanserai of Avaj
Shah Abbasi caravanserai of Mohammed Abad
Hajjib Shah Abbasi Caravanserai (Keichosro)

Old city gates and other sights

The early fortified city had seven city gates (Persian: Darwāzeh) in the 9th century, until the time of the Qajar dynasty this number increased to nine:

Panbeh Riseh
Sheikh Abad
Rascht
Maghlawak
Chandaghbar
Shahsadeh Hussein
Mossala
Tehran
Räh e Kuschk

Because of the expansion of the city, only the last two have survived. Other attractions in Qazvin Province include:

Tschehel Sotun Museum Palace
Hosseinieh Aminiha, worth seeing example of traditional Persian palace architecture, as it was typical for Qazvin
Shah Abbasi Bridge
the Safa bath
the Qajar bath

Sons of the Province

As a cultural center, Qazvin has drawn mystics, scientists and philosophers through the ages. Above all, there are:

Obeid e Sakani; a famous poet of the 14th century. He was best known for his satirical and daring verses. His work Masnawi Musch-O-Gorbeh (Mouse and Cat) is a political satire.
Oweis Karani; a well-known figure of early Islam believed to have been killed in Qasvin while fighting a gentleman from Deilam. His tomb bears the name of Sultan Weis (see above).
Hamdollah Mostowfi (around 1281 – around 1344); an important historian and writer of the Ilkhan era (1281–1349) and author of Selected History (Tarich Gosideh), Nezhatol Kolub and Safar Nameh . The Turkish-style tapering dome of his tomb and the calligraphic inscription contained therein, which describes Mostofwi's family origins and his works, distinguish this building from other historical buildings in Qasvin.
Imam Achmed Ghazali; he was a famous Iranian Gnostic who died in 1126 and who was buried next to Shahsadeh Hussein. His tomb became a place of pilgrimage for followers of mystical sects until the end of the 16th century. After Shah Tamasb acted intolerably against philosophers and mystics and also destroyed Ghazali's tomb, followers of Ghazali's bones took him to their current tomb in Imamsadeh-Ismail-Allee, where they built a new mausoleum for him. This building was also destroyed by Shah Mohammed from the Qajar dynasty, but was rebuilt in 1910 by Majdol Islam Qasvini. In addition to Ghazali's tomb, there is another tomb belonging to Soltan Sajid Mohammed Wali, which dates from 1625.
Mullah Chalil Ibn Ghasi Qazvini; a well-known representative of Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and commentator on the Koran from the Safavid period (died 1678).
Shahid Sales; was murdered in 1846.
Ra'is ul-Mujahideen; actually Mirsa Hassan Sheikhol Islam, son of Mirsa Masud Sheikhol Islam, was the leader of the liberals and constitutionalists from Qazvin who fought to overthrow the Qajar rule and to whom the capture of Tehran by the Pahlavi dynasty is owed; For this he has received the title of Raisul Mujahideen (Lord of Fighters).
Ali Ibn Schäsan
Ibn Majeh
Cheirol Nezaj
Ibrahim Estanbeh Herawi
Rasi-olddin Taleghani
Just-olddin Gili
Ali Ibn Ghasi Ibn Achmed
Imam-olddin Rafi
Siah Kolah
Waes Qazvini
Allameh Sarabadi
Sheikh Alak Qazwini
Dawud Ibn Sulaiman Ghazi
Pir e Sefid
Pir e Alamdar
Mullah Abdulwahab Darolshafai
Mohammed Ibn Yahya: Commentator on Kamusol Loghat
Tahirih

Qazvin today

Agriculture

Qazvin is also a center of agriculture thanks to its pleasant climate. Of the 15,821 square kilometers, 13,000 are used for agriculture, so 12% of the Iranian cultivation area is in Qasvin. These are irrigated by a series of underground aqueducts, springs and a large irrigation canal that receives its water from the Sangbän reservoir in Taleghän and Ziärän. The province's agricultural products include citrus fruits, hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds, walnuts, olives, apples, wheat, sugar beets, pomegranates, figs and grains. Livestock, fish and poultry farming are common throughout the province.

Industry

Lately Qasvin has developed into a lively industrial region, mainly thanks to its good location. The textile industry, which mainly includes cotton, silk, velvet and leather, is particularly important in Qasvin. As mentioned, the important Tehran-Tabriz railway and motorway routes run through the region and thus ensure a good infrastructure.

Qazvin is home to one of the country's largest power plants, the Shahid Raja'i power plant, which provides 7% of the country's electricity generation.

Colleges

International Imam Khomeini University
Asad Islamic University of Takestan
Islamic Asad University of Qazvin
Qazvin Medical University
Technical Institute Shahid Babai

Web links

Commons : Qazvin - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ City Population: Iran - Cities and Provinces .

[1] City Population: Iran - Cities and Provinces .