Khuzestan

History and origin of the name

Origin of the name

The name Khuzestan, which means “Country of Khuzi”, refers to the names of the first inhabitants of the province, the people Khuzi . This name would derive from the élamite Ūvja .

The province was also called Arabistan or Arabestan during certain periods after the 15th century, particularly since the reign of Tahmasp Ier (second shah of the dynasty of the Séfévides) at the 16th century, after Muhammad ibn Falah, Arabic with the head of the Msha' sha' iya , initiated attacks on Khuzestan as from 1440, thus causing a gradual increase in the populations of Arab origin in Khuzestan

Reza Pahlavi restored the original name of the province in 1923.

Pre-Islamic history

The province of Khuzestan one of the centers of ancient civilization, is based around Suse. French archeologists as Jacques de Morgan went back the traces to civilization going back to more than 8000 years front JC in sites such as Tal-i Ali-Kosh . The first great empire based in this area was the empire élamite, a kingdom not Sémite independent of the Mésopotamie.

The archaeological ruins show that all the province of Khuzestan was under the influence of civilization élamite.

In -640, the élamites are beaten by Assurbanipal, thus making pass the area under the yoke of the Assyrian , which destroyed Suse and Chogha Zanbil. One century later, Cyrus Large the reconquers the grounds élamites and does of Suse one of the capitals Achéménides. Darius I {{E}} makes build a palate bearing the name of Hadish in Suse into -521.

The fall of the achéménides in -330 leaves room to the Séleucides, until Mithridate I {{E}} (- 171/- 135) regains influence on the area, benefitting then from the decline of the empire séleucide. Sassanides, which seizes the power into 220 of our era, establish the center to be able to them in this area, and built much with Ahvaz, Shushtar and in the north of Andimeshk.

In the course of time, missionaries nestoriens brought the Christendom in the area, thus introducing the language araméenne. During the first 500 years of our era, the area was called Beth Huzaye . From 639, the seat of the church nestorienne was with Mahoze, the complex including/understanding Ctésiphon and Séleucie of the Tiger.

During the first years of the reign of Shapur II, (309 - 379), Arabic crossed the Persian Gulf starting from Bahrain to reach Ardashir-Khwareh in the Fars and moved towards the interior of the grounds. In reprisals, Shapur crossed the gulf to Bahrain and demolishes the Arab tribes of Taghleb , Bakr bin Wael , and Abd Al-Qays , then vancé until Yamama in the center of the Nejd. The Sassanides moved these tribes with Kerman and Ahvaz.

The existence of an arts center and scientific like the Academy of Gundishapur, which gathered scientists Greek, Egyptian, Indiens… watch the importance and the prosperity of this area at that time.

The presence of Arabic in Iran would not have started with the conquest with Islam but would be the result of mutual infiltrations between Persian and Arab civilizations (between the civilized Arab tribes, ahl Al-madar and Arabic of the desert, ahl Al-wabar ). The Arab tribes of the Bakr bin Wael and the Thamim were already present in Khuzestan and the Fars before the arrival of the Arab conquerors. Certain Arab tribes fought side of Sassanides ( Taghleb, Eyad ) whereas others are allied to the Arab conquerors (Lakhmides, Shayban, Bakr bin Wael) to fight against the Persan ones.

Arab conquest of Khuzestan and Islamic period

The Arab invasion of Khuzestan took place in 639 pennies the command of Abu Musa Al-Ash' ari, originating in Al Basra, which drove out Persan Ahvaz. Suse fell in two days, causing the escape of its inhabitants towards Shushtar, which was besieged for 18 months. Shushtar finally fell to the hands from Arabic into 642.

Thereafter took place the conquest of Gundishapur and other cities along the Tigre. The Bataille of Nahavand finally left room to the Moslem armies in Khuzestan.

The Arab garrisons in the south of Iran were quickly followed other types of installations. Arab families for example benefitted from opportunity of controlling large domains land.

It is at the time Omeyyade that great wandering groups of the tribes Hanifa , Bani Tamim , and Abd Al Qays crossed the Persian Gulf to occupy the rich person territories around Ahvaz and in the province of Fars, between 665 and 680. The emigration of Arab tribes will continue during the Abbasid caliphate. Khuzestan was under the control of the caliphates Omeyyades and Abbassides until Ya' qub bin Laith have-Saffar raises themselves against their reign and gains the independence of Khuzestan by the weapons, then melting the dynasty Persian of the Saffarides.

During the second part of the 16th century, the Banished Kaab , originating in the Kuwait, settled in Khuzestan. Thereafter, of many other Arabic will settle in Khuzestan starting from the south of Iraq, which will cause a “Arabisation” of Khuzestan. According to E.C. Boswoth in the Encyclopædia Iranica , the province was a general governorship known under the name of Arabistan starting from the Safavides until the time Qajar E.

In the middle of the 19th century, the the United Kingdom initiates a war with Iran in order to control Khuzestan. The tribal forces of the Sheikh Jabir Al-Kaabi, Sheikh of Khorramshahr (called Arab Mohammerah in ) defended the province.

The War Iran-Iraq

From its position with the border with Iraq, the province is that which suffered the most in Iran of the Guerre Iran-Iraq. It was one of the top priority of Saddam Hussein during the war.

The largest refinery of the country, with Abadan was destroyed and did not recover its capacity of pre-war period yet. The majority of the nakhlestans (fields of palm trees) were destroyed, just as of the cities and historic sites. This war and the occupation by the Iraqi troops caused a massive exodus towards other provinces further away from the face.

In 1982, the Iranian forces succeeded in making move back the Iraqi forces. The battle of the “Release of Khorramshahr” is revolving of this war and is officially celebrated each year in Iran since it had place.

Autonomy of the province

The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran does not make an ethnic census, it is thus difficult to know which is the exact demography of the province. Since the beginning of the years 1990, many Persan khuzestanis started to turn over in their province of origin.

The Siège of the Iranian embassy with London in 1980 was carried out by an Arab separatist group, the “Arab Popular movement in Arabistan”, which required at the beginning the autonomy of Khuzestan, and which finally asked for the release of 91 of his/her comrades imprisoned in Iran. The group has, in the following months, given press conferences while referring to the “racist reign of Khomeini”. He threatened to carry out other international actions within the framework of his countryside for autonomous Khuzestan. The bonds of this movement with Baghdad were used to show the fact that they were not only one completely Iranian movement of opposition, but on the contrary supported by Iraq. The chief of this group, " Salim" - Awn Ali Mohammed, and four other members were killed, whereas the fifth, Fowzi Badavi Nejad, were condemned to the prison with perpetuity.

Geography and climate

The province of Khuzestan can be divided into two areas: plains and mountainous regions. The plains are located at the south and the west of the province. This zone is irrigated by the rivers Karoun, Karkheh and Jarahi. The mountainous regions are located at the north and the east of the province, and constitute the south of the mountainous chain of the Zagros.

Karoun, which is the longest river of Iran (850 km), contributes to the irrigation and the fertility of the ground before throwing in the Persian Gulf.

The climate of Khuzestan is generally hot and wet in summer, particularly in the south, whereas the winters are drier and softer.

Population and culture

1996 census, the province had year estimated population off 3.7 rural people million, off which approximately 62.5% were in the urban centers, 36.5% were dwellers and the remaining 1% were non-residents. Recent According to the most census taken in 2004, the province had year estimated population off 4,277,998 inhabitants.

Khuzestan, unlike most other provinces in Iran, is inhabited by has number off ethnic minorities and peoples. Autochthonous Persians in major cities, Arabic - announcers and Iranian Arab Tribe S, the Bakhtiari, Behbahanis, Laks, and Lurs off the north, the Turkic - speaking Qashqai and Afshari tribes, the peoples off Dezful, Shushtar and the inhabitants off the coastal areas off the Persian GULF all make up the population off the province off Khuzestan. There are No official ethnic statistics released by Iran' S government. -->

Languages

Traditions and religion

The people off Khuzestan are predominantly Shi' has, with small Sunni, Jewish, Christian, and Mandean minorities. Khuzestanis are also very well regarded for to their hospitality and generosity. -->

Cook

soboor (" Shad "), after its hand ingredient, has species off Fish found in southern Iranian toilets. Provincial Other specialties include qæliye-mæhi (" fish stew"), qæliye-meygu (" shrimp stew"), ashe-mohshala (Khorramshahri breakfast soup has), sær to shir (year Andimeshki breakfast off heavy cream), hælim (Shushtari breakfast off wheatmeal with shredded Lamb has), and kohbbeh (has deep-fried rice cake with ground beef filling and other spices, and is off Arabic origin). Also see Iranian cooks . -->

Khuzestan in the Iranian literature

زبسکزدامنلبشکرافشاند
شکردامنبهخوزستانبرافشاند

" Her lips aflow with sweet sugar,
The sweet sugar that aflows in Khuzestan."
Nizami

قدرعنایتووقامتسروکشمر
لبشیرینتووشکرخوزستانی

" Your graceful figure like the Cypress in Kashmar,
Your sweet lips like the sugar off Khuzestan."
Nizari Qohistani

کهباشدکهپیوندسامسوار
نخواهدازاهوازتاقندهار

" So Sām hath not need wrinkle afar
from Ahvaz up to Qandehar ."
Firdawsi -->

Economy

Khuzestan is the area producing the most oil in Iran and is thus one of the richest provinces of the country. The government of Iran classifies the province 3rd of Iran by its GDP.

In 2005, the Iranian government announced that it envisaged to build the second nuclear plant of the country in the province of Khuzestan.

Khuzestan accommodates also one of the six free zones of Iran, the Free zone of Arvand.

Goods transport

Iran. The British, up until recent decades, after the discovery by Sir Henry Layard, transported to their merchandize via Karun' S waterways, passing through Ahvaz all the way up to Masjed Soleiman, the site off to their first oil wells in the Naftoon oil field. Broad Karun is able off the sailing off fairly ships ace far up ace Shushtar.

Karkheh, Jarrahi, Arvand, Handian, Shavoor, Bahmanshir (Bahman-Ardeshir), Maroon-Alaa', Dez, and many other rivers and toilets sources in the form off Khurs , let us lagoons, lay, and marshes demonstrate the vastness off toilets resourses in this area, and are the hand reason for the variety off agricultural products developed in the area. -->

Agriculture

Rice, Eucalyptus, medical herbs; the existence off many palm and Citrus farms; having mountains suitable for raising Olive S, and off race Sugar duck - from which Khuzestan takes its name - all show the great potential off this fertile lime pit. The abundance off toilets beg, rivers, and prejudices, also cuts year influences one the fishery industries, which are prevail in the area. -->

Industry

The province is also home to Yadavaran Field, has major oil field. -->

Higher education

# University of sciences and nautical technologies of Khorramshahr
# University of medical sciences of Ahvaz Jundishapur
# University of oil
# University Shahid Chamran de Ahvaz
# University Shahid Chamran-Dezful
# Islamic university of Shushtar
# Islamic university of Abadan
# Islamic university of Omidiyeh
# Islamic university of Ahvaz
# Islamic university of Behbahan
# Islamic university of Izeh
# University of technology Amirkabir, campus of Mahshahr
# University of Mahshahr

Places of interest in Khuzestan

The Organization of the cultural heritage of Iran list 140 historic sites or cultural in Khuzestan.

The most known sites are:

Chogha Zanbil : one of the seats of the empire élamite. This Ziggourat is a temple of 5 stages. The temple was built in the honor of Inshushinak, the god protecting the town of Suse.
Shush-Daniel: Place where the prophet Daniel is buried, who was venerated by Cyrus Large the. He would have died in Suse, on the way of Jerusalem where had sent it Darius. The tomb of Ya' qub bin Laith have-Saffar, which protested against the oppression of the Califat omeyyade is located in the vicinity.
Dezful ( Dezh-pol. ): the name of the city comes from a bridge built on the river Dez on order of Shapur Ier.
Shushtar : one of the more strengthened old cities of Iran, known under the name of “city of the 40 old ones” in local dialect. The mosque of Friday of Shushtar was built by the Abbassides
Izeh, or Izaj : one of the targets of the Islamic army having invaded Iran at the time of the Islamic conquest.
Masjed-e Soleyman, an ancient city which has furnace bridges of fire and temples such as Sar-masjed and Hand-barrow-neshondeh . It is also the place where the tribes Bakhtiari spend the winter and where William Knox D' Arcy dug the first oil well in Iran.
Abadan would be the city where is buried the Hebrew prophet Élie ( Arab Ilyâs in ).
Iwan of Hermes , and Iwan de Karkheh , two ruins enigmatic in the north of Suse.

Famous personalities originating in Khuzestan

Mehrangiz Kar, feminist lawyer and activist of the human rights.
Ezzat Negahban, patriarch of the Archeology modern Iranian woman.
Siavash Ghomeyshi, singer and type-setter.
Kaiser Aminpour, poet.
Rambod Shekarabi, actor.
Hamid Dabashi, intellectual and critical literary.
Patrick Monahan, British actor.
Parviz Abnar, taker of sound.
Kianoush Ayyari, realizer.
Hamid Labkhandeh, realizer.
Nasser Taghvaee, realizer, photographer.
Parviz Dehdari, football player.
Ahmad Najafi, actor, producer.
Reza Hayati Abadani, journalist.
Mohammad Mousavi, player of Ney.
Rita Asgharpour, author.
Bizhan Emkanian, actor.
Ali Shamkhani, Iranian Minister for defense (1997-2005).
Massoud Shojaei Soleimani, football player.
Hossein Kaabi, football player.
Jalal Kameli Mofrad, football player.
Kamran Delan, pop singer
Iman Mobali, football player.
Ahmad Mahmoud, writer.
Akbar Golrang, author and realizer.
Mohammad Reza Eskandari, Minister for agriculture (2005 -).
Mohsen Rezaee, Secretary of the the Council of understanding.
Abū Nuwās, poet.
Majusi, doctor.
Abdullah-lbn-Meymoon Ahvazi
Naubakht, astronomer.
Ibn Sakit
Da' ball-E-Khazai
Ehsan Farrokhmanesh
Mehrzad Shams
Reza Ebrahimi

References

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