Mazandaran province

Mazandaran province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range, in central-northern part of the country. The province covers an area of 23,842 km2. It was founded in 1937.
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the province had a population of 2,893,087 in 783,169 households. The following census in 2011 counted 3,073,943 people in 931,007 households. At the most recent census in 2016, the population had risen to 3,283,582 in 1,084,798 households. Mazandaran province is one of the most densely populated provinces in Iran
The province has diverse natural resources, notably large reservoirs of oil and natural gas. The diverse natural habitats of the province include plains, prairies, forests and rainforest stretching from the sandy beaches of the Caspian Sea to the rugged and snowcapped Alborz sierra, including Mount Damavand, one of the highest peaks and volcanoes in Asia.
Mazandaran is a major producer of farmed fish, and aquaculture provides an important economic addition to traditional dominance of agriculture. Another important contributor to the economy is the tourism industry, as people from all of Iran enjoy visiting the area. Mazandaran is also a fast-growing centre for biotechnology.
Etymology
Literally "the gate or the valley of the giants" from مازن‎ (mâzan) + در‎ (dar) + ـان‎ (ân), from Avesta. The name has been used in to refer to a land inhabited by divs or (daevas) and sorcerers and is difficult to conquer.
In Mazandaran, there are places named Div Asiyab, Div Cheshmeh, Div Kela, Div Hamam, etc.
History
Human habitation in the area dates back at least 75,000 years. Recent excavations in Gohar Tape in Rostamkola 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. It has played an important role in cultural and urban development of the region. Mazandaran is one of the oldest areas without a significant nomadic heritage, thus culturally sedentary.
Indigenous peoples of the region include the ethnic Mazanderanis, who speak an Iranian language which most closely resembles Gilaki and Sangiseri language, but also has phono-typical similarities to several Caucasian languages, reflecting the history of the region and its peoples.
In the early 20th century, Reza Shah connected northern Elbourz to the southern slopes by constructing seven new roads and railways, the provinces of Mazandaran and Gilan became known as Shomal by all Iranians (meaning "the North" in Persian). Mazandaran is a Caspian province in the north of Iran. Located on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, it is bordered clockwise by Russia (across the sea), Golestan, Semnan, Tehran, Alborz, Qazvin, and Gilan provinces. Sari is the largest city and the capital of Mazandaran province.
Mazandaran province was made part of the Region 1 upon the division of the provinces into five regions solely for coordination and development purposes on June 22, 2014.
Pre-Islamic history
Before the arrival of the Iranian-speakers to Iran, native people of this area were subsistence hunters and cattle herders. Archaeological studies in caves belt and Hutu man in Behshahr in the Mazandaran date to ca. 9500 BCE. The Amard were a tribe living along the mountainous region bordering the Caspian Sea, including current day Amol. Tapuri were a tribe in the Medes south of the Caspian Sea mentioned by Ptolemy and Arrian. Ctesias refers to the land of Tapuri between the two lands of Cadusii and Hyrcania.
The territory known as Mazandaran has changed hands among various dynasties from early in its history. There are several fortresses remaining from the Parthian Empire and Sasanian Empire, and many older cemeteries scattered throughout the province. During this era, Mazandaran was part of Hyrcania, which was one of the important provinces.
In 662 CE, ten years after the death of Yazdegerd III the last Sasanian emperor, a large Muslim army under the command of Hassan ibn Ali invaded Tabarestan.
With the advent of the Sasanian Empire, the King of Mazandaran (Tabaristan and Padashkhwargar) was Gushnasp, whose ancestors had reigned in the area (under the Parthian empire) since the time of Alexander the Great. In 529–536, Mazandaran was ruled by the Sasanian prince Kawus, son of Kawadh. Anushirawan, the Sasanian king, defeated Zarmihr, who claimed his ancestry from the legendary blacksmith Kaveh. This dynasty ruled the area till 645 AD, when Gil Gilanshah (a descendant of the Sasanian king Jamasp and a grandson of Piruz) joined Mazandaran to Gilan.
In 651 the Sasanid Empire fell, and all of the Sasanid domains gradually came under Arab control, except for the Caspian region of Iran (among which Tabaristan).
Islamic history
Tabaristan maintained an existence independent of the Umayyad Caliphate which supplanted the Sasanian 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 post-Islamic period the local dynasties fell into three classes: local families of pre-Islamic origin; the ʿAlid sayyid; and local families of secondary importance.
The Bawandids, who claimed descent from Kawus, provided three dynasties. The first dynasty (665–1007) was overthrown on the conquest of Tabaristan by the Ziyarid Kabus b. Wushmgir. The second dynasty reigned from 1073 to 1210, when Mazandaran was conquered by 'Ala al-Din Muhammad Khwarzamshah. The third ruled from 1237 to 1349 as vassals of the Mongols. The last representative of the Bawandids was killed by Afrasiyab Chulawi.
The Karinids claimed descent from Karin, brother of Zarmihr who was the pre-Islamic ruler under the Sasanians. Their last representative Mazyar was put to death in 839.
The Paduspanids claimed descent from the Dabuyids of the north. They came to prominence around 660 and during the rule of the ʿAlids were their vassals. Later, they were vassals of the Buyids and Bawandids, who deposed them in 1190. The dynasty, restored in 1209–10, survived until the time of Timur; the branch, claiming descent from Kawus the son of Kayumarth reigned until 1567 and the other, that of Iskandar the son of Kayumarth, until 1574.
In the 9th-11th century AD, there were repetitively military raids undertaken by the Rus' between 864 and 1041 on the Caspian Sea shores of Iran, Azerbaijan, and Dagestan as part of the Caspian expeditions of the Rus'. Initially, the Rus' appeared in Serkland in the 9th century traveling as merchants along the Volga trade route, selling furs, honey, and slaves. The first small-scale raids took place in the late 9th and early 10th century. The Rus' undertook the first large-scale expedition in 913; having arrived on 500 ships, they pillaged the westernmost parts of Gorgan as well as Mazandaran and Gilan, taking slaves and goods.
In the Safavid era Mazandaran was settled by very large numbers of Georgians, Circassians, Armenians, and other Peoples of the Caucasus, whose descendants still live or linger across Mazandaran. Towns, villages and neighbourhoods in Mazandaran still bear the name "Gorji" (i.e., Georgian) in them, although most of the large amounts of Georgians, Armenians, and Circassians are already assimilated into the mainstream Mazandaranis. The history of Georgian settlement is described by Iskandar Beg Munshi, the author of the 17th century Tarikh-e Alam-Ara-ye Abbasi, and both the Circassian and Georgian settlements by Pietro Della Valle, among other authors.
Before the reign of Nader Shah, the province was briefly occupied by the Russian army in the aftermath of the Russo-Persian War (1722–23) and returned to Persia in 1735. Following the outcomes of the Russo-Persian War (1804–13) and the Russo-Persian War (1826–28) northern Iran, especially Mazandaran and Gilan, as well as, to a certain extent, Tehran, fell under a growing Russian sphere of influence.
Modern era
During the reign of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, the verdant region of Mazandaran was paid due attention as a recreational area.
Tapuria remained independent until 1596, when Shah Abbas I, Mazandarani on his mother's side, incorporated Mazandaran into his Safavid empire, forcing many Armenians Circassians, Georgians, to settle in Mazandaran. Pietro della Valle, who visited a town near Firuzkuh in Mazandaran, noted that Mazandarani women never wore the veil and didn't hesitate to talk to foreigners. He also noted the extremely large amount of Circassians and Georgians in the region, and that he had never encountered people with as much civility as the Mazandaranis.
After the Safavid period, the Qajars began to campaign south from Mazandaran with Agha Mohammad Khan who already incorporated Mazandaran into his empire in 1782. On 21 March 1782, Agha Mohammad Shah proclaimed Sari as his imperial capital. Mazandaran was the site of local wars in those years, which led to the transfer of the capital from Sari to Tehran by Fath Ali Shah.
In Modern era at Mazandaran make new house and bridge in Amol and Sari.
In along the beach and in the forest built Villa and modern settlements.
The top provincial official referred to the existence of three international airports and three major sea ports in the province and the visit of millions of Iranian and foreign tourists to Mazandaran, including health tourists.
Geography
Mazandaran is located on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. It is bordered clockwise by Golestan, Semnan and Tehran provinces. 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 the plains abutting the Caspian Sea like a huge wall. Due to the prevailing sea breeze and local winds of the southern and eastern coasts of the Caspian Sea, sandy hills are formed, causing the appearance of a low natural barrier between the sea and plain.
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
The total wood production from these forests is estimated at . Golestan National Park and Shastkolateh forest watershed are located in Golestan province and Mazandaran province (the total area of the Hyrcanian forest is estimated at . From these forests, are used commercially, are protected and the rest are regarded as forest lands or over-used forests. The total of the forest woods used in this province is estimated at . The Kojoor, Dohezar and Sehezar forest watersheds are located in Mazandaran province.
The Elburz Range forest steppe ecoregion is an arid, mountainous 1,000-kilometer arc south of the Caspian Sea, stretching across northern Iran from the Azerbaijan border to near the Turkmenistan border. It covers and encompasses the southern and eastern slopes of the Alborz Mountains as well as their summits. The Caspian Hyrcanian mixed forests ecoregion, with its lush green mountainsides and plains that receive moisture from the Caspian Sea, forms this ecoregion's northern border. The vast Central Persian desert basin ecoregion forms its southern border. The Alborz range is composed of a granite core overlain with sedimentary rock including limestones, shales, sandstones, and tuffs. Metamorphic rocks such as schists, marbles, and amphibolite are also widely found. The climate is arid with annual precipitation varying from 150 mm to 500 mm, falling mostly as winter snow.
Environment
The now extinct Caspian tiger and the Caspian horse are two of the animals of Mazandaran province.
The 1971 Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat was held in Mazandaran in the city of Ramsar.
Unlike the rest of Iran, Mazandaran is watered by numerous rivers, or mountain torrents, all running from the mountains to the sea. The German traveller Samuel Gottlieb Gmelin, who visited this country in 1771, says that in the space of eight miles, on the road from Resht to Amot, 250 of such streams are to be seen, many of them being so exceedingly broad and deep, that the passage across is sometimes impracticable for weeks together.
Climate
Mazandaran province naturally comes under the influence of the geographical latitude, the Alborz mountain range, elevation from sea level, distance from the sea, and the southern barren areas of Turkmenistan, local and regional air currents, and versatile vegetation cover. These conditions result in the climatic division of the province into three types: (1) Moderate Caspian weather with hot, humid summers and mild, humid winters, (2) moderate mountainous weather with long, cold and freezing winters and mild and short summers, and (3) cold mountainous weather with long freezing winters and short cool summers. There is often snowfall during most of the seasons in the latter region, which continues till mid-summer.
The western and central plains of the province, up to the northern foothills of the Alborz mountain range, experience the mild climate of the Caspian region.
In altitudes of 1,500 to 3,000 meters, a moderate mountainous climate with long, cold winters, and short, mild summers is prevalent. In this region, snow covers parts of the province even into the middle of the warm season. In fact, snow can be observed in this region even in the warmest months of the year.
Administrative divisions
Mazandaran is divided into 22 counties, each named after its administrative center, except North Savadkuh County (Shirgah), Savadkuh County (Pol-e Sefid), and Simorgh County (Kiakola).
Cities
According to the 2016 census, 1,897,238 people (over 57% of the population of Mazandaran province) live in the following cities: Abbasabad 13,482, Alasht 1,193, Amirkola 30,478, Amol 237,528, Arateh 10,327, Babol 250,217, Babolsar 59,966, Bahnemir 7,906, Baladeh 970, Behshahr 94,702, Chalus 65,196, Chamestan 11,194, Dabudasht 1,758, Emamzadeh Abdollah 5,768, Farim 369, Fereydunkenar 38,154, Galugah (Babol) 6,908, Galugah (Galugah) 21,352, Gatab 7,374, Gazanak 319, Hachirud 10,398, Hadishahr 7,889, Izadshahr 7,439, Juybar 32,924, Kelarabad 6,267, Kelardasht 13,401, Ketalem and Sadat Shahr 20,716, Khalil Shahr 11,032, Khorramabad 11,542, Khush Rudpey 5,742, Kiakola 8,040, Kiasar 3,384, Kojur 3,120, Kuhi Kheyl 2,242, Mahmudabad 31,844, Marzanabad 6,698, Marzikola 868, Nashtarud 6,394, Neka 60,991, Nowshahr 49,403, Nur 26,947, Pain Hular 956, Pol-e Sefid 8,294, Pul 3,150, Qaem Shahr 204,953, Ramsar 35,997, Rineh 982, Rostamkola 11,686, Royan 7,731, Salman Shahr 9,656, Sari 309,820, Shirgah 8,671, Shirud 11,377, Sorkhrud 6,699, Surak 9,208, Tonekabon 55,434, Zargarmahalleh 3,991, and Zirab 16,191.
Most populous cities
The following sorted table, lists the most populous cities in Mazandaran.
Demographics
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.
The population is overwhelmingly Mazandarani, with a minority of Gilaks, Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Georgians, Armenians, Circassians, Turkmen and others.
Mazandarani people have a background in Tabari ethnicity and speak Mazandarni. Their origin goes back to Tapuri people. So their land was called Tapuria, the land of Tapuris. Tapuris were made to migrate to the south coast of the Caspian Sea during the Achaemenid dynasty.
The native people of Sari, Shahi, Babol, Amol, Nowshahr, Chalus, and Tonekabon are Mazandarani people and speak the Mazandarani language.
The eastern Gīlakī dialect is spoken in the entire valley of the Čālūs river, though Kurdish tribes were established in the yeylāq of Kojūr and Kalārdašt in the Qajar period. Today Kurds in Mazandaran are mostly known as Khajevand Kurds and form majority of the cities of Kelardasht, Abbasabad, Nowshahr, Chalus and Kajur. Other Kurdish tribes in Mazandaran province are Modanlu (In Sari), Jahanbeiglou (In Sari), Abdolmaleki (In Behshahr), Jalalvand (In Ramsar) and Amarlu (In Tonekabon).
The Mazandarani inhabit the majority of the province. The closely related Gilaks form the largest minority and are concentrated in Ramsar, Tonekabon.
In recent years the region has seen an influx of Iranians from other regions of Iran, many of them attracted by its nature and seaside.
Language
Mazanderani or Tabari is a Northwestern Iranian language. Various Mazandarani dialects exist which are spoken in Mazandaran province and the neighboring Golestan province 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.
Mazandarani people have a background in Tabari ethnicity and speak Mazandarni. Their origin goes back to Tapuri people. So their land was called Tapuria, the land of Tapuris. Tapuris were made to migrate to the south coast of the Caspian Sea during the Achaemenid dynasty.
The native people of Sari, shahi, babol, Amol, Nowshahr, Chalus, and Tonekabon are Mazandarani people and speak the Mazandarani language.
The people residing in Chalus speak Mazanderani language. The dialect of Kalarestaqi is spoken in the west of Chalus and the dialect of Kojuri in the east.
The people residing in Nowshahr speak the Kojuri-dialect of Mazanderani language.
The closely related Gilaks form the largest minority in Mazandaran. They speak the Gilaki language and are concentrated in Ramsar, and Tonekabon. The native people in Ramsar are Gilaks although there are also Mazandarani people living there. They speak the Gilaki language although the style they speak has been influenced by the Mazandarani language, making it slightly different from the Gilaki spoken in Gilan.
The eastern Gīlakī dialect is spoken in the entire valley of the Čālūs river (Bazin and Bromberger, p. 13), though some Kurdish tribes were established in the yeylāq of Kojūr and Kalārdašt in the Qajar period (Planhol, p. 38).
A dialect of Azeri is spoken in the town of Galoogah.
Transportation
Train
The Mazandaran train station is the city's first modern rail station and it dates from the Pahlavi dynasty.
Roads
Mazandaran is connected to Tehran by Haraz road (Amol-Rudehen), Kandovan road (Chalus-Karaj), and Firoozkooh road (Savadkuh).
Airports
Dasht-e Naz Airport, serving the capital Sari, Noshahr Airport, and Ramsar International Airport are the domestic airports that connect the province to the other parts of the country.
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-e Sefid are major stations of the department.
The Trans-Iranian Railway was a major railway building project started in 1927 and completed in 1938, under the direction of the Iranian monarch, Reza Shah, and entirely with indigenous capital. It links the capital Tehran with the Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea.
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
And when Manuchehr is returning to Fereydun's capital, Tamisheh in Mazandaran (known as Tabarestan), after his victory over Salm and Tur.
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.
In a verse from Shahnameh, Zal tells Kai Kavoos: "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.
In Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera, one of the characters was formerly the daroga (chief of police) of Mazanderan.
Nowruz
The Tabarian New Year, or Neowrez, occurs in the pintek days of the Tabarian Calendar.
In the Mazandarani language of Iran in the Mazanderani calendar, the year is divided into 12 thirty-day months and one pentad of days, often beginning on March 21. Neowrez Khani is one of the strongest and most popular traditions of the Mazanderani people.
Ceremonies and events
Tirgan is a mid summer Iranian festival, celebrated annually on Tir 13 (July 3, 4, or 5). It is performed by splashing water, dancing, reciting poetry, and serving traditional foods such as spinach soup and shole-zard. The custom of tying rainbow-colored bands on wrists, which are worn for ten days and then thrown into a stream, is also a way to rejoice for children.
Other famous events like, Varf chal, traditional ceremony with almost 800 years old as one of the unique rituals of Mazandaran associated with water was held in the village of Ab Ask and Lochu Wrestling game in different time.
Music and dance
Music in this region relates to the lifestyle of the inhabitants, and the melodies revolve around issues such as the forests, cultivation or farming activities and herding. The most famous dance of this area is the Shomali dance, not forgetting the stick dance that the men perform. Popular music in the province, known as the Taleb and Zohre, Amiri Khani and Katuli.
Tourism
Over 15 million Iranian and some 400,000 foreign tourists visit the province annually. More than 800 registered historical and cultural sites, 338 kilometers of shorelines, mineral springs in jungles and mountains, waterfalls, and caves are among the major tourism attractions in the Mazandaran province.
Mazandaran has been picked as the tourism capital of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) members states in 2022.
Mazandaran has 65 hotels, 51 motels, 91 apartment hotels, 293 eco-lodge complexes, 4,939 guest houses, 8 recreational complexes, 123 beach facilities, and 12 camping sites, with a total capacity of 1,246,177 people per night.
Historical and natural tourist attractions
Mount Damavand
Abbas Abad Garden, Behshahr
Mausoleum of Mir Bozorg
Kandolus
largan
Tomb of Haydar Amuli
Safi Abad Palace
Ramsar Palace
Malek Bahman Castle
Lajim Tower, Savadkuh
Miankaleh peninsula
Veresk Bridge
Castle Poolad Baladeh
Davazdah Cheshmeh Bridge
Moalagh Bridge, Amol
Shapour Bridge, Juybar
Bathroom Vaziri, Sari
Tomb Darvish Fakhruddin Babol
History Museum Amol
Museum of Babol
Larijan Hot Spring
Shah Neshin Castle
Lake Valasht
Gerdkooh ancient hill
Gohar Tapeh
Lar Dam
Alam-Kuh
Lar National Park
Badab-e Surt
Tomb of Imamzadeh Abbas
Kandolus Museum Nowshahr
Fire Temple of Amol
Farahabad Complex
Safi Abad Palace
Bagh Shah, Behshahr
Imamzadeh Ebrahim Amol
Imamzadeh Ebrahim Babolsar
Imamzadeh Yahya Sari
Imamzadeh Qasem Babol
See Sangan Jungle
Alendan lake
Watch Tower Babol
Abpari Waterfall
Cave Zangian Qaemshahr
Alimastan Village
Cheshmeh Kileh Bridge, Tonekabon
Shahrak-e Namak Abrud
Huto and Kamarband Caves
Cemetery Sefid Chah
Cheshmeh Kileh Bridge Tonekabon
Resket Tower
Shapur Place, Babol
Waterfall Tircan
Nassereddin Shah relief
Jameh Mosque of Amol
Jameh Mosque of Sari
Elburz Range forest steppe
Bridge Felezi of Babolsar
Imam Hassan Askari Mosque
Chai Khoran Palace, Chalus
Lake Miansheh
Forest Park Nur
Clock tower Sari
Haraz River
Gerdkooh ancient hill
Mount Takht-e Suleyman
Waterfall Sangeno
Heshtel Towers
Amoloo Mineral Water Spring
Harijan Village Chalus
Tamishan Palace Noor
Div Sefid Cave
Cemetery Ispe Chah
Alasht Village
Cemetery Ispe Chah
Zangian Cave
Cheshmeh Imarat Behshar
Mohammad Hassan Khan Bridge, Babol
Haft Abshar Waterfall, Babol
Hill Qlaya Ghale Kety
Bathroom Vaziri, Sari
House Kalbadi, Sari
House Manouchehri, Amol
Palace of Shapur
Temple Kowsan
Cave rostam Kola
Garden Chehelsotoon
Mansion Municipal Tonekabon
Kangelo Castle, Savadkuh
Tower Shervin Bavand
Church sourkh Abad
Watchtower of Babol
Tomb Shah baloo zahid Amuli
Heshtel Tower
Mosque Jameh of Babol
Mosque Mohadesin
Tomb of Ibn-e Shahr Ashoob
Imamzadeh Sayyid Ali kia Sultan
Tomb of Seyed Mohammad Zarrin Nava
Herijan Waterfall
Deryouk Waterfall
Espe-o Waterfall
Kiasar Waterfall
Takieh Taker
Tower Shervin Bavand
Lake Sahon
Mohaddesin Mosque of Babol
Tomb Soltan Mohammad-e Taher
Tomb of Ibn Shahrashub
Forest Park Chaldareh
Forest Park Shahid Zare
Forest Park Mirza Kuchik Khan Haraz
Forst Park Kashpel
Javarem Forest park
Tamishan Palace
Div Sefid Cave
Marko Summit
Forst Park Dalkhani
Do hezar Village
Abe ask Village
Shahrak-e Darya Kenar
Lavij Village
Sheikh Musa Village
Forest Sange no, Neka
Amoloo mineral water Springs
Ramsar mineral water Springs
Pahlavi Hotel Qaem Shahr
Band-e Borideh River
Bazaar of Amol
Ramsar Palace
Ramsar Parsian Hotel
Clock Tower of Sari
Waterfall Sangeno
Cellar Kafer Keli
Imamzadeh Hashem Amol
Shahandasht Waterfall
Shoormast Lake, Savadkuh
Figure King Haraz
Kelardasht
Ramedani Historical House, Sari
Estakhr-e-Posht Lake
Paband National Park
Mal Khast Village
Kiasar National Park
Heyrat Village
Sarandoon and Balandoon
Notable people
People from and/or active in Mazandaran province or its historical region include:
Authors
Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (838-923), was a Tabari world historian and theologian (the most famous and widely influential person called al-Tabari).
Espahbod Sa'ad ad-Din Varavini who wrote the book called Marzuban-nama, and also a Divan of poetry in the Ṭabarí dialect, known as the Níkí-nama.
Ibn Isfandiyar, historian, author of a history of Tabaristan (Tarikh-i Tabaristan).
Mírzá Asadu’llah Fádil Mázandarání (1880–1957), Iranian Bahá'í scholar.
Musa ibn Khalil Mazandarani, 19th century Mazandarani scribe and scholar.
Zahir al-Din Mar'ashi
Manouchehr Sotoudeh
Parviz Natel-Khanlari
Ali Yachkaschi
Poetry
Nima Youshij
Reza-Qoli Khan Hedayat
Mohammad Zohari
Amir Pazevari
Taleb Amoli
Mina Assadi
Seyed Karim Amiri Firuzkuhi
Fereydoun Rahnema
Mohsen Emadi
Music
Gholam Hossein Banan
Benyamin Bahadori
Abdolhossein Mokhtabad
Delkash
Bijan Mortazavi
Mohammad Donyavi
Afshin
Benyamin Bahadori
Farhang Sharif
Parisa
Simin Ghanem
Majid Akhshabi
Mehdi Rajabian
Shervin Hajipour
Architecture
Omar Tiberiades (Abû Hafs 'Umar ibn al-Farrukhân al-Tabarî Amoli) (d.c.815), Persian astrologer and architect.
Abolhassan Sadighi
Cinema
Shahab Hosseini
Davoud Rashidi
Khosrow Sinai
Kambiz Dirbaz
Ladan Mostofi
Mostafa Zamani
Mohammad Ali Sadjadi
Anahita Hemmati
Roya Nonahali
Irene Zazians
Reza Allamehzadeh
Abbas Amiri Moghaddam
Saba Kamali
Mohammad Hossein Mahdavian
Ardalan Shoja Kaveh
Parinaz Izadyar
Maryam Kavyani
Leyli Rashidi
Amrolah Saberi
Hossein Gil
Zinat Pirzadeh
Hossein Rajabian
Portraiture
Mokarrameh Ghanbari
Kourosh Sotoodeh
Towhidi Tabari
Abolhassan Sadighi
Ahmad Esfandiari
Scholars
Sadegh Hedayat
Mohammad Taqi Danesh Pajouh
Ahmad Ghahreman
Ali Yachkaschi
Esfandiar Esfandiari
Rahimberdi Annamoradnejad
History
Arash
Maziar
Mardavij
Science
Ali ibn Sahl Rabban al-Tabari His stature was eclipsed by his more famous pupil, Muhammad ibn Zakarīya Rāzi.
Abul Hasan al-Tabari, a 10th-century Iranian physician.
Abu'l Tayyeb Tabari was jurisconsult, judge (qāżī), and professor of legal sciences; he was regarded by his contemporaries as one of the leading Shafeʿites of 5th/11th century Baghdad.
Ali Yachkaschi
Moslem Bahadori
Iraj Malekpour
Alireza Mashaghi
Pooran Farrokhzad
Shahrokh Meskoob
Al-Tabarani
Philosophy
Fakhr al-Din al-Razi Theologian and philosopher.
Farhad Rachidi
Physicians and astrologers
Muhammad ibn Mahmud Amuli
Abū Sahl al-Qūhī
Al-Nagawri
Sahl ibn Bishr
Muhammad ibn Ayyub Tabari
Yahya ibn Abi Mansur
Al-Nagawri
Tunakabuni
Al-Natili
Haseb-i Tabari
Athletics
Abdollah Movahed
Imam-Ali Habibi
Behdad Salimi
Ghasem Rezaei
Hassan Rangraz
Reza Yazdani
Hassan Yazdani
Reza Soukhteh-Saraei
Askari Mohammadian
Mehdi Taghavi
Komeil Ghasemi
Morad Mohammadi
Ahmad Mohammadi
Mehdi Hajizadeh
Masoud Esmaeilpour
Ezzatollah Akbari
Ali Asghar Bazri
Bashir Babajanzadeh
Kamran Ghasempour
Mohammad Reza Khalatbari
Farhad Majidi
Rahman Rezaei
Mehrdad Oladi
Mohsen Bengar
Peiman Hosseini
Rahman Ahmadi
Hossein Tavakkoli
Hanif Omranzadeh
Hadi Norouzi
Adel Gholami
Alireza Firouzja
Mojtaba Mirzajanpour
Sheys Rezaei
Morteza Pouraliganji
Mojtaba Abedini
Sohrab Entezari
Farshid Talebi
Mousa Nabipour
Shahab Gordan
Noshad Alamiyan
Sousan Hajipour
Mahmoud Fekri
Peyman Hosseini
Ramin Rezaeian
Bahador Molaei
Maysam Baou
Omid Ebrahimi
Morteza Mehrzad
Shoja Khalilzadeh
Omid Alishah
Hamed Kavianpour
Abbas Hajkenari
Kianoush Rahmati
Ebrahim Taghipour
Mohsen Yousefi
Javad Asghari Moghaddam
Manouchehr Boroumand
Jasem Delavari
Behnam Ehsanpour
Mehrdad Pooladi
Majid Torkan
Mohsen Karimi
Hamed Kavianpour
Farzan Ashourzadeh
Ahmad Mohammadi
Ali Alipour
Javad Manafi
Nima Alamian
Mohammad Reza Barari
Ramezan Kheder
Abbas Dabbaghi
Reza Simkhah
Hassan Rahnavardi
Babak Nourzad
Ali Asghar Bazri
Sousan Hajipour
Anoushiravan Nourian
Farshid Talebi
Allahyar Sayyadmanesh
Ahmad Mohammadi
Mohsen Karimi
Royalty
Reza Shah Pahlavi He was the Shah of Iran (Persia) from 15 December 1925 until he was forced to abdicate by the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran on 16 September 1941.
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
Dowlatshah
Khayr al-Nisa Begum
Khurshid of Tabaristan
Abbas the Great Shah
Military
Ali Akbar Shiroodi
Abbas Mirza
Ahmad Keshvari
Manouchehr Khosrodad
Al-Mu'ayyad Ahmad
Sardar Rafie Yanehsari
Mohammad Rouyanian
Iskandar-i Shaykhi
Hossein Khalatbari
Bahram Aryana
Ahmad Keshvari
Massoud Monfared Niyaki
Jahangir IV
Abdollah Khajeh Nuri
Politics
Ali Larijani
Mohammad Vali Khan Tonekaboni
Manuchehr Mottaki
Ehsan Tabari
Majid Rahnema
Hossein Ghods-Nakhai
Noureddin Kianouri
Ali-Akbar Davar
Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei
Reza Salehi Amiri
Hamid Reza Chitgar
Sadeq Larijani
Mohammad-Javad Larijani
Bagher Larijani
Ali Akbar Nategh-Nouri
Mirza Aqa Khan Nuri
Morteza Gholi Khan Hedayat
Ahmad Tavakoli
Davoud Hermidas-Bavand
Sam Dastyari
Reza-Qoli Khan Hedayat
Hossein Rajabian
Ali Kordan
Ahmad Moshir al-Saltaneh
Elaheh Koulaei
Abdul Karim Hashemi Nejad
Reza Sheykholeslam
Shamseddin Hosseini
Hassan Ghashghavi
Mirza Shafi Mazandarani
Sheikh Khalifa Mazandarani
Gholam Hossein Sadighi
Mirza Hassan Khan Esfandiary
Davoud Hermidas-Bavand
Haji Washington
Hossein Dadgar
Mirza Hassan Khan Esfandiary
Ali Gholi Khan Mokhber-ol Doleh
Musa Nuri Esfandiari
Ali Khan Kamal-Hedayat
Zeinolabedin Rahnama
Morteza Gholi Khan Hedayat
Mehdi Qoli Hedayat
Abdol-samad Mirza Ezz ed-Dowleh Saloor
Mehdi Qoli Hedayat
Hossein Shah-Hosseini
Fazel Larijani
Musa Nuri Esfandiari
Javad Saeed
Farhad Dejpasand
Anoushiravan Mohseni Bandpei
Kamal Hedayat
Abdol Amir Rashidi Haeri
Christianity
Hossein Fallah Noshirvani
Islamic scholars
Hassan Hassanzadeh Amoli
Abdollah Javadi-Amoli
Mirza Hashem Amoli
Abd al-Qahir al-Jurjani
Muhammad Taqi Amoli
Haydar Amuli
Ibn Furak
Ali Asghar Mazandarani
Mirza Husain Noori Tabarsi
Mohammad Taghi Falsafi
Ibn Shahr Ashub
Shaykh Tabarsi
Imad al-Din al-Tabari
Rustam al-Tabari
Abul-Abbas Qassab Amoli
Yasubedin Rastegar Jooybari
Mulla Ali Kani
Mohaddes Nouri
Mirza Muhammad Taqi Noori Tabarsi
Yasubedin Rastegar Jooybari
Mohammad Salih al-Mazandarani
Ibn al-Sheikh
Molla Mohammad Saleh Mazandarani
Other religions
Baháʼu'lláh- The founder of the Baháʼí Faith was born and grew up in Nur, Mazandaran
Mírzá ʻAbbás Núrí - father of Baháʼu'lláh
ʻAbdu'l-Bahá - son of Baháʼu'lláh
Daniel al-Kumisi
Quddús
Subh-i-Azal
Master
Kourosh Mansory
Gholam-Ali Soleimani
Farshid Moussavi
Maria Khorsand
Behdad Esfahbod
Hossein Fallah Noshirvani
Medical
Moslem Bahadori
Mazandaran today
Cuisine
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. Mazandarani cuisine is diverse between regions; the cuisine of coastal regions is different from mountainous regions, as people in the Alborz usually use the indigenous herbs and coastal people use the dishes of fish and Caspian Mazandaran rice with vegetables.
Economy
The province is one of the 5 wealthiest in Iran. Oil wealth has stimulated industries in food processing, cement, textiles, cotton, and fishing (caviar). Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization lists close to 630 sites of historical and cultural significance, many of which are tourist attractions. Rice, grain, fruits, cotton, tea, tobacco, sugarcane, Flower, Mineral water, caviar, Dairy product, Meat industry 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).
Mazandaran, with 230,000 hectares of paddies, produces about one million tonnes of rice a year, or 42 percent of the country's total.
Over 70 kinds of agricultural produce are grown in Mazandaran that meets 40% of domestic demand for rice and 50% of citrus fruits. The province is also the sole domestic supplier of kiwi. Mazandaran has 3,500 industrial and production units. Mazandaran is home to 460,000 hectares of farmland producing around 6 million tons of agro products annually. Over 10% of value-added in Iran's agriculture sector is generated in Mazandaran province.
Export
Germany, Russia, Iraq, France Turkey, Kazakhstan, India, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Belarus, Italy, Bahrain, Pakistan, Switzerland Ukraine, United States, Spain, Netherlands and Central Asian countries were Mazandaran's main export destinations during the period. The province in 2017 exported close to $800 million worth of goods. In the previous year totally about 800 million dollars of non-oil goods produced in Mazandaran were exported, half of which were exported from customs outside the province. In 2017 year main exports from the province consisted of dairy products (57%), food products (12%), industrial commodities (10%), pipes and profiles (8%) and cement (7%).
Station
Mazandaran is also a fast-growing centre for tourist, innovation, biotechnology and civil engineering.
Gas and oil
From 1951 to 1978, and particularly after the formation of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), the first exploration well was spudded. Up to 1970, 16 wells had been drilled near mud volcanoes. All these wells produced only natural gas and technical studies showed that continuation of these operations would be uneconomical.
10 thousand tons export oil and Uncertain amount of gas exported to Asian countries from Mazandaran.
Statistics
9th rank industrial units Iran
5th rank general industry Iran
4th rank tooling machines Iran
2nd rank coal Iran
1st rank livestock and agricultural products Iran
1st rank granite Iran
1st rank fluorine Iran
1st rank flowers and ornamental plants Iran
1st rank citrus exports Iran
1st rank food products exports Iran
Colleges and universities
Main universities of Mazandaran:
University of Mazandaran, Babolsar
Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari
Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, Babol
Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol
Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University, Sari
Shomal University, Amol
Allameh Mohaddes Nouri University, Nur
Imam Khomeini Naval University, Nowshahr
University of Science and Technology of Mazandaran, Behshahr
Iran University of Science and Technology, Nur
Sports
With 7 gold, 4 silver and 4 bronze medals, Mazandaran has won 19% of Iran's medals in the Olympics, which is the largest share among Iran's medals in the Olympics.
For the past several years Mazandaran has generated a consistent stream of wrestlers. Football and volleyball are two other popular sports that have a lot of players in the Premier League and the national team. Weightlifting, Taekwondo, table tennis, boxing, kickboxing, kung fu, karate, rally car are other successful sports in the province. Kalleh Mazandaran VC, Shamoushak Noshahr F.C. and F.C. Nassaji Mazandaran are three famous teams in the province. Kalleh have twice won the Iranian Volleyball Super League Championship and once the AVC Championship.
Sister provinces
Astrakhan
Marche
Dar es Salaam
Issyk-Kul
Mekong Delta
Gallery
See also
Mazandarani people
List of Mazanderanis
Amardi
Sasanian dynasty
Maziar
Tabaristan
Dabuyid dynasty
Pahlavi dynasty
References
Further reading
External links
Official website
mazendron on instagram
Mazandaran Cultural Heritage Organization
Official website of Mazandaran TV
(Bibliography)
Registration Mazandaran
A Mazandarani folk-song sung by Shusha Guppy in the 1970s: Darling Dareyne
Provinces of Iran
Alborz (mountain range)
States and territories established in 1937