Behbahan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Behbahan is a city in the Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran. Behbahan had an estimated population of 96,836 in 2005.[1]
To the north of the city lie the ruins of the ancient city Arrajan, built during the Sassanian period, where important remnants from the Elamite era can be found.
The people of Behbahan (Behbahanis) speak a Persian dialect distinct to their group, as well as Luri, and may still use words of Khuzi origin, the language of the original inhabitants of Khuzestan. Behbahanis claim various lines of descent: from the ancient peoples of Arrajan, the nobility, the Prophet Muhammad, or the Lurs. The inhabitants of the suburban districts are primarily of Lur background (see Encyclopedia Iranica, entry for Behbahan).