Province of Qazvin

The Province of Qazvin is one of the 30 provinces of Iran. It is located in the North-West of the country, and its capital is Qazvin. The province was created in 1996 by separating part of the Province from Zanjan. The province has 20 towns of importance: Qazvin, Takestan, Abyek, Booin Zahra, Eqhbalieh, Mohammadieh, Alvand, Isfarvadin, Mahmood Abad Nemooneh, Khoram Dasht, Zia Abad, Abhar, Avaj, Shal, Danesfahan, Abgarm, Ardagh, Moallem Kelayeh, Razmian Kouhin and Bidestan in the form of four departments containing 18 rural sections, 44 districts and 1542 villages.

The population of the province was of more than one million people into 2003 of which 62% live downtown and 38% in rural areas. The ratio man-women is of 50,7% men for 49,3% women. 99,6% of the population of the province are Moslem and the 0,4% remainders belong to other religions. The rate of elimination of illiteracy is of 82%, which represents the 7th rank in Iran.

Geography and climate

The province covers a surface of 15821 km ². The province is surrounded in north by the Mazandaran and the Gilan, in the west by the provinces of Hamedan and Zanjan, with on by the province of Markazi and with the east by the Province of Teheran.

The most famous mountains of the province are: Sialan, Alborz Shah, Khashchal, Sephidkouh, Shoja E DIN, Alehtareh, Ramand, Agh dagh, Kharaghan, Saridagh, Soltan to pir, and Siahkouh, whose Sialan with an altitude of 4175m and the Alborz Shah with 4056m are highest. Does everything part of the central chain of the Elbourz. The point low of the province is in Tarom E Sofla.

The climate of the province in the parts more in north is cold and sees snowfalls in winter, and moderate in summer. In the parts of the south, the climate is moderated with cold winters and hot summers.

History

Qazvin was a capital of the old Empire Perse and the province contains more than 2.000 archeological sites and architectural.

Archaeological excavations in the plain of Qazvin reveal the existence of human installations organized downtown going back to approximately 7000 av JC. The name " Qazvin" or " Kasbin" comes from Case, an ancient tribe which lived in the south of the Caspian Sea millenia ago. Qazvin also meets during the history in the form of Kazvin , Kasvin , and Casbin in the Western texts. The name of the Caspian Sea would also derive from this origin. Qazvin connects Teheran, Esfahan and the Persian Gulf with the littoral of Caspian and the Asia Mineure, thus explaining its strategic position through the ages.

Qazvin fur the place of historical developments during the Iranian history. At the beginning of the Islamic time in Iran, Qazvin was used as a basis for the Arab forces. Destroyed by Genghis Khan (13th century), the monarchs Safavides made town of Qazvin the capital of the empire in 1548 then moved the capital with Esfahan in 1598. For the dynasty Qajar E and the contemporary period, Qazvin was always one of the most important centers governmental thanks to its proximity of Teheran.

Bombarded and occupied by the Russian forces during the two world wars, Qazvin was the place from where left the coup d'etat which would give access to the capacity of the dynasty Pahlavi in 1921. Qazvin is also located close to Alamut, from where celebrates it Hassan Al Sabah' operated, founder of the secret order ismaélite of the Haschischins. Qazvin knew to survive has all these upheavals, having nowadays a population of 290.000 people (in 1996).

Qazvini attractions

The province of Qazvin has several archaeological excavations going back 9.000 years. There are also 23 castles of Haschischins ismaélites.

In the middle of the town of Qazvin rests the ruins of Meimoon Ghal' eh, one of the Sassanides buildings of this area. Qazvin has several other buildings of the Sassanide time. Most famous of those east can be the Maison Ali Qapu , transformed today into museum in the center of Qazvin.

Historical mosques

After the conquest of Iran by Islam, the abundant presence of mystics (ascetics), as well as the prevalence of the tradition (Hadith), religious jurisprudence (Fegh' H) and philosophy with Qazvin allowed the blossoming of many mosques and schools religious (Madreseh) of which most beautiful and best preserved are:

Mosque Jame E Atigh: One of the oldest mosques of Iran built under the orders of Haroun rear-Rachid in 807. In spite of the Mongolian invasion , the mosque is always upright today.
Heidarieh Mosque: renovated by Amir Khomar-tash after an earthquake in 1119, the history of this mosque goes back to the pre-Islamic péiode, since a temple of fire was éleveait on its site.
Mosque Al-nabi (Soltani Mosque): With a surface of 14.000 m ², this mosque one of most impressive past, is built at the Safavide period.
Sanjideh Mosque: Another mosque of Qazvin having an pre-Islamic history, with the site of a temple of fire. Its form present is allotted at the time Seldjoukide.
Mosque Panjeh Ali: An old place of worship for the members of the harem roayl during the Safavide time.
Peighambarieh Mosque-Madreseh: Founded in 1644 according to an inscription.
Mosque-Madreseh Molla Verdikhani: Founded in 1648.
Salehieh Mosque-Madreseh: Founded in 1845.
Mosque-Madreseh Sheikhol Islam: Renovated in 1903.
Eltefatieh School: Dating from the period Ilkhanide.
Sardar Mosque-Madreseh: Made by two brothers, Hossein Khan and Hasan Khan Sardar in 1815, to satisfy a promise which they had made if they returned victorious from a battle against the Russians.

Churches and Russian architecture

Qazvin contains three buildings built by the Russians at the end of the 19th century/beginning of the 20th century: the current town hall (in the past a room of ballet), a water tank and the Cantor church where is buried a Russian pilot.

According to the explorers Pietro Della Valle (1586-1682), Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605-1689), Jean Chardin (1643-1713), and others, there were many Christians of various confessions which lived in this area during centuries. Qazvin is the endrdoit where the church Saint Hripsime is located, and it is as in this area as four Jewish prophets spoke about the arrival of Jesus Christ. Their tomb is now a very popular mausoleum called Peighambariyeh .

Castles

It remains in the area of châteux and the fortifications remaining mainly of the movement ismaélite since the Middle Ages:

Castle of Alamut
Castle Lambesar
Castle Shirkouh
Castle Qez Qaleh
Castle Shemiran
Meimoon Ghal' eh
Barajin Qaleh

Tombs and mausoleums

One of great attractions of the province of Qazvin are the tombres of two princes of the time Seldjoukide, Aboo Saeed Bijar , wire of Sad, and Aboo Mansoor Iltai wire of Takin, which is located in two known separate towers under the name of twin towers of Kharaghan. Built in 1067, in fact the first monuments of Islamic architecture have a not-conical dome with two layers.

Unfortunately, the turns have both summer seriously damaged by an earthquake in March 2003.

The mausoleums and the most popular tombs of the province of Qazvin are:

Imamzadeh Hossein
Peighambarieh (where 4 Jewish prophets are buried)
Imamzadeh Ismail
Ameneh Khatoon
Zobeideh Khatoon (who has also a single traditional tank)
Imamzadeh Abazar
Imamzadeh Abdollah and Imamzadeh Fazlollah in Farsajin
Imamzadeh Vali in Ziaabad
Imamzadeh Kamal in Ziaabad
Imamzadeh Ali in Shekarnab
Place of pilgrimage Haft Sandoogh
Tombes of Hassan Abad and Shahkouh
Soltan Veis
Mausolée of Pir E Takestan
Kafar Gonbad
Tombe of Hamdollah Mostowfi
Tombe of Imam Ahmad Ghazali
Tombe of Molla Khalila
Fall from Shahid Sales
Tombe deRaeesol Mojahedin

Bazaars and Caravansérails

Qazvin has some examples of Bazaar S and Caravansérail S several times centenaries:

Complex Sadol Saltaneh
Qeisarieh
Saray E Vazir
Saray E Razavi (Shah)
Saray E Hadj Reza
Sadieh Bazaar
Caravanserai Shah Abbasi d' Avaj
Caravanserai Abbasi Shah of Mohammad Abad
Caravanserai Hajib Shah Abbasi (Keikhosro)

Other attractions of the province of Qazvin include:

Museum-Palate Chehel Sotun
Hosseinieh Aminiha, a traditional example of residential architecture pariculier to Qazvin and his area.
Bridge Shah Abbasi
traditional Bath Safa
traditional Bath Qajar

Qazvinis famous

An abundance the scientitifques ones and mystics lived in the area of Qazvin, or have their tombs disseminated through the cities and villages of the province. Some of them appear in the following list:

Shahzadeh Hossein : a Shiite saint.
Ali Akbar Dehkhoda: eminent linguist and author of the first Persan dictionary of modern, was originating in Qazvin.
Obeid Zakani : poet and satirist of the 14th century (time timouride), born with Qazvin.
Oveis Qarani: a celebrity of the beginnings of the Islam surely killed in the province at the time of engagements with an army of Deilamienne origin. Its tomb is known under the name of Sultan Veis .
Hamdollah Mostowfi : Great writer and historian of the time Ilkhanide (1281-1349) and author of selected History ( Tarikh Gozideh ), of Nezhatol Qoloub and Zafar Nameh . The turquoise conical dome and the inscriptions in Sols penmanship in which its family tree and its works are presented are the elements distinguishing its tomb from the other historic buildings of Qazvin.
Imam Ahmad Ghazali: celebrate gnostic Iranian who died in 1126 and which was buried in Shahzadeh Hossein. Its tomb became until the end of the 16th century became a place of pilgrimage for the mystical sects. Under the policy of Shah Tahmasp against the philosophers and the mystics, his tomb was destroyed; but a group of its disciples took along its remainders to the place where they can be currently found (Imamzadeh Ismail) and construirent a new mausoleum for him. The monument was still destroyed under the reign of Mohammad Shah Qajar to be rebuilt by Majdol Islam Qazvini in 1910. Beside the tomb of Ghazali another tomb pertaining to Soltan Seyed Mohammad Vali is which goes back to 1625.
Molla Khalil Ibn Ghazi Qazvini : Celebrate religious lawyer ( faghih ) and commentator of the Coran at the time Safavide (death in 1678).
Ra'ees ol-Mojahedin : of its true name Mirza Hassan Sheikhol Islam, wire of Mirza Massoud Sheikhol Islam, leader of the liberals and constitutionnalists of Qazvin whose engagement to fight for the abolition of the dynasty Qajar E and the conquest of Teheran enabled him to gain the title of Raeesol Mojahedin (Chief of the combatants).
Ali Ibn Shäzän
Ibn Majeh
Kheirol Nesaj
Ibrahim Estanbeh Heravi
Razi-olddin Taleghani
Noor-olddin Geeli
Ali Ibn Ghazi Ibn Ahmad
Imam-olddin Rafee
Siah Kolah
Vaez Qazvini
Allameh Zarabadi
Sheikh Alak Qazvini
Davoud Ibn Soleiman Ghazi
Pir E Sefid
Pir E Alamdar
Molla Abdolvahab Darolshafaee
Mohammad Ibn Yahya: Commentator of the Qamoosol Loghat

Qazvin today

Agriculture

13.000km ² is cultivated in the province, accounting for 12% of the cultivated grounds of the country. These cultivated grounds are fed out of water by underground canals, then the more or less deep ones and largeas canals irrigation taking their origin with the Sangban stopping in Taleghan and Ziaran. The products of the agriculture of this area are the Raisin, the Noisette, the Pistache, the Amande, the Noix, the Olive, the Pomme, the Blé, the Orge, the sugar Betterave, the grenade, the Figue and the Céréale S. the breeding is also developed in the province.

Industries

During the last decades, Qazvin became one of the poles under development strong of the country, thanks to its preferential position, located on the highway and railroad between Teheran and Tabriz. Qazvin is today a production center of the Textile, of which the Coton, the Soie and the Velours in addition with the Cuir.

Qazvin has one of the largest power stations of electrical production in Iran, the complex Shahid Raja' I which provides 7% of the electricity of the country.

Universities

international University Imam free Khomeini
Islamic university of free Takestan
Islamic university of Qazvin
University of medical sciences of technical Qazvin
Institute Shahid Babaee

External bonds

Governorship of the province of Qazvin
Organization of the trade of the province of Qazvin
Department of the education of the province of Qazvin
Taban Newspaper (based in Qazvin)
Sedaye Sanat (Monthly economic of Qazvin)
Information network of the province of Qazvin
Office of tourism of Qazvin
Organization of the cultural heritage of Qazvin

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