Babolsar

Babolsar BĀBOLSAR Bābolsar
Country	Iran
Province	Mazandaran
County	Babolsar
Established date	N/A
Government
• Mayor	Alireza
Area
• City	40 km2 (20 sq mi)
Elevation	20 m (70 ft)
Population  (2006)
• City	132,000
• Urban	190,000
• Metro	N/A
• Population Rank in Iran	34th
Time zone	UTC+3:30 (IRST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+4:30 (IRDT)
Area code	0112
Website	http://www.babolsarcity.org

Dabir Azam Hosna, former mayor of Babolsar

Babolsar is a city in Mazandaran province, Iran. It is located on the southern coast of the Caspian sea. Since the Babol river passes through the city, both the bank of the river and the beach of the sea potentially form excellent tourist attractions in the city.

The existence of the central organization and the major faculties of the University of Mazandaran here means that a significant scientific environment exists in the city. The availability of fertile land including paddy fields around the city forms a beautiful landscape which is very pleasant to visitors. Babolsar has an area of 446 square kilometers and a population of over 30,000. The construction of new tourist towns nearby often increases the population of the city by up to a hundred thousand in some seasons of the year.

History

The city acquired its current name in 1927. Its historic name had been MaÞhad-e SarOr Mashhadsar (literally meaning "The Special way to Mashhad City)because the only road connecting northwest of Iran to northeast(specially Mashhad) was passing from Babolsar and people who wanted to pilgrimage Imam Reza were obliged to first pass Babolsar and then go away to Mashhad. By the 18th century, what was a small village had become a busy commercial port. During the reign of Nadir Shah, it was the base for Iran's Caspian fleet. By 1909, the port yielded 12 percent of the total customs revenue of Iran. However, by 1895, ports in Gilan were already competing with Babolsar.

During Reza Shahs reign, Babolsar lost much of its remaining trade to the new port of Bandar-e Shah at the terminus of the trans-Iranian railroad. The cargo handled at Babolsar in the years of 1935 and 1936 was only 25,000 tons. On the other hand, a modern quarter and a big hotel were built at that time. The end of World War II would bring a new era of vitality to the city as a seaside resort (in the summer months) for people from Tehran. The tourism business gave rise to a new phase of rapid expansion. Babolsar's population increased from about 3,500 in 1945 to 11,781 in 1966 and 18,810 in 1976. Modern Babolsar has a population exceeding 150,000 souls.

Images

File:NewPark.jpg

A park in Babolsar

Map showing position of Babolsar county as well as Babolsar in Mazandaran province

External Links

More pictures of tourist attractions of Babolsar

References

• Bābolsar entry in the Encyclopædia Iranica

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