Zarrin Shahr

Zarrin Shahr
زرين شهر
city
Zarrin Shahr
Coordinates: 32°23′23″N 51°22′36″E / 32.38972°N 51.37667°ECoordinates: 32°23′23″N 51°22′36″E / 32.38972°N 51.37667°E
Country  Iran
Province Isfahan
County Lenjan
Bakhsh Central
Population (2006)
 • Total 55,984
Time zone IRST (UTC+3:30)
 • Summer (DST) IRDT (UTC+4:30)

Zarrin Shahr (Persian: زرين شهر‎, also Romanized as Zarīn Shahr; also known as Qal‘eh Rīz, Rīz-e Lanjān, and Rīz)[1] is a city in and the capital of Lenjan County, Isfahan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 55,984, in 15,154 families.[2] It is located in southwest of Isfahan.

Name

Until the 1970s Zarrinshahr was known as Riz-e Lenjan (or simply Riz for the locals). The name changed to Zarrinshahr as a result of what seems to be merely bureaucratic decision making.[3] It is not known to what extent, if any, the local population was consulted on this matter. Not many seemed to mind anyway, because 'riz' means small in Persian.

Geography and climate

Zarrinshahr is located in the lush plain of the Zayandeh Rood (or Zayandeh River), not too far from the Zagros mountain range. The climate is temperate, the four seasons occur regularly and are clearly differentiated. It experiences a few snowfalls a year but not much rain. Summer is hot and temperatures can hit 36 on some days. Summer however is quite pleasant due to lack of humidity and low temperatures at night. The locals often hit the riverside at night for dinner or after dinner tea.

People

Zarrin Shahr has a population of about 55,000.[4] Expatriate Zohreh Bayatrizi describes the city as multi-cultural. The two main groups are Persians, who have lived in the area at least since 12th century AD, and Azeri Turks, who were forcibly settled in Riz in the 17th century by the Safavid rulers.[4]

In the past 30 years people, from various parts of Iran have moved to Zarrin Shahr to work in the nearby steel mill factory (zobe ahan). The single largest immigrant group are the Bakhtiaris from the nearby province of Chahar Mahal Va Bakhtiari.[4] The second largest group are from Khuzestan after the onset of the Iran-Iraq War in 1980. Most of the latter were placed in camps just outside the city and most have returned home after the ceasefire.

Zarrinshahr has Greco-Roman wrestling and martial arts teams that are competitive nationally.

In 1991 Zohreh Bayatrizi ranked number one in the national university entrance exams (the Concour), competing against 200,000 other high-school-level entrants from across Iran. She was the first woman from a small town in Iran to achieve this distinction. Zohreh went on to obtain a doctorate degree in Sociology. A few years later Maryam Verdian, another high school student, ranked one rationally in the Mathematics Olympiad and then went on to rank number two in the International Olympiad of Mathematics. Hamid Rajaei Rizi was born on March 21 st in 1968, in Zarrin shahr, Isfahan, Iran. He is an Iranian Theologian, essayist [5] and TV producer. He has a Master of Theology (from Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute) and a Master of Communication studies (from Iran Broadcasting University of Qom). He has taught in Hawza of Qom (advanced independent studies) and he often writes on Islamic critical theories.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Zarrin Shahr can be found at GEOnet Names Server, at this link, by opening the Advanced Search box, entering "6012981" in the "Unique Feature Id" form, and clicking on "Search Database".
  2. ↑ "Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1385 (2006)". Islamic Republic of Iran. Archived from the original (EXCEL) on 2011-11-11.
  3. ↑ Ghaderi, Sasan 1378 Lenjan. Isfahan: Range-Ab, p17
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Ghaderi, Sasan 1378 Lenjan. Isfahan: Range-Ab, 27
  5. ↑ http://www.ketab.ir/BookList.aspx?Type=PubRefid&code=3326
  6. ↑ http://hamidrajaee.blogfa.com/category/5