Qazvin قزوین
Shazdeh Hosein shrine Shazdeh Hosein shrine
Qazvin
Coordinates: 36°16′N 50°00′E / 36.267°N 50°E / 36.267; 50Coordinates: 36°16′N 50°00′E / 36.267°N 50°E / 36.267; 50
Country	Iran
Province	Qazvin
County	Qazvin
Bakhsh	Central
Elevation	1,800 m (5,900 ft)
Population (2006)
• Total	349,821
Time zone	IRST (UTC+3:30)
• Summer (DST)	IDST (UTC+4:30)
Area code(s)	0281
Website	http://www.qazvin.ir

Qazvin (English pronunciation: /kæzˈviːn/, Persian: قزوین‎, IPA: [ɢæzˈviːn], also Romanized as Qazvīn, Kazvin, Qazwin, Ghazvin is the largest city and capital of the Province of Qazvin in Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 349,821, in 96,420 families.^[1]

Located some 165 km northwest of Tehran, in the Qazvin Province, it is at an altitude of about 1800 meters above sea level. The climate is cold but dry, due to its position south of the rugged Alborz range.

History[link]

The city was a former capital of the Persian Empire.^[2] It is a provincial capital today that has been an important cultural center throughout history.

Archeological findings in the Qazvin plain reveal urban agricultural settlements for at least nine millennia. Qazvin geographically connects Tehran, Isfahan, and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian seacoast and Asia Minor, hence its strategic location throughout the ages.

The city today known as Qazvin is thought to have been founded by Shapur II, King of Persia in 250 CE, under the name Shad Shahpur, when he built a fortification there to control regional tensions.

"Peighambariyeh": Here, four Jewish saints are said to be buried. Their Arabic names are: Salam, Solum, al-Qiya, and Sohuli.

Qazvin has sometimes been of central importance at important moments of Iranian history. Captured by invading Arabs (644 AD) and destroyed by Genghis Khan (13th century), Shah Tahmasp (1524–1576) made, for a time, Qazvin the capital of the Safavid empire (founded around 1510 AD).^[2]

Qazvin is the place from which the famous coup d’état that led to the rise of the first Pahlavi dynasty was launched in 1921.

People[link]

The majority of the people of the province and the city of Qazvin are Persians^[3] and the main language of the people of Qazvin is Persian languages with the Qazvini accent.^[4] Other languages include Tati (in Takestan), Kurdish, Azeri, Luri, Romani.^[4]

Main sights[link]

Qazvin contains several archeological excavations. And in the middle of the city lie the ruins of Meimoon Ghal'eh, one of several Sassanid edifices in the area.^{[citation needed]}

Qazvin contains few buildings from the Safavid era, dating to the period in which it was capital of Persia. Perhaps the most famous of the surviving edifices is the Chehelsotoon (Kolah Farangi) mansion, today a museum in central Qazvin.

Entrance of Masjed al-Nabi, Qazvin, Iran.

After Islam, the popularity of mystics (tasawwuf), as well as the prominence of tradition (Hadith), religious jurisprudence (fiqh), and philosophy in Qazvin, led to the emergence of many mosques and religious schools. They include:

• Jame' Atiq Mosque of Qazvin.
• Heydarieh mosque
• Masjed Al-nabi (Soltani Mosque): With an area of 14000 m², this mosque is one of the most glorious mosques of antiquity, built in the Safavieh's monarchy era.
• Sanjideh Mosque: Another mosque of Qazvin dating back to pre-Islamic Iran; a former fire temple. Its present day form is attributed to the Seljukian era.
• Panjeh Ali Mosque: A former place of worship for royal harem members in the Safavid period.
• Peighambarieh School-Mosque: Founded 1644 according to inscription.
• Peighambarieh Shrine: Where four Jewish saints who foretold the coming of Christ, are buried.^[5][6][7]
• Molla Verdikhani School-Mosque: Founded in 1648.
• Salehieh Madrasa and Mosque: Founded in 1817 by Mulla Muhammad Salih Baraghani.
• Sheikhol Islam School-Mosque: Renovated in 1903.
• Eltefatieh School: Dating back to the Il-Khanid period.
• Sardar School- Mosque: Made by two brothers Hossein Khan and Hassan Khan Sardar in 1815, as a fulfillment of their promise if they came back victorious from a battle against the Russians.

The Qajar era Caravanserai of Sa'd al-Saltaneh.

The Russian Church of Qazvin today sits adjacent to the campus of Islamic Azad University of Qazvin.

Chehelsotoon.

Qazvin contains three buildings built by Russians in the late 19th/early 20th century. Among these is the current Mayor's office (former Ballet Hall), a water reservoir, and the Cantor church, where a Russian pilot is buried.

Other attractions near Qazvin are the tombs of two Saljuki era princes, Aboo Saeed Bijar, son of Sad, and Aboo Mansoor Iltai, son of Takin — located in two separate towers known as the Kharaghan twin towers. Constructed in 1067 CE, these were the first monuments in Islamic architecture to include a non-conic two-layered dome.

Both towers were severely damaged by a devastating earthquake in March 2003.

Economy[link]

A memorial of the many Qazvinis who died during the revolution of Iran and during the Iran–Iraq War.

Qazvin today is a center of textile trade, including cotton, silk and velvet, in addition to leather. It is on the railroad line and the highway between Tehran and Tabriz. Qazvin has one of the largest power plants feeding electricity into Iran's national power grid, the Shahid Raja'i facility, which provides 7% of Iran's electrical power.

Colleges and universities[link]

Qazvin has four institutes of higher education:

• Imam Khomeini International University
• Islamic Azad University of Qazvin
• Payam-e-noor University of Qazvin
• Qazvin University of Medical Sciences
• Raja University
• Shahid Babaee Technical Institute
• kar university

Schools[link]

• Shahid Babaee High School (Qazvin Sampad)
• Farzanegan High School
• Allame Jafari High School
• Kish Mehr Language Institute
• Sadra 1 High School

Notable Qazvini's[link]

There have been an abundance of scientists and mystics who lived in Qazvin, or came from Qazvin, whose tombs are scattered throughout the cities and villages of the province. These include:

• Pre-Modern time:
  • Ibn Majah, author of the last of the six canonical hadith collections recognized by Sunni Muslims.
  • Hamdollah Mostowfi, the great Il-Khanid historian and writer.
  • Ubayd Zakani, famous 14th-century poet noted for his satire and obscene verses.

• Modern time:
  • Yousef Alikhani: contemporary fiction writer and researcher
  • Ali Akbar Dehkhoda: prominent linguist and author of Iran's first modern Persian Dictionary.
  • Jamal Karimi-Rad, former Minister of Justice (2005-06)
  • Hadi Mirmiran: architect.
  • Mojabi family: a prominent family that originates from Qazvin including Javad Mojabi and Zohreh Mojabi.
  • Molla Khalil Ibn Ghazi Qazvini: famous faqih (religious jurist) and commentator of the Qur'an in the Safavid period (d. 1678).
  • Aref Qazvini: poet, lyricist, and musician.
  • Ra'ees ol-Mojahedin: The late Mirza Hassan Sheikh al-Islam, son of Mirza Masoud Sheikh al-Islam, leader of the liberals and constitutionalists of Qazvin.
  • Shahid-Saless, killed in 1846. The third religious leader after Imam Ali who was murdered during prayer.
  • Kázim-i-Samandar: a famous follower of Bahaullah.
  • Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian: Famous Iranian artist and collector of folk art.
  • Táhirih: influential poet and theologian of the Bábí Faith.
  • Nasser Takmil Homayoun: a contemporary historian
  • Nasser Yeganeh: Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1975-79).

• Notable people buried in Qazvin:
  • Uwais Qarni, a celebrity of early Islam, thought to have been killed here while fighting against an army of Deilamian origin.^{[citation needed]}
  • Ahmad Ghazali, famous Iranian sufi who died in 1126 CE and was buried beside Shahzadeh Hossein.
  • Ali Ibn Shäzän
  • Shahzadeh Hossein, a Shiite saint.

See also[link]

• List of famous ab anbars of Qazvin
• Qazvini

Mesjed Koucheek, Qazvin, in 1921

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Qazvin

• Satellite Picture by Google Maps
• FallingRain Map - elevation = 1285 m (Red dots are railways)

References[link]

v t e Qazvin Province Capital Qazvin Counties and Cities Abyek County Abyek Khak-e Ali Alborz County Alvand Bidestan Mohammadiyeh Buin Zahra County Buin Zahra Abgarm Ardak Avaj Danesfahan Sagezabad Shal Qazvin County Qazvin Eqbaliyeh Kuhin Mahmudabad Nemuneh Moallem Kalayeh Razmian Sirdan Takestan County Takestan Esfarvarin Khorramdasht Narjeh Ziaabad Sights Alamut Caravanserai of Sa'd al-Saltaneh Meimoon Ghal'eh Ahmadabad-e Mosaddeq Ab anbars of Qazvin Jame' Atiq Mosque of Qazvin Heidarieh mosque Al-Nabi mosque Ovan Lake Kharraqan towers Lambsar Shazdeh Hosein shrine

v t e Qazvin County Capital Qazvin Districts Central Cities Qazvin Eqbaliyeh Mahmudabad Nemuneh Rural Districts and villages Eqbal-e Gharbi (West Eqbal) Ajor Band Ak Akbarabad Alulak Amirabad-e Eqbal Ardabilak Bademjin Band-e Zuyar Barajin Buzelin Charis Chubin Dar Emamzamen Esmailabad Farsian Gholamabad Gorkin Hadiabad Hemmatabad Hoseynabad-e Eqbal Jannatabad Kakajin Keshabad-e Olya Keshabad-e Sofla Kharman Sukhteh Kheyrabad Mahmudabad-e Alam Khani Mazraeh Esmailabad Mazraeh Katirayi Mazraeh Parseh Ay Mehdiabad-e Bozorg Meshkinabad Mizuj Najmabad Naserabad Nezamabad Niaq Orosabad Owzun Darreh Sefideh Kash Shafiabad Shafiabad Shah Qadam Shahrak-e Danesh Sheyd Esfahan Suteh Kosh Taratun Zakan Zereshk Zuyar Eqbal-e Sharqi (East Eqbal) Abdolabad Aranjak Ashnestan Dastjerd-e Olya Emamzadeh Abazar Hamidabad Hasanabad Kuraneh Mazraeh-ye Asharkar Mazraeh-ye Mian Chal Mianbar Najafabad Razjerd Reshtqun Shinqar Vosuqabad Alamut-e Gharbi (West Alamut) Cities Razmian Rural Districts and villages Dastjerd Alindar Arbedian Balakan Bazargah Changal Dasht Dastjerd-e Sofla Gashnerud Jir Duzan Kakuhestan Kalleh Kub Kangarin Kasha Rud Khosrud Lat Tahmursabad Taskin Tian Dasht Tuteh Chal Rudbar-e Mohammad-e Zamani Abbasak Aliabad Aminabad Avirak Azganin-e Olya Azganin-e Sofla Baghestan Darak Durchak Fanefin Garmak Halalabad Harif Hasanabad Horian Juyank Kalayeh Kalin Kalmin Kamalabad Karandeh Chal Katekan Khanjar Bolagh Lotar Markin Mohammadabad Moradabad Parachan Qostin Lar Qostin Rud Rajai Dasht Safarin Sefid Ab Simiyar Simiyar Dasht Shotorak Sonbolabad Tanureh Voshteh Ya Rud Yuj Zinbar Rudbar-e Shahrestan Aku Jan Alin Angur Azuj Bahramabad Charsh Darreh Darband Deh Dushab Dur Chal Emamzadeh Harun Emamzadeh Mohammad Fallar Fashak Halarud Hasha Kalayeh Hir Jula Deh Kaman Kateh Posht Kia Kalayeh-ye Olya Kushk Dar Mazraeh-ye Rakanabad Milak Mushqin Parchkuh Por Rud Qostin Naheyeh Rahdarkhaneh Gadeyk Rashkin Ruhabad Salar Kia Sapuhin Shahrestan-e Olya Shahrestan-e Sofla Shangol Rud Sugah Talater Taq Darreh Vargil Vartavan Viar Zanasuj Zard Chal Kuhin Cities Kuhin Rural Districts and villages Ilat-e Qaqazan-e Gharbi (West Ilat-e Qaqazan) Alvandi Aq Duz Asadabad-e Khurin Asadi Asfastan Asiab Borg Astalak Astin Dar-e Olya Astin Dar-e Sofla Astin Dar-e Vosta Bahramabad-e Qaqazan Bak Kandi Bek Baghi Chenarlu Chubdar Chureh-ye Sofla Dudah Chay Dudaheh Gabri Gazaneh Hesamabad Jam Jerd Kharzan Mazraeh-ye Mahmudi Mumali Qeshlaq Naseri Nowruzabad Qanshar Bolagh Qazvin-Rasht Road Construction Company Qezel Darreh Selaqai Sukhteh Chenar Tazarkosh Yalabad Yaleh Gonbad Ilat-e Qaqazan-e Sharqi (East Ilat-e Qaqazan) Ahmadabad-e Owfan Amirabad Aqa Baba Arasht Bashar Buchinak-e Jadid Buinak Cheshmeh-ye Gholamali Dinak Dowdeh Taj Fetr Hajjiabad Hoseynabad Kakajin Darreh Kharakan-e Sofla Kikhanan Kordandeh Kushkak Mianej Moallem Khani-ye Bala Mortezaabad Narendeh Rameshan Sarbanak Senjanak Shenazand Soltanabad Yakond-e Aliabad Zitak Qeshlaq Rudbar-e Alamut Cities Moallem Kalayeh Rural Districts and villages Alamut-e Bala (Upper Alamut) Aftab Dar Akbarabad Ameshk Andaj Aqagir Aveh Azadrud Bagh Kalayeh Baghdasht Beydli Bukan Chaleh Dehak Dek Dineh Kuh Fishan Jowladak Jutan Kandan Sar Khoshk Chal Kuchenan Mahmudabad Mardanchal Masudabad Minudasht Molla Kalayeh Sayen Kalayeh Shahrak Sharifabad Shirkuh Shurestan-e Olya Shurestan-e Sofla Soleymanabad Sorkh Kuleh Tavan Torkan Yerak Zardchin Alamut-e Pain (Lower Alamut) Alangan Atan Atan Rud Avanak Avatar Chu Sar Dineh Rud Garmarud Haranak Hasanabad Heniz Ilan Jirandeh Kafar Kosh Kalan Kalayeh Khuban Khubkuh Kushk Dasht Madan Nesa Normalat Pij Bon Ruch-e Darreh Ruch-e Olya Ruch-e Sofla Saraj Kalayeh Sefiddar Silikan Taleh Vanash-e Bala Vanash-e Pain Varak Varak Rud Vikan Yarafi Zavarak Moallem Kalayeh Ain Avan Azrat Dikin Garmarud-e Olya Garmarud-e Sofla Kushk Mazraeh-ye Olya Mazraeh-ye Sofla Mian Khani Sorkheh Dozak Varbon Zarabad Zavardasht Tarom Sofla (Lower Tarom) Cities Sirdan Rural Districts and villages Chuqur Abbasabad Aliabad Ardak Barvaj Chaman-e Amirabad Chizeh Dohneh Hesar Hoseynabad Mahin Moqanak Qarkhun Razan Saznaq Yamaqan Zarand Khandan Altin Kosh Amand Anbaqin Baghalduz-e Olya Chubeh Dizajin Duljak Khan-e Mohammadabad Gurkhaneh Hand-e Zamin Hasanabad Judaki Kallaj Kashkevar Meymunak Mir Khavand-e Olya Mir Khavand-e Sofla Mohammad Deh Morteza Nak Mostafalu Namakin Nasirabad Nehran Orkan-e Kord Orkan-e Tork Palangeh Qarah Cham Qitul Qolalu Qushchi Sangan-e Olya Sangan-e Sofla Shahvaran Shizar Sholomeh Siah Push Kuhgir Asbak Bon Zohreh Hasan Khani Kuhgir-e Olya Kuhgir-e Sofla Molla Ali Qaleh Qarah Davalavi Rudbar Sheykhlar Somaq Tarazan-e Olya Tarazan-e Sofla Tuinan Yuzbashi Chay Zaj Kan-e Olya Zaj Kan-e Sofla Zarrinabad Niyarak Aqjeh Qeshlaq Behganeh Rud Burmanak Charbin Fileh Varin Gavanaj Ghoncheh Khoran Il Chupan Khakineh-ye Bala Khakineh-ye Pain Najafabad Niyarak Suroshan Vangin Zahabad

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