Mazandaran Province

Mazandaran Province (Persian: اُستان مازندران, Ostān-e Māzandarān ) ^[4] is a Caspian province in the north of Iran.^[5] Located on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, it is bordered clockwise by the Golestan, Semnan, Tehran, Alborz, Qazvin, and Gilan provinces.

Mazandaran is one of the most densely populated provinces in Iran^[6] and has diverse natural resources, especially large reservoirs of oil and natural gas.^[7] The province's five largest counties are Sari, Behshahr, Babol, Amol and Qaemshahr.^[1] Founded as province in 1937, Mazandaran was declared the second modern province after neighbouring Gilan.

The diverse nature of the province features plains, prairies, forests and rainforest ^[8] stretching from the sandy beaches of the Caspian Sea to the rugged and snowcapped Alborz sierra,^[9] including Mount Damavand, the highest peak and volcano in the Middle East and Western Asia,^[10] which at the narrowest point (Nowshahr County) narrows to 5 miles.

Mazandaran is a major producer of farmed fish,^[11] and aquaculture provides an important economic addition to traditional dominance of agriculture.^[12] Another important contributor to the economy is the tourism industry, as people from all of Iran enjoy visiting the area.^[13] Mazandaran is also a fast-growing centre for biotechnology^[7] and civil engineering.

Human habitation in the area dates back at least 75,000 years.^[14][15] Recent excavations in Goher Tippe provide proof that the area has been urbanized for more than 5,000 years, and the area is considered one of the most important historical sites of Iran.^[16] It has played an important role in cultural and urban development of the region.^[17]

Indigenous peoples of the region include the ethnic Mazanderanis^[18] speaking an Iranian language which most resembles Gilaki and Sangiseri.

History

See Also:History of Tapuria

Pre Islamic history

The region 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. During this era, Mazandaran was part of Hyrcania Province which was one of important provinces.

With the advent of the Sassanid dynasty, the King of Mazandaran (Tabaristan and Padashkhwargar) was Gushnasp,^[19] whose ancestors had reigned in the area (under the Parthian empire) since the time of Alexander. In 529-536, Mazandarn was ruled by the Sassanid prince Kawus, son of Kawadh.^[19] Anushirawan, the Sassanid king, defeated Zarmihr, who claimed his ancestry from the legendary blacksmith Kaveh.^[19] This dynasty ruled till 645 A.D., when Gil Gilanshah (a descendant of the Sassanid king Jamasp and a son of Piruz) joined Mazandaran to Gilan.^[19] These families had descendants who ruled during the Islamic period.

Post Islamic history

During the post-Islamic period the local dynasties fall into three classes: 1. local families of pre-Islamic origin, 2. the ʿAlid sayyid s, and 3. local families of secondary importance.^[19]

The Bawandids who claimed descent from Kawus provided three dynasties.^[19] The first dynasty (665-1007) was overthrown on the conquest of Tabaristan by the Ziyarid Kabus b. Wushmgir.^[19] The second dynasty reigned from 466/1073 to 606/1210 when Mazandaran was conquered by 'Ala al-Din Muhammad Khwarzamshah.^[19] The third ruled from 635/1237 to 750/1349 as vassals of the Mongols.^[19] The last representative of the Bawandids was killed by Afrasiyab Chulawi.^[19]

The Karinids claimed descent from Karin, brother of Zarmihr who was the pre-Islamic ruler under the Sassanids.^[19] Their last representative Mazyar was put to death in 224/839.^[19]

The Paduspanids claimed descent from the Dabyuids of Gilan.^[19] They came to the front about 40/660 and during the rule of the ʿAlids were their vassals. Later, they were vassals of the Buyids and Bawandids, who deposed them in 586/1190.^[19] The dynasty, restored in 606/1209-10, survived till the time of Timur; the branch descended from Kawus the son of Kayumarth reigned till 975/1567 and the other, that of Iskandar the son of Kayumarth, till 984/1574.^[19]

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 Sunni's/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.

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 until they 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. Towns, villages and neighbourhoods in Mazandaran still 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, among other authors.

Before the reign of Nadir Shah, the province was briefly occupied by the Russian army in the aftermath of the Russo-Persian War, 1722-1723 and returned to Persia in 1735.

Geography and population

Geography

Mazandaran is located on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. It is bordered clockwise by Golestan, Semnan and Tehran provinces.^[20] This province also borders Qazvin and Gilan to the west. 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.

There is often snowfall 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, subtropical 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 at sea level.

Ecoregions:

• Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests
• Elburz Range forest steppe

Population

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 [5].

The population is of Caucasian Iranian stock with a minority of non-native neighboring Turkic tribes (esp. the Turkomen).

Administrative divisions

The province covers an area of 23,842 km²[6]. According to the census of 2006, the population of the province was 2,922,432 of which 53.18% were registered as urban dwellers, 46.82% villagers, and remaining were non-residents. Sari is the capital city of the province.

Mazandaran is divided into 15 counties (shahrestan in Persian). All the shahrestans are named after their administrative center, except Savadkooh. The following map shows the respective positions of the counties.

Transportation

Roads

Mazandaran is connected to the capital of Iran, Tehran, through three transit roads: Haraz road (Amol-Rudehen), Kandovan road (Chalus-Karaj), and Firoozkooh road (Qaem Shahr-Rudehen).

Airports

Dasht-e Naz Airport, serving the capital Sari, Noshahr Airport, and Ramsar Airport are the domestic airports that connect the province to the other parts of the country. There are some Hajj flights from Dasht-e Naz Airport as well.

Railway

Mazandaran is served by the North Railway Dept. of the Iranian Railways. The department connects the province to Tehran to the south and Gorgan to the east. The cities of Sari, Qaemshahr, and Pol Sefid are major stations of the department.

Culture

The culture of Mazandaran is closely related to that of neighboring Gilan (or Guilan). The peoples of the two provinces are largely secular, 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 its location by 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

Mazanderani or Tabarian is a Northwestern Iranian language. Various Mazandarani dialects exist which are spoken in Mazandaran province and the neighbor province Golestan such as Mazanderani, and Gorgani and possibly Qadikolahi (Ghadikolahi) and Palani. Today, Mazandaranis also use Persian (Western Persian). The educated can communicate and read Persian well.^[21]

A dialect of Azeri is spoken in the town of Galoogah.^[22]

In literature

In the Persian epic, Shahnameh, Mazandaran is mentioned in two different sections. The first mention is implicit, when Fereydun sets its capital in a city called Tamishe near Amol:

بیاراست گیتی بسان بهشت.................... به جای گیا سرو گلبن بکشت

از آمل گذر سوی تمیشه کرد .............. نشست اندر آن نامور بیشه کرد

under the title "فریدون چو شد بر جهان کامگار", and when Manuchehr is returning to Fereydun's capital, Tamisheh in Mazandaran (known as Tabarestan), after his victory over Salm and Tur:^[23]

ز دريای گيلان چون ابر سياه.............. دمادم به ساری رسيد آن سپاه

چو آمد بنزدیک شاه آن سپاه.................. فریدون پذیره بیامد براه

under the title "تهی شد ز کینه سر کینه دار".

In the second section, a region called Mazandaran is mentioned in the Kai Kavoos era; it is an area 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.^[24]

In Gaston Leroux's 'The Phantom of the Opera,' one of the characters was formerly the daroga (chief of police) of Mazanderan.

Significant natives of Mazandaran

Mazandaran has been home to many significant Iranian figures. These range from scholars and poets to politicians and actors. Perhaps 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.

Another famous contemporary poet is Mina Assadi, a Mazandarani native, born and raised in Sari, who is known for writing about controversial and provocative subjects.

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.

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).

The province's 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

1. Babol Noshirvani University of Technology
2. Babol University of Medical Sciences
3. Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences
4. University of Mazandaran
5. Behshahr University of Science and Technology
6. Islamic Azad University of Mazanderan (Sari, Behshahr, Ghaemshahr, Babol, Amol, Chalus, Shahsawar, Neka)
7. Imam Khomeini University for Naval Sciences
8. Shomal University Amol
9. M.I.T. located in Babol (Mazanderan Institute of Technology)
10. Babol Tabari University
11. Babol Olum-Fonun University
12. Babol Imam Sadegh University
13. Tabarestan University in Chaloos (Tabarestan University's Website)

See also

• Mazandarani people
• Maziar

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
• A Mazandarani folk-song sung by Shusha Guppy in the 1970s: Darling Dareyne.