Mazandaran province
Template:Infobox Iran Province
Mâzandarân (Mazandarani: مازرون Māzerūn, Persian: مازندران, prior to 1596 known as Tapurestan / Tapuria or its other version: Tabarestan / Tabaria) is a province in northern Iran, bordering the Caspian (Mazandaran) Sea in the north.
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 (since 1997).
The Caspian Sea is to the north, the Tehran and Semnan provinces lie to the south. To the west it has common borders with Gilan and Zanjan provinces, and to the east stands the province of Golestan.
The vast majority of the Mazandaran was once the private holding of Shah Reza Pahlavi. Following his abdication in 1941, tt was ceded to the government of Iran by his son, and the new Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi.
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 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 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.
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Achaemenid Golden cup. Dated first half of first millennium. Excavated at Kalardasht in Mazandaran. -
Mir Heydar Amoli (Seyyed Se Tan) shrine in Amol, 15th century -
Mazandaran, a small province with various landscapes.
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 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. In the Safavid era Mazandaran was settled by Georgian migrants, whose descendants still live across Mazandaran. Still many towns, villages and neighbourhoods in Mazandaran 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, in addition many foreigners e.g. Chardin, and Della Valle, have written about their encounters with the Georgian Mazandaranis.
During the reign of Nadir Shah, the province briefly occupied by Russians in the aftermath of the Russo-Persian War, 1722-1723.
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View of the Caspian coast from the Namak-Abrud tourist resort. -
Firuzkouh -
The resort of National Iranian Oil Company, near Mahmoodabad. -
The Mazandaran (Caspian) Sea attracts millions of Iranian tourists to its coasts every year.
Geography and Population
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.
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 [1].
| Year | 1956 | 1966 | 1976 | 1986 | 1996 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approximate Population | 835,000 | 1,250,000 | 1,596,000 | 2,275,000 | 2,602,000 | 2,983,000 |
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 divided into 15 shahrestans (approximately equal to counties). All the shahrestans are named after their administrative center, except Savadkooh. The following map shows the respective positions of the shahrestans.
Template:Mazandaran Labelled Map
Transportation
Mazandaran is connected to the capital of Iran, Tehran, through three transit roads of Haraz (Amol-Rudehen), Kandovan (Chalus-Karaj), and Firouzkouh (Qaem Shahr-Firouzkouh), while Sari, Nowshahr and Ramsar airports connect it to the other parts of the country.
Culture
The culture of Mazandaran is closely related to that of neighboring Gilan (or Guilan) and similarities between the two are abundant. The peoples of the two provinces are largely secular or irreligious, 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 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
Main Article: Mazandarani Language
Mazanderani or Tabarian (Avestan:Vernan, Pahlavi:Tapari]]) is an ancient northwestern branch of the Iranian languages, and is considered as a language in its own right.
Today Mazandarani vocabulary of urban people's speech is heavily influenced by the standard Persian. [citation needed] Notably, the language did not come under the influence of other incoming languages such as Arabic and Turkic and is still spoken in various dialects (Saravi, Gorgani, Baboli, Amoli) in the region.
Music
Mazandaran has a diverse folk music culture that includes songs and instrumental and ritual music.[citation needed] Rhythm is usually simple in songs, which include catouli, which is most common around the town of Aliabad Catoul ; the song is sometimes said to be sung when people take a catouli meaning cow out to graze. Because the song was originally sung while walking and working, it often has syllables like jana, hey or aye added, in order to allow the singer to breath while he was working (a work song). Another kind of song is called kalé hâl (or kal kâl or Leili's lover). The term kalé hâl may refer to its shortness of length (kalé hâl means short present) or to its common wingers, housewives who sang it while cooking with a kaleh, a type of oven. Amiri songs usually use long poems written by Amir Pazevari , a legendary poetry from Mazandaran. There is also a type of song called najma which describes the love between Prince Najmedin of the province of Fars (one of the 28 provinces of Iran, in the south of the country with Shiraz as capital). The najma is popular throughout Iran, adapted for the local cultures. The Charvadars are an ancient class of merchants who sold commodities abroad for a local village; their songs are called charvadari . In contrast to most Mazandarani music, charvadari has a prominent rhythm, which may be because it was often sung on horseback.
Mazandaran has a diverse folk music culture that includes songs and instrumental and ritual music. Rhythm is usually simple in songs, which include:
- Katuli: Most common around the town of Ali Abad-e Katul; the song is sometimes said to be sung when people take a Katuli cow out to graze. Because the song was originally sung while walking and working, it often has syllables like jānā, hey or āye added, in order to allow the singer to breath while he was working (a work song).
- Kaleh Hāl / Kal Hāl / Leili's lover: The term Kaleh Hāl may refer to its shortness of length (Kale Hāl means short present) or to its common wingers, housewives who sang it while cooking with a Kaleh, a type of oven.
- Amiri: Amiri songs usually use long poems written by Amir Pāzvāri, a legendary poet from Mazandaran.
- Najmā: Najmā describes the love between Prince Najmeddin of the Fārs area and a girl named Ra'nā. It is popular throughout Iran, adapted for the local cultures.
- Chārvādāri: The Chārvādārs are an ancient class of merchants who sold commodities abroad for a local village; their songs are called Chārvādāri. In contrast to most Mazandarani music, Chārvādāri has a prominent rhythm, which may be because it was often sung on horseback.
Mazandarani Songs (In Mazandarani: Vəng) are mainly composed about Sunset (Mazandarani: Nəmáşūn).[citation needed]
Dance
Mazandarani Dances are dances that are performed throughout the world by Mazandarani people, mostly on occasions such as weddings.
Types of Dances:
- Tesh Sema
- Chakka Sema
- Saz Sema
- Sema Hal
Festivals
Tir Ma Sezde Şű Means 13th of the mounth Tir in the Taberi Calendar which is in the November and the purpose of celebrating it is back to when Arash succeed in the Attack among Iran and Turan.[citation needed] Çəlë Şű Means Shab-e Yalda in Persian and every year people Celebrate it in December.[citation needed] Pədrám Sərūş Means Chahar Shanbeh Souri in Persian and every year people celebrate it in March.[citation needed]
In Literature
A region called Mazandaran is mentioned frequently in Persian epic Shahnameh, it is an area in north of Iran 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[1].
Significant natives of Mazandaran
- See Also List of Mazandaranis.
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 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.
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.
Interesting note: Being formerly part of the kingdom of Taparia or Tabaristan, two famous 9th-century Mazandarani scholars are from Mazandaran, both commonly called "al-Tabari" (An Arabic term meaning simply "from Taparia").
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 (caviar).
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
- Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences
- University of Mazandaran
- Behshahr University of Science and Technology
- Islamic Azad University of Neka
- Islamic Azad University of Sari
- Islamic Azad University of Tonekabon
- Islamic Azad University of Babol
- Islamic Azad University of Amol
- Imam Khomeini University for Naval Sciences
- Shomal University
See Also
References
External links
- Official website of Mazandaran Governorship
- ICCIM's page on Mazandaran
- Mazandaran Cultural Heritage Organization
- Mazandaran Tourism palaces
- Official website of Mazandaran Meteorology Organization
