Shirāz (Persian: شیرازShīrāz) is a city in southwest Iran and the capital of Fars Province and the largest city in southern Iran.
Shiraz is an ancient city located in a green plain, at the foot of the Zagros Mountains.Shiraz has a moderate climate and has been a regional trade center for more than a thousand years. Shiraz has also served as the capital of Iran many times. It was the capital of Persia during the Zand dynasty from 1750 until 1781 and capital of southern Iran from 1781 until 1794, as well as briefly during the Saffarid period. It is known as the city of poetry, wine and roses. It is also considered by many Iranians to be the City of gardens due to the many gardens and fruit-trees that can be seen in the city.
The city had an estimated population of 1,755,955 in 2005. [1]
Etymology
The earliest reference to the city is on Elamite clay tablets dated to 2000 BC, found in June of 1970, while digging to make a kiln for a brick making factory in the south western corner of the city. The tablets written in ancient Elamite, name a city called Tiraziš.[2] Phonetically, this is interpreted as /tiračis/ or /ćiračis/. This name became Old Persian /širājiš/; through regular sound change comes the modern Persian name Shirāz. The name Shiraz also appears on clay sealings found at a Sassanid ruin, east of the city, (2nd century A.D.)
Shiraz is most likely more than 4000 years old. Cuneiform records from the great ceremonial capital of Persepolis show that Shiraz was a significant township in Achaemenid times. Incidentally the oldest sample of wine in the world dating to approximately 7000 years ago was also discovered on clay jars recovered outside of Shiraz.
The city became provincial capital in 693, after the tazi Arab invaders Istakhr, the nearby Sassanian capital. As Istakhr fell in to decline, Shiraz grew in importance under the tazi Arabs and several local dynasties. The Buwayhids (945 to 1055) made it their capital, building mosques, palaces, a famous library and a great city wall.
The city was spared destruction by the invading Mongols when its local ruler offered tributes and submission to Genghis Khan. Shiraz was again spared by Tamerlane when in 1382 the local monarch, Shah Shoja agreed to submit to the invader. After the death of Shah Shoja there was turbulent succession of rulers for several years, until Tamerlane appointed his own son as ruler of the city.
In the thirteenth century Shiraz became a leading center of the arts and letters thanks to the encouragement of its enlightened ruler and the presence of many Persian scholars and artists. For this reason the city was named by classical geographers Dar al-Elm, the House of Knowledge.[3] Many of the most important Iranian poets, mystics and philosophers were born in Shiraz and contributed to the fame of the city. Among them can be mentioned the poets Sa'di and Hafez the mystic Roozbehan and the philosopher Mulla Sadra.
Safavid Period
Throughout the Safavid empire (1501-1722) Shiraz remained a provincial capital and Emam Qoli Khan, the governor of Fars under Shah Abbas I, constructed many palaces and ornate buildings in the same style of those built in the same period in Isfahan, the capital of the Empire. After the fall of the Safavid's Shiraz sufferd a period of decline worsened by the raids of the Afgans and the rebellion of its governor against Nader Shah the latter sent troops to sedate the revolt, The city was besieged for many months and eventually sacked. At the time of Nader Shah's murder in 1747 most of the historical buildings of the city were damaged or ruined and its population dropped to 50,000, a quarter of that of the sixteenth century.[4]
Shiraz soon returned to prosperity under the enlightened rule of Karim Khan Zand who made it the capital of his reign in 1762. Employing more than 12,000 workers he constructed a royal district with a fortess, many administrative buildings, a mosque and one of the finest covered bazaar in Iran. He had a moat built around the city, constructed a clever irrigation and drainage system and rebuilt the city walls. However Karim Khan heirs failed to secure his gains.
Qajar Dynasty
When Agha Mohammad Khan, the founder of the Qajar dynasty, eventually came to power, he wreaked his revenge on Shiraz by destroying the city fortification and moving the national capital to Tehran. Although lowered to the rank of provincial capital, Shiraz maintained a level of prosperity as a result of the continuing importance of the trade route to the Persian Gulf and its governorship was a royal prerogative throughout the Qajar dynasty. many of the beautiful gardens, buildings and residences built during the nineteenth century, contribute to the actual outlook of the city.
Islamic Republic
Shiraz had a primary role during the Islamic Revolution and its victory. After the revolution, both during the Iran-Iraq war and in the construction era, Shiraz has always been on the forefront of the preservation and development of the holy values of the Revolution. In line with the great consideration that the Islamic Republic gives to historical monuments, the municipality of Shiraz and the related cultural institutions have promoted and carried out many important restoration and reconstruction projects through the city. Among the most recent ones are the complete restoration of the Arg of Karim Khan and of the Vakil Bath as well as a comprehensive plan for the preservation of the old city quarters. Other noteworthy initiatives of the municipality include the total renovation of the Qor'an Gate and the mansoleum of the poet Khwaju Kermani both located in the Allahu Akbar gorge, as well as the grand project of expansion of the mausoleum of the world famous poet Hafez.
Geography
Shiraz is located in the south of Iran and the northwest of Fars Province. Shiraz is 919 Kilometres (571 miles) south of Tehran. The city has a land area of about 340 square kilometres (131 square miles) which makes it the third largest city in Iran. Shiraz has an elevation of 1500 metres(5200 ft.).
Shirāz is built in a green plane at the foot of the Zagros Mountains. A seasonal river flows through the northern part of the city called Rudkhaneye Khoshk (Dry riverbed) which only flows in the winter.
Climate
In relation to its neighboring provinces, Yazd and Khūzestān,
Shirāz has a more moderate climate, with warm/hot summers and mild/cool winters.
Besides to many beautiful streets in Shiraz, Qasrodasht is the longest street in the city which contains considerable number of gardens in both sides. These gardens have given a special feature to the city and really act as the lungs for it. Unfortunately many of these gardens are going to be dried for building apartments due to population growth in the city.
Economy
Agriculture has always been a major part of the economy in and around Shiraz. This is partially due to a relative abundance of water compared to the surrounding deserts.
Shirāz is famous for its carpet production and flowers as well. It is also the origin of wine and as a result, the wine produced using the grapes from this region are given the name Shiraz in the city's honour.
The city's economic base is in its provincial product, which include grapes,
citrus fruits, cotton and rice.
In Shirāz itself, industries such as cement production, sugar, fertilizers, textile products, wood products, metalwork and rugs dominate.
Shirāz is also a major center for Iran's electronic industries and has a major oil refinery as well.
Tourism
The mausoleum of Hafez
The cooler climate of Shiraz and its beautiful garden attract millions of Iranian and foreign tourist a year. Shiraz is one of the most popular tourist destinations for Iranians at Nowruz. In March of 2007 around three million tourists visited Shiraz.
and more than 200 other sites of historical significance, according to Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization.
Demography
As early as the 11th century several hundred thousand people inhabited Shiraz. During the sixteenth century it had a population of 200,000 people, which by the mid eighteenth century dramatically decreased to only 50,000. Today The city has an estimated population of 1,755,955.
Most of the population of Shiraz are Shi'a Muslims. It is also home to many Iranian Jews, although most have immigrated to the United States and Israel in the last half of the twentieth century, particularly after the Islamic Revolution. Along with Tehran and Esfahan Shiraz is one of the handful of Iranian cities with sizable Jewish populations and more than one active synagogue.
There is also a relatively large Christian community.
Culture
Shiraz in poetry
Shiraz is an important centre for Iranian culture. Hafiz and Saadi, the great Iranian poets have born in Shiraz and Khwaju Kermani was buried here.
خوشا شیراز و وضع بی مثالش
خداوندا نگهدار از زوالش
"Pleasant is Shiraz and its incomparable state. Oh lord, preserve it from decline!"
Shiraz's main hospitals include Namazi Hospital,Chamran Hospital,Dastgheib Hospital,Dena Hospital,Shahid Beheshti Hospital,Sa'di Hospital and Alavi Hospital.
Shiraz is accessible via freeways to Isfahan, and roadways to Bushehr and the Persian Gulf.A railroad link to Isfahan is under construction. A metro urban railway system is also being built by the Shiraz urban railway organization.[5]
Dr. Firouz Naderi the Associate Director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) responsible for Project Formulation and Strategy, was born in Shiraz.
Iran
