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Abadan, city in southwestern Iran, located in Khuzestan (Khuzistan) Province. Abadan occupies the northwestern part of Abadan Island, a narrow island about 29 km (about 18 mi) long, in the Shatt al Arab River. The city is located opposite the Iranian port city of Khorramshahr. The Iraqi border is nearby, on the west bank of the Shatt al Arab. Petroleum has been central to Abadan's economy since the early 1900s, when oil deposits were discovered in the region. The city is a major petroleum-refining and petroleum-shipping center. Crude oil is pumped to the refinery from oil fields to the north. Abadan has an international airport. A branch campus of the Petroleum Institute of Technology, centered in Teheran, is located in the city. In the 8th century Abadan was founded by and named for Abbad, a member of the Abbasid dynasty . Under the Abbasids, Abadan developed as a successful port city on the Persian Gulf. However, by the 1900s, silt deposits laid by the Shatt al Arab River had distanced the city from the Persian Gulf by nearly 50 km (30 mi). In the early 20th century, rich oil fields were discovered in the province of Khuzestan. The city of Abadan was constructed initially as a company town by the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (renamed the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company in 1935 and The British Petroleum Company PLC in 1954). Abadan served as a place of residence for the workers at the oil refinery, which was built on the island between 1909 and 1913. Eventually the refinery expanded to become one of the largest in the world. Meanwhile, the city's population grew rapidly, increasing from about 115,000 in the 1940s to more than 230,000 by the early 1960s.

Ahvaz, city in southwestern Iran, the administrative center of Khuzestan (Khuzistan) Province. Ahvaz is one of Iran's largest cities and the center of the region's oil industry. It is located at the confluence of the Karun and Shatt al Arab rivers on the lowland plain of Khuzestan. Ahvaz has long served as a shipping hub for river traffic and is also a regional center for air, highway, and rail transportation. Since oil was discovered near Ahvaz in 1980, the oil industry has been central to the city's economy. Ahvaz is a major supply and distributing center for the oil fields that lie to the north and for several oil pipelines that pass through the city. Manufactures produced in the city include processed foods and textiles. Educational institutions in Ahvaz include Shahid Chamran University and a branch of the private Islamic Free University. Although the city dates from ancient times, virtually no historical monuments have survived due to damage inflicted during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988).

Amol, city in northern Iran, located near the Caspian Sea on both banks of the Haraz River in the province of Mazandaran. Amol is principally a commercial center for the densely populated rice-growing region of central Mazandaran but also contains food-processing factories (especially for rice), lumber mills, workshops for wood furniture and other wooden items, and brickworks. Amol is the terminus of the Haraz Road, which connects Tehran to the eastern Caspian coastal plain. From Amol, highways go northwest along the coast to Rasht and east through the Mazandaran plain to the cities of Babol, Qa'emshahr, and Sari. Amol's early 17th-century Meshed-e Mir Borzorg mausoleum and shrine is the city's most notable historical site. There also are two 17th-century masonry bridges, one of which has 12 arches, and several tombs constructed between the 15th and 18th centuries.

Arak, city in western Iran, situated about 1800 m (about 6000 ft) above sea level. Transportation facilities include several railroads and highways. Arak is the center of an agricultural area yielding grains and fruits, and it is noted for the manufacture of fine rugs and carpets. Founded in 1808, the city was formerly known as Sultanabad; it received its present name around 1930. Population (1996) 380,755.

Ardabil, city in northwestern Iran, in East Azerbaijan Province. The city is on a plateau about 1500 m (about 5000 ft) above sea level. Because of a healthful climate and the warm mineral springs in the vicinity, Ardabil was a favorite home of the rulers of Persia. Points of interest in the city include the tomb of Ismail I, founder of the Safavid dynasty (1501-1722) of Persian shahs, and the home (now a Muslim shrine) of the Persian saint Safi-al-Din. During the Middle Ages the city was important because it was near the Lenkoran-Tabriz caravan route. Population (1996) 340,386.

Babol, city in northern Iran, located near the Caspian Sea on the Babol River, in the province of Mazandaran. Babol is home to many small-scale manufacturing enterprises, as well as a bazaar that serves as a retail and wholesale center for the city and surrounding countryside. The nearby area is an intensively developed region of rice paddies and fruit orchards. Babol is 30 km (19 mi) east of Amol on the main paved highway from Tehran to the Mazandaran provincial capital of Sari. The major textile manufacturing center of Qa'emshahr is 20 km (12 mi) east of Babol, while the Caspian Sea beach resort of Babol Sar is 24 km (15 mi) north of the city. An airport is situated between Babol and Babol Sar. Babol's most significant historical site is a 17th-century summer palace and landscaped garden constructed for Shah Abbas I. Babol was a favorite place of the second Qajar dynasty king, Fath Ali Shah (reigned 1797-1834). Several large houses and intricately decorated mosques that were built during his reign still survive in the city. Mazandaran University (founded in 1975) is located in nearby Babol Sar.

Bandar-e 'Abbas city in southern Iran, capital of Hormuzagan province, located on the northern shore of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman. During the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), Bandar-e 'Abbas was developed as the country's major commercial port to replace Khorramshahr, which lies at the northen end of the Persian Gulf and which had been captured and occupied by Iraqi forces. By the 1990s, about 75 percent of Iranian imports through the Persian Gulf were off-loaded at Bandar-e 'Abbas. Next to the berths for international cargo ships are docks for local fishing craft, a large shipyard for repairing and building ships, and naval facilities. Bandar-e 'Abbas's major industries include cotton textile manufacturing, fish processing, refining, aluminum smelting, and steel milling. Outside the city, chromium, red oxide, salt, and sulfur are mined for export. A major natural gas field surrounds the offshore island of Hengam. Another nearby island, Qeshm, has been developed as a free trade zone. As the provincial capital, Bandar-e 'Abbas is also a local administrative center for several central government agencies and offices. The city is connected to Tehran and the rest of the country by air, rail, and road routes. Bandar-e 'Abbas is a modern city with few public tourist sites, although its bazaar is a popular attraction for shoppers. The island of Qeshm, across from Bandar-e 'Abbas in the Strait of Hormuz, has several old mosques, shrines, and cemeteries. Bandar-e 'Abbas was founded by Shah Abbas I in 1623 as a port to compete with the Portuguese, who had established a trade center on the nearby island of Hormoz. From 1793 to 1868, Iran leased Bandar-e 'Abbas to Oman. Bandar-e 'Abbas was a small fishing port of about 17,000 people in 1955, prior to initial plans to develop it as a major harbor. By 1996, it had grown into a major city. Population (1996) 273,578.

Borujerd, city in western Iran located in the Zagros Mountains, in the province of Lorestan. The city has many small- and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises and serves as the commercial center for a fertile agricultural area. The city is connected by paved highway to the industrial center of Arak, 105 km (65 mi) to the northeast, and, via Arak, to Qom and Tehran beyond. Paved highways also link Borujerd to Esfahan in the east, the Lorestan provincial capital of Khorramabad in the southwest, Kermanshah (also Bakhtaran) in the west, and Hamadan in the northwest. The region around Borujerd is dotted with many mounds containing the ruins of ancient and medieval settlements; most of these sites have not been examined systematically by archaeologists. The city is notable for its mosque, whose dome dates from the Seljuk rule in the 11th and 12th centuries. Borujerd has been occupied since at least 600 BC and emerged as a small urban center by AD 1550. Population (1994) 212,056.

Bushehr, city in southwestern Iran, located on the Persian Gulf, the capital of Bushehr Province. Bushehr is a major fishing and commercial port, and it is an export market for the farm produce of the neighboring and fertile Fars Province. Bushehr's industries include seafood canneries, food-processing plants, and engineering firms. In 1975 the government began building a nuclear power plant at Bushehr. This facility was only partially completed when it was bombed by Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). When Germany, the initial backer of the plant, declined to complete it after the war, Iran tried to secure aid from other countries, a move opposed by the United States. In 1995, however, Russia signed an agreement to finish the plant. Bushehr has an airport, and highways connect the city to Ahvaz to the northwest and Shiraz to the northeast. A secondary coastal road links Bushehr to Bandar-e 'Abbas to the southwest. The old section of central Bushehr has many examples of traditional Persian Gulf architecture from the period 1870 to 1920. The city was only a small fishing village before 1734 when Nadir Shah chose it as the site for an Iranian naval base. At the end of the 18th century, the British and Dutch transferred their regional commercial offices to Bushehr, and during the 19th century the town was prominent as the home of the British political agent for the Persian Gulf. Britain moved its diplomatic and commercial center across the gulf to the Arabian Peninsula at the beginning of the 20th century, an action that sent Bushehr into an economic decline. The city remained economically depressed until the 1960s when the government initiated a major development program. Population (1994 estimate) 140,615.

Dezful, city in southwestern Iran, located near the Iraqi border on the west bank of the Dez River, in Khuzestan province. Dezful is the primary commercial center for northern Khuzestan and a market for the agricultural products of Lorestan province. The city also contains a large cotton textile mill and many small- and medium-scale industries. The Dez Dam, 203 m (666 ft) high, completed in 1963, is 32 km (20 mi) upstream from Dezful; the dam provides water and electricity for the city, as well as irrigation for nearby sugarcane farms. Dezful sits on the main north-south highway from Tehran to Ahvaz, the provincial capital of Khuzestan. The main rail line from Tehran to the Persian Gulf is 15 km (9 mi) from Dezful, on the opposite side of the Dez River. The area around Dezful has been settled for more than 5000 years, though the origins of the city are unknown. Many historical monuments from the period 1250 BC to AD 600 are in the area. The city's most notable attraction is an arched, 410-m (1345-ft) bridge spanning the Dez River; historians believe the bridge dates to the 4th century AD, although most of it may have been rebuilt in the 15th and 16th centuries. The city also contains several mosques and tombs dating from the 16th to 19th centuries. Dezful has been a regional market center since the Sassanid dynasty (224-651), although its fortunes fluctuated with the level of security in Khuzestan. The period from the early 18th to the early 19th century was generally a period of economic decline, but the city began to prosper and develop after 1925. Dezful was bombed several times during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) and suffered extensive damage, most of which had been repaired by the mid-1990s. Population (1994) 202,004.

Esfahan (ancient Aspadana), city in central Iran, capital of Esfahan (Isfahan) Province, on the northern bank of the Zaindeh Rud. Farming is the chief occupation of the surrounding region in which cotton, grain, and tobacco are grown. The city is a major textile-milling center, and cotton, silk, and woolen goods are produced here; other manufactures include brocade, carpets, foodstuffs, and metalwork. The city also serves as the outlet for animal products of the province. Esfahan was renowned in former times for its architectural grandeur and the beauty of its public gardens. Most of the gardens and many of the edifices are now in ruins, but a number of imposing structures have been preserved or restored. In the central part of the city is a 17th-century royal mosque known as Masjid-i-Shah, which is faced with colored tile and regarded by many as an outstanding example of Persian architecture. The mosque is located within a huge rectangular garden, now surrounded by bazaars. Nearby is the Masjid-i-Shaikh-Lutfullah, a mosque famous for its dome of blue tile. The Ali-Kapu gate leads to the former royal gardens, in which is found the throne room, Chihil Sutun, or Forty Pillars. Additional points of interest include the Shah Hussain madrasa, a magnificent building constructed in 1710 as a school for dervishes, and an arcaded bridge spanning the Zaindeh Rud.

Gorgan, city in northeastern Iran, located near the Caspian Sea in the province of Mazandaran. Gorgan lies 37 km (23 mi) inland from the port of Bandar-e Torkeman. Gorgan is the center of an intensively cultivated farming region whose major commercial crops are wheat, cotton, and fruits. The city's major industries include food processing, cotton ginning, soap manufacturing, and carpet weaving. Gorgan is connected by major highways to Tehran to the southwest and to Mashhad (Meshed) to the east. It also is the terminus of the Caspian Sea rail line, a spur of the main Tehran-Mashhad railroad. Before the 1930s, the city was known as Astrabad. It has existed since at least the Achaemenid Empire (550?-330? BC), and excavations at nearby Turang Tapeh recovered various bronze objects dating to 500 BC. By the 1st century AD Astrabad had become a well-established stop on the famous Silk Road from China to the Mediterranean Sea. Until the 1200s, the city flourished as a commercial and intellectual center. From the 13th to the early 20th centuries, the city suffered frequent raids by rival armies and renegade Turkic tribesmen, and the resulting insecurity contributed to the economic decline of Astrabad. Gorgan was devastated by an earthquake in the 1930s. Population (1994) 178,080.

Hamadan, city in western Iran, located in a productive farming region. The capital of Hamadan Province, the city is known for the manufacture of rugs, leather trunks, and copper ware. It is the center of the Iranian shellac and leather trade and is commercially important because of its position on the principal route between Baghdad and Tehran (Teheran). The city of Hamadan has a number of bazaars and several mosques. Also in the city are two tombs of special interest, one claimed to be that of the biblical Mordecai and Esther, and the other that of the Islamic philosopher-physician Avicenna. The city is believed to occupy the site of the city of Ecbatana, capital of the ancient Medes. During World War I (1914-1918), Hamadan was the scene of fighting between Russian and Turko-German forces. The city was held at various times by the Russians, the Turks, and the British before being restored to Iranian government control in 1918. Population (1996) 401,281.

Karaj, city in northern Iran, on the Karaj River, at the southern foot of the Elburz Mountains. It is an important transportation and industrial center on the main road and rail routes between Tehran (or Teheran, the country's capital) and populous northwestern Iran and the Caspian Sea. Manufactures include chemicals, fertilizer, and processed agricultural goods. Population (1996) 940,968.

KASHAN

Kashan, city in central Iran, located in Tehran Province. It is noted for its fine carpets. Woolen and silk goods, brass and copper work, and jewelry are also produced in Kashan. The city dates from ancient times and was formerly important as a site along the caravan route from Kerman to Esfahan (Isfahan). Population (1994 estimate) 166,080.

KERMANSHAH

Kermanshah, formerly Bakhtaran, city in western Iran, capital of Kermanshah Province, in the Karkheh River valley. The city is the commercial center for grain and other produce of the countryside. Flour, textiles, refined oil, beet sugar, and carpets are produced here. Founded in the 4th century, Kermanshah has long been an important market center by virtue of its position on the caravan route from Hamadan to Baghdad. East of the city are the cliffs that bear the Behistun inscription, which became the key to deciphering several ancient Middle Eastern writings. Population (1996) 692,986.

KERMAN

Kerman, city in southeastern Iran, capital of Kerman Province. Kerman carpets are the principal manufactures; goat-wool shawls are also produced. An 11th-century mosque and a restored citadel and fort are here. Population (1996) 384,991.

KHORRAMABAD

Khorramabad, city in western Iran, located in the Zagros Mountains, and capital of the province of Lorestan. Khorramabad is a market center for the farm products of the region and an industrial center manufacturing synthetic fibers and processed foods. The city sits on a major highway that connects it to Tehran, Esfahan, and the major cities of western Iran. The city is home to the Black Fortress, the ruins of a fort-palace complex built between the mid-12th and 15th centuries and used as the official residence of Lorestan's governors for more than 400 years. Khorramabad is one of the world's oldest inhabited cities for which there is archaeological evidence. The famous Lorestan bronzes (4000? BC) were recovered in the early 20th century from a nearby site. Because the city is situated strategically in a river gap of the Zagros Mountains, it has been used for passage between the lowland plain of Khuzestan and the highland central plateau, and thus has been the site of many battles over the centuries. The last major battles involving ground forces were in the early 20th century between central government troops and rebellious Lur tribesmen. The city also suffered aerial bombardment and missile attacks during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). Population (1996) 272,815.

KHORRAMSHAHR

Khorramshahr, city in southwestern Iran, located at the junction of the Karun and Shatt al Arab rivers, on the border between Iran and Iraq. From the beginning of the 20th century until 1980, the city was the main commercial port of Iran. A port has existed on the site at least since the time Alexander the Great invaded Iran in 331 BC. From about 300 BC to AD 1200, the city derived considerable prosperity from trade. After falling under control of the Abbasid dynasty in AD 750, the city was given the name Mohammerah and was known by this name until the 1920s. Khorramshahr's importance in the 20th century stemmed from its nearness to Abadan, which is situated on a nearby river island and was home to the world's largest oil refinery at one time. Oil was discovered in Iran in 1908, after which Abadan and Khorramshahr grew rapidly. By the 1930s the two cities were connected to Tehran by air, rail, and road routes. Khorramshahr was captured by Iraq during the opening weeks of the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988), and occupied until 1982. The city was devastated during the fighting, as was Abadan. Reconstruction of Khorramshahr began in 1989, with the port being reopened for ship traffic in 1992. The city's population was 146,709 in 1976; virtually the entire population fled in 1980 and 1981. After the withdrawal of Iraqi troops, Iranians began returning to Khorramshahr. Population (1996 estimate) 50,000.

KHOY

Khvoy, also called Khoi, city in northwestern Iran, located near the border with Turkey north of Lake Urmia, in West Azerbaijan province. Khvoy is the main commercial center for a relatively fertile farming region that produces cereals, fruits, nuts, and sugar beets. Factories in the city include a sugar refinery, food-processing mills, a cotton yarn spinning plant, and carpet workshops. A geothermal electric power-generating plant is located north of the city. Khvoy is located 23 km (14 mi) west of the main Iran-Turkey highway and 10 km (6 mi) north of the railway connecting Iran and Turkey. A paved highway connects the city to Urmia, the capital of West Azerbaijan province, to the south. The major places of interest in Khvoy are its 19th-century covered bazaar and older mosques. Old Armenian churches can be found in nearby villages. Khvoy is an ancient city that has existed since at least the Sassanid Empire (AD 224-651). Many battles have been fought in or around Khvoy, including the 16th- and 17th-century wars between the Ottoman and Safavid empires and battles between Turkish and Russian troops during the World War I (1914-1918) Khvoy's growth as an industrial center began in the 1960s. Between 1966 and 1986, the city's population more than doubled from 47,000 to 115,000. Population (1994) 153,473.

MALAYER

Malayer, city in western Iran, located in the Zagros Mountains in Hamadan province. Malayer is a trade center for the many agricultural villages of southeastern Hamadan and a small-scale manufacturing center noted for its production of carpets. It is on the main highways between the city of Hamadan and Arak and between the city of Hamedan and Borujerd. Malayer has existed since at least the Sassanid Empire (AD 224-651). In 637 Arab forces united under the young religion of Islam inflicted a fatal defeat on the Persian army at Nahavand, which lies 40 km (25 mi) southeast of Malayer. Malayer remained a small town until the mid-20th century, when industrial development led to a sixfold population increase between 1956 and 1991. Population (1994) 149,774.

Mashhad, also Meshed, city in northeastern Iran, capital of Khorasan Province, located in the valley of the Kashaf River, near Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. One of the largest cities in Iran, it is an important transportation, commercial, manufacturing, and religious center situated in a productive agricultural region. Carpet manufacturing, based on local wool supplies, is a traditional industry; other products include textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and processed food. The burial place and shrine of the early 9th-century religious leader Imam Reza, regarded by Shiite Muslims as one of Iran's holiest places, draws many tourists and pilgrims every year. The grave of the caliph Harun al-Rashid is also in the shrine. Mashhad University (founded in 1956) was established here, and the ruins of the ancient city of Tus are nearby. Mashhad gained prominence as a religious center in the 9th century. Shah Abbas I (reigned 1588-1629) beautified the city, and it prospered under Nadir Shah as the capital of a great Iranian empire. Population (1996) 1,887,405.

Masjed-e Soleyman, city in western Iran, located in the Zagros Mountains in northeastern Khuzestan province. The country's oldest producing oil wells are in the area around Masjed-e Soleyman, which also has a refinery for producing petroleum products. Almost all of the city's businesses service the oil industry or its employees. Roads connect Masjed-e Soleyman to Ahvaz and Dezful to the northwest. A new highway, completed in the 1990s, runs between Ahvaz in the west to Esfahan in the east, passing around the city. Crude petroleum that is not refined in Madjed-e Soleyman is carried by piplines to the refinery at Abadan and to oil export terminals. Although the area to the east of Masjed-e Soleyman contains many ancient and medieval monuments and ruins, no urban center existed on its site before the development of the oil industry in the early 20th century. Commercial quantities of oil were discovered at rural Masjed-e Soleyman in 1908, and an oil boomtown developed there during the next decade. By 1956 Masjed-e Soleyman was a well-established city of 45,000. It continued to grow during the latter part of the 20th century, although it was bombed several times during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). Population (1994) 109,224.

Neyshabur, town in northeastern Iran, located in Khorasan Province, in a beautiful and fertile valley, near Mashhad (Meshed). Cotton, grains, and fruits are the most important products. The town was the birthplace, and contains the grave, of the Persian poet Omar Khayyám. Population (1994 estimate) 154,511.

Qazvin, city in northwestern Iran, in Tehran (Teheran) Province. The city is connected by rail with Tehran and Tabriz and has road connections with other important cities in Iran. The city is the commercial center of the surrounding agricultural region. Qazvin has textile and flour mills, and wine is produced here. The city was founded in the 3rd century AD, and a mosque, now in ruins, was built here by Harun al-Rashid in the 8th century. Qazvin was damaged by Mongol invasions in the 13th century. Later, the kings of Persia repaired it, and Shah Tahmasp I made it his capital. The city has suffered from periodic earthquakes. Population (1996) 291,117.

Qom, city in central Iran, and administrative center of Qom province. Located about 120 km (about 75 mi) south of the capital city of Tehran, Qom is situated in a 940-m (3100-ft) high basin on both banks of the Qom River, which flows from the Zagros Mountains west of the city and terminates in a large salt marsh. The city is a rail and highway transportation hub and has numerous factories that produce hand-knotted carpets, ceramics, glass, textiles, refined petroleum products, and processed foods. Northeast of the city near the village of Alborz is an oil field, but the inferior quality of the deposits has delayed its exploitation. An important natural gas field lies southeast of the city near the village of Sarajeh. However, since the 1920s the city of Qom has been known primarily for its Shia Islamic theological colleges. In addition, for several centuries Qom has been an important pilgrimage center for Shia Muslims, who visit the famous shrine here to Fatima the Pure, a saint who lived during the 9th century.

Rasht or Resht, city in northwestern Iran, capital of Gilan Province, on a branch of the Sefid River, near the Caspian Sea. It is a commercial, distribution, and manufacturing center situated in an agricultural region. Principal products include processed food, silk, soap, and metal, glass, and jute items. Rasht (originally Gilan) University was established here in 1977. The community was probably settled in the 13th century. Rasht suffered severe damage during both World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945). Population (1996) 417,748.

Sabzevar, city in northeastern Iran, located in Knorasan province. Sabzevar is the main commercial center for an agricultural region that is noted for the production of grapes and raisins. It has many small-scale industries, especially for food processing and for the manufacture of cooperware (wooden barrels and tubs) and electric motors. Sabzevar is also home to an old bazaar where wholesale merchants arrange the export of fresh, dried, and preserved fruits and vegetables. The main highway between Tehran and Mashhad (Meshed) passes through the city, while the highway north to Bojnurd connects Sabzevar to the Caspian Sea province of Marandaran. The city's major historical site is the 12th-century tower of Khosrowgerd, located 6 km (4 mi) west of the city center. The 19th-century seminary founded by the renowned Muslim philosopher Hajji Hadi Sabzevari is also in the city. Sabzevar existed as a small town during the Sassanid Empire (AD 224-651). It was relatively prosperous during the medieval period (641-1500) but was captured and looted on several occasions. Its development as an industrial center began in the late 1960s. As a result of large-scale rural-to-urban migration, Sabzevar's population has more than doubled since 1976. Population (1994) 160,755.

Sanandaj, city in western Iran, and capital of Kordestan (or Kurdistan) province. Sanandaj occupies a fertile valley in the Zagros Mountains. The city is a major manufacturing and retail trade center with many diverse products, including carpets, cotton textiles, leather, metalware, cutlery, pottery, wood furniture and wood crafts, milled rice, refined sugar, and processed foods. Its old bazaar is noted as a place to buy Kurdish handicrafts. Sanandaj is on the main highway between Tabriz and Kermanshah (Bakhtaran); a highway running east from Sanandaj connects it to Tehran via Hamadan. The city also has an airport. Sanandaj is home to the ruins of an 11th- and 12th- century fortress, the Dar al-Ehsan Mosque, and the Sanandaj Museum. The museum is housed in a 19th-century royal palace whose Arusi Room, or Wedding Room, is considered a masterpiece of handcrafted woodwork. Kurdistan University, founded after the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, is also in the city. The area around Sanandaj is known for its many mountain caves, hot springs, and freshwater lakes, many of which cater to tourists. Sanandaj is an ancient city, in existence when the Achaemenid Empire was established by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. It was known as Sisar to the Arab geographers of the 7th through 10th centuries AD, and as Senna or Sinneh after the 10th century. For several centuries it was the capital of the semiautonomous Kurdish principality of Ardelan. The city acquired its present name in the early 20th century. Sanandaj was a center of resistance to both the monarchy during the 1979 revolution and the republican government that followed. It was bombed by Iraq several times during the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). Sanandaj began to develop as a manufacturing center in the early 1970s. Its population has more than doubled since 1976. Population (1996) 277,808.

Shahr-e Rey, city in northern Iran, located about 8 km (about 5 mi) southeast of Tehran, the capital. Shahr-e Rey is an industrial and residential suburb of Tehran. Its factories produce textiles, cement, bricks, chemicals, and processed foods. Public bus routes connect Shahr-e Rey to downtown Tehran. The city is home to the Shiite Muslim shrine of Shah Abdol Azim, constructed during the reign of the Qajar King Fath Ali Shah (ruled 1797-1834). More than one million pilgrims visit the shrine every year. The mineral springs of Chesmeh Ali and the circular Toghrol Tower, built in 1140, are popular with tourists. Shahr-e Rey occupies the site of ancient Ray (also known as Rayy and Ragha), one of the great cities of Iran for several centuries before being destroyed by Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan in 1221. Most of the people who lived in Ray were massacred, but a few survivors fled north and established the village of Tehran. The abandoned ruins of Ray gradually crumbled, except for the Toghrol Tower and other brick structures. Contemporary Shahr-e Rey developed around the Shah Abdol Azim shrine after Tehran had been selected as the Qajar dynasty's capital at the end of the 18th century. By the mid-20th century, the residential neighborhoods of Shahr-e Rey and Tehran had effectively merged, although Shahr-e Rey retained a separate identity and administration. Population (1996) 250,000.

Shiraz, city in southwestern Iran, capital of Fars Province. Located in the Zagros Mountains, Shiraz is a commercial center of the surrounding region, which produces grapes, citrus fruit, cotton, and rice. The chief products are Shiraz wine, which has been famed for centuries; inlaid articles of wood; metalwork, especially silver; rugs; brocades and other textiles; cement; and fertilizer. Points of interest in Shiraz include the tombs of the celebrated Persian poets Hafiz and Sa'di, both natives of the city, and the 9th-century mosque of Masjid-i-Jama. The city is also the site of a university (1945). Shiraz was founded in the 7th century and was the capital of Iran during several periods of its history. Population (1996) 1,053,025.

Tabriz, city in northwestern Iran, capital of East Azerbaijan Province, on the Aji Cha'i River, near Lake Urmia. At an elevation of about 1400 m (about 4500 ft), it is a manufacturing, commercial, and transportation center. Principal products include carpets, textiles, processed food, footwear, and soap. Tabriz is the site of the lovely 15th-century Blue Mosque, a 14th-century citadel, and the University of Tabriz (1949). The present-day city has been built and rebuilt on the site of the ancient settlement of Tauris, which prospered as a trade center and was the capital of Armenia in the 3rd century AD. Tabriz has over the centuries been severely damaged by earthquakes (especially in 858, 1041, and 1721) and by invasions of outside forces such as the Seljuk Turks, Mongols, Ottoman Turks, and Russians. The city was occupied by Russian troops from 1827 to 1828, and in 1946 it was the center of a leftist revolutionary movement. Population (1996) 1,191,043.

TEHRAN

See TEHRAN

URMIA

Urmia, formerly Rezaiyeh, city in northwestern Iran, capital of West Azerbaijan Province, near Lake Urmia. It lies in a fertile agricultural region and is the center of a rug-making industry. To the east is Gelma Khaneh, a lake port. Urmia is the traditional birthplace of the Persian religious teacher Zoroaster. Of interest are the bazaars, the Jama Mosque, and the Mosque of the Three Domes. Population (1996) 435,200.

YAZD

Yazd, city in central Iran, in the Zagros Mountains, the capital of Yazd province. To the north and east lie the deserts Dasht-e Kavir and Dasht-e Lut. Yazd is an important manufacturing center with cotton, silk, and wool textile mills; a steel plant, a factory making water purification and filtration equipment; carpet-weaving workshops; and food-processing enterprises. Mines near the city produce iron, lead, uranium, and zinc ore, as well as various minerals. Despite the extreme aridity of the area, nearby villages rely on a unique system of underground irrigation channels to produce wheat, barley, cotton, oilseeds, indigo, mulberry trees (for silk worms), fruits, almonds, and vegetables. Yazd sits on the main highway and rail line from Tehran to Bandar-e 'Abbas. It is also served by an airport. Yazd's many historical sites include a Friday mosque, where Muslims gather to worship on Fridays. The mosque was built between the 12th and 15th centuries on the site of a pre-Islamic Zoroastrian fire temple. The city is also home to the 14th-century Vaqt-o-Saat shrine and library, the 15th-century Mir Chakhmaq mosque, the 15th-century covered bazaar, and the Zoroastrian Towers of Silence. Several thousand old houses in the center of the city are topped with high wind towers, a traditional architectural feature of Yazd. The towers, some as high as 6 m (20 ft), trap breezes and conduct them downward to rooms at ground level, providing a form of early air conditioning. The University of Yazd (founded in 1988) is also here. There is no historical evidence regarding the founding of Yazd, but it became esteemed for its silk textiles during the Sassanid Empire (AD 224-651). It continued to be an important trade and silk center through the 13th century. Because of its relatively remote location, the Mongols, who destroyed many Iranian cities in the 13th century, did not attack Yazd or the area around it. Yazd's prosperity thus was not interrupted, and the city flourished until the 18th century, when it was attacked and looted by the Afghans, who massacred most of Yazd's residents during the course of the 19th century. Yazd gradually recovered from that disaster. As an early focus of industrialization efforts in the 1930s, the city experienced an economic renaissance in the 20th century. In 1956 Yazd's population had grown to 63,500; by 1976 it had doubled to 135,000. Population (1996) 326,776.

ZAHEDAN

Zahedan, city in southeastern Iran, located near the borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan, the capital of Sistan va Balochestan province. Lying east of the Dasht-e Lut desert, Zahedan is the main economic center of the region and home to many small- and medium-scale industries. Its main products include cotton textiles, woven and hand-knotted rugs, ceramics, processed foods, livestock feed, processed hides, milled rice, bricks, and reed mats and baskets. Highways link Zahedan to Tehran and Mashhad (Meshed) in the north, the port of Bandar Beheshti on the Gulf of Oman in the south, and the Pakistani city of Quetta in the east. A rail line also runs from Zahedan to Quetta, and a long-planned rail line from Zahedan to Kerman in central Iran was being constructed in the mid-1990s. Zahedan is also served by an airport. Like most Iranian cities, Zahedan has a Friday mosque, where many members of the community gather to worship on Friday. It also has a Sunni Mosque, a Sikh temple, and ruins of an old fortress. A colorful bazaar patronized by the local Baluchi tribes can also be found in the city. About 100 km (60 mi) south of Zahedan is an intermittently active volcano, Taftan, which rises abruptly 4,042 m (13,261 ft) from the surrounding plain. Although the surrounding area has some ancient sites, Zahedan has developed only in the 20th century. Before being chosen as the provincial administrative center in the 1930s, Zahedan was a small village. Its population reached 17,500 by 1956 and increased more than fivefold to 93,000 by 1976. After 1980 large numbers of refugees fleeing the invasion of Afghanistan by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) helped to triple the population of Zahedan to more than 281,000 by 1986. Population (1996) 419,518.

ZANJAN

Zanjan, city in northwestern Iran, located on the Zanjan River near the Caspian Sea in Zanjan province, of which it is the capital. Sitting in a valley of the Zagros Mountains, Zanjan is a manufacturing and trade center. Its chief industries include refined zinc, metalware, cutlery, cooperware (wooden barrels and tubs), textiles, flour, milled rice, processed foods, carpets, cement, and bricks. Zanjan is on the main highway and railroad linking Tehran to the east with Tabriz to the northwest. A road south to Bijar connects the city to Kurdistan. The area is home to the early-14th-century mausoleum for the Mongol ruler Oljaitu, which is situated in the village of Soltaniyeh, 26 km (16 mi) southeast of Zanjan. The tomb's dome, 52 m (171 ft) high, is the largest dome in the Middle East. Because Zanjan sits at the foot of the mountains that separate Azerbaijan from the central plateau, it had developed as a caravan stop by the time of the Sassanid Empire (AD 224-651). It was devastated by the Mongols in the early 13th century and did not recover its prosperity until the Safavid dynasty (1502-1722). In the mid-19th century, Zanjan became a center of the young Baha'i religious movement and was partially destroyed in 1850 when government troops captured the town to suppress the Baha'is. By the beginning of the 20th century Zanjan once again was a prosperous commercial center. Major industrial projects began in the 1960s and spurred migration to Zanjan. As a result, the city's population has increased more than fourfold since 1966. Population (1996) 286,295.