Northern Iran

File:Shomal-Iran.png

Northern Iran ({{langx|fa|شمال|Shomal|lit=North}}), is a geographical term that refers to a relatively large and fertile area, consisting of the southern border of the Caspian Sea and the Alborz mountains.

It includes the provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran, and Golestan (ancient kingdom of Hyrcania, medieval region of Tabaristan).{{cite book|title=The Mystery of Mazandaran's Daevas. Volume II: The Rostam's Seven Labours|author=Tahmasbpour, Ali |year=2016|publisher=Tehran.Ashjae|isbn=978-600-97086-1-1}} The major provinces, Gilan and Mazandaran, are covered with dense forests, snow-covered mountains and impressive sea shores.

The major cities are Rasht, Gorgan, Sâri, Bâbol, Babolsar Amol, Qaem Shahr, Gonbad-e Kavus, Anzali, Lahijan and Behshahr. Northern Iran has numerous villages, particularly Massulé, appreciated by travellers.

Northern Iran was a trendy spot during the Pahlavi era, especially among foreign tourists. It was a luxurious place that provided all types of modern recreational facilities as well as tourism infrastructure. Today, it's mostly visited by domestic tourists.

Population

Mazandaran is the most populous of the 3 provinces of northern Iran, with 3,283,582 people at the time of 2016 census. Gilan's population in 2016 was 2,530,696 people and Golestan had the lowest population with 1,868,819 people.

The total population of the 3 provinces according to 2016 census was 7,683,097 people, with 2,486,429 households.

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Population figures for cities in northern Iran{{cite web | title = Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1395 (2016) | page = 01 | language = fa | publisher = The Statistical Center of Iran | website = AMAR | url = https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/census/1395/results/abadi/CN95_HouseholdPopulationVillage_01.xlsx | access-date = 19 December 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201204200858/https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/census/1395/results/abadi/CN95_HouseholdPopulationVillage_01.xlsx | format = Excel | archive-date = 4 December 2020}}{{cite web | title = Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1395 (2016) | page = 02 | language = fa | publisher = The Statistical Center of Iran | website = AMAR | url = https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/census/1395/results/abadi/CN95_HouseholdPopulationVillage_02.xlsx | access-date = 19 December 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211007110909/https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/census/1395/results/abadi/CN95_HouseholdPopulationVillage_02.xlsx | format = Excel | archive-date = 7 October 2021}}{{cite web | title = Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1395 (2016) | page = 27 | language = fa | publisher = The Statistical Center of Iran | website = AMAR | url = https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/census/1395/results/abadi/CN95_HouseholdPopulationVillage_27.xlsx | access-date = 19 December 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190329051758/https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/census/1395/results/abadi/CN95_HouseholdPopulationVillage_27.xlsx | format = Excel | archive-date = 29 March 2019}}

style="vertical-align:middle;"

! City

! Province

! Population(2016)

! No. of households (2016)

style="text-align:center;background:#99CCCC;"|Rasht

|Gilan

|679,995

|228,142

style="text-align:center;background:#99CCCC"|Gorgan

|Golestan

|350,676

|111,099

style="text-align:center;background:#99CCCC"|Sari

|Mazandaran

|309,820

|101,932

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Babol

|Mazandaran

|250,217

|81,572

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Amol

|Mazandaran

|237,528

|78,597

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Qaem Shahr

|Mazandaran

|204,953

|68,407

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Gonbad-e Kavus

|Golestan

|151,910

|44,731

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Bandar-e Anzali

|Gilan

|118,564

|41,053

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Lahijan

|Gilan

|101,073

|34,497

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Behshahr

|Mazandaran

|94,702

|31,022

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Langarud

|Gilan

|79,495

|27,318

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Chalus

|Mazandaran

|65,196

|22,166

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Neka

|Mazandaran

|60,991

|19,357

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Babolsar

|Mazandaran

|59,966

|19,576

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Tonekabon

|Mazandaran

|55,434

|18,878

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Tālesh(Hashtpar)

|Gilan

|54,178

|16,832

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Bandar Torkaman

|Golestan

|53,970

|14,512

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Aliabad-e Katul

|Golestan

|52,838

|16,655

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Astara

|Gilan

|51,579

|16,696

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Nowshahr

|Mazandaran

|49,403

|16,287

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Sowme'eh Sara

|Gilan

|47,083

|15,331

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Astaneh-ye Ashrafiyeh

|Gilan

|44,941

|15,675

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Azadshahr

|Golestan

|43,760

|13,206

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Kordkuy

|Golestan

|39,881

|12,971

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Fereydunkenar

|Mazandaran

|38,154

|12,606

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Rudsar

|Gilan

|37,998

|13,191

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Kalaleh

|Golestan

|36,176

|10,346

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Ramsar

|Mazandaran

|35,997

|12,153

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Fuman

|Gilan

|35,841

|11,849

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Aqqala

|Golestan

|35,116

|9,498

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Juybar

|Mazandaran

|32,924

|10,480

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Mahmudabad

|Mazandaran

|31,844

|10,399

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Minudasht

|Golestan

|30,085

|8,980

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Nur

|Mazandaran

|26,947

|8,597

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Galikesh

|Golestan

|23,394

|6,996

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Galugah

|Mazandaran

|21,352

|6,898

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Khomam

|Gilan

|20,897

|7,143

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Bandar-e Gaz

|Golestan

|20,742

|6,715

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Siahkal

|Gilan

|19,924

|6,796

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Rezvanshahr

|Gilan

|19,519

|6,212

style="text-align:center;"|Gomishan

|Golestan

|19,191

|5,129

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Masal

|Gilan

|17,901

|5,330

style="text-align:center;"|Zirab

|Mazandaran

|16,191

|5,037

style="text-align:center;"|Manjil

|Gilan

|15,630

|4,950

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Amlash

|Gilan

|15,444

|5,268

style="text-align:center;"|Kiashahr

|Gilan

|14,022

|5,037

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Abbasabad

|Mazandaran

|13,482

|4,500

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Ramian

|Golestan

|12,426

|3,772

style="text-align:center;"|Asalem

|Gilan

|10,720

|3,271

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Rudbar

|Gilan

|10,504

|3,559

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Shirgah

|Mazandaran

|8,671

|2,869

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Maraveh Tappeh

|Golestan

|8,671

|2,072

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Pol-e Sefid

|Mazandaran

|8,294

|2,680

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Shaft

|Gilan

|8,184

|2,691

style="text-align:center;"|Daland

|Golestan

|8,184

|2,453

style="text-align:center;background:#F5FFFA"|Kiakola

|Mazandaran

|8,040

|2,691

style="text-align:center;"|Bazar Jomeh

|Gilan

|5,729

|1,762

style="text-align:center;"|Kojur

|Mazandaran

|3,120

|1,052

style="text-align:center;"|Deylaman

|Gilan

|1,729

|564

style="text-align:center;"|Alasht

|Mazandaran

|1,193

|436

style="text-align:center;"|Baladeh

|Mazandaran

|970

|353

style="text-align:center;"|Masuleh

|Gilan

|393

|147

style="text-align:center;"|Gazanak

|Mazandaran

|319

|103

People and language

The northern provinces of Iran are the motherland and fatherland of the Tabari people (Mazandarani and Katul people), Gilaks, Talashes, Tats, and the majority of the population of these three provinces are the Tabaris (Mazandarani and Katul people), Gilaks, Talashes, and Tats, who speak the language They speak Tabari (Mazandarani and Katuli), Gilaki language, Talshi language and Tati language. In addition to their mother tongue, the people of northern Iran also speak Persian.Iran is a very diverse country.{{Cite web|title=Iran Population 2020 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs)|url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/iran-population|access-date=2020-07-29|website=worldpopulationreview.com}} "Dialect wise" there are different sub-languages and dialects of native speakers in the north of Iran as well the rest of the country. From the east to the west there are five major languages and hundreds of local dialects. If you talk to a native Iranian "north of Iran" are only the provinces on the south side of Caspian Sea which are Gilān, Māzandarān and Golestān, the last one has been separated from Māzandarān province at 1997. [https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S235261811830026X-gr1_lrg.jpg Here is the map of Iran with its provinces]. Despite Iranian opinion of the north of Iran, Khorāsan at the east and the two Āzerbāijāns at the west side of Iran are geographically at the north of Iran, therefore, their languages have been included in this article.

From the northeast, Khorasan which is a large province laid out from the north to the middle south of Iran and is a neighbor to the Afghanistan border. The language from the north to the south of this province changes drastically, In the north of Khorāsan people speak “Ghaz Turkish” going from the north to the middle of the province, the dialect changes to some sort of Arabic which belonged to an old Iraqi Arabic language. This language has been mixed drastically with Persian language which makes it impossible for an Arab speaker to understand it. There are some Kurdish speakers in the north of khorāsan as well.

From the north of Iran heading to the west, the next province is Golestān which has its own diversity in languages. until 1997 Golestān was a part of Māzandarān province. The main languages from the east to the west in this province are Turkmen, Turkish and then Māzandarāni which is among the oldest written languages of the country.{{Cite web|title=Mazandarani {{!}} Iranian Languages|url=https://iranian-languages.arizona.edu/node/6|access-date=2020-07-29|website=iranian-languages.arizona.edu}} [https://iranian-languages.arizona.edu/node/6 Māzandarāni]

Māzandarān is the neighboring province which has the language of Māzandarāni all over the province which has over [https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/nacil/pdfs/abstracts/Borjian_NACIL1_final%20abstract.pdf tens of different dialects in different regions.],{{Cite web|last=Borjian|first=Habib|date=2004|title=Is there continuity between Gilaki and Mazandarani?|url=https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/nacil/pdfs/abstracts/Borjian_NACIL1_final%20abstract.pdf|website=Columbia University}} almost all of them are sub categories of Māzandarāni. Native people of Māzandarān call themselves Tabari and their Mazanderani language .{{cite web|last=Borjian|first=Habib|date=2015|title=MAZANDARAN: LANGUAGE AND PEOPLE(THE STATE OF RESEARCH)|url=https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/download/fedora_content/download/ac:7wm37pvmf8/content/Mazandaran_Language_and_People_The_State.pdf|archive-url=|archive-date=|accessdate=30 July 2020|website=}} The name Tapuri / Tabari (which was the name of an ancient language spoken somewhere in former Tapuria) is now used in preference to the name Mazandarani by the young. The earliest references to the language of Mazandaran, called Tabari, are to be found in the works of the early Muslim geographers. Al-Muqaddasī (or Moqaisi, 10th century), for example, notes: "The languages of Komish and Gurgan are similar, they use hā, as in hā-dih and hāk-un, and they are sweet [to the ear], related to them is the language of Tabaristan, [similar] save for its speediness."{{cite journal |jstor=4030997 |title=Māzandarān: Language and People |journal=Iran & the Caucasus |last=Borjian |first=Habib |volume= 8| issue = 2 |date=2004 |publisher=Brill |pages=291 |doi=10.1163/1573384043076045}}

The next province is Gilān, people of Gilān have three major languages: Gilaki language, Rudbāri and Tāleshi with some other old languages which are spoken in small region on Gilān only. In the western side of Gilān people speak some sort of Gilaki which is heavily mixed with Āzari Turkish, the language of the neighboring province.{{Cite web|title=GILAN x. LANGUAGES – Encyclopaedia Iranica|url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/gilan-x|access-date=2020-07-29|website=iranicaonline.org}}

After Gilān in the northwest of Iran, there are two Āzerbāijān provinces, the east and west ones, the main language is Āzari Turkish which is native language to the people of these provinces.{{cite web|title=Azerbaijan {{!}} region, Iran|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Azerbaijan-region-Iran|access-date=2020-07-29|website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}

Majority of young generations of Iranian, in all over the country, are able to speak, read, and write Persian, which is a national language of the country and they learn it in schools.{{cite web|title=Persian Language|url=https://asiasociety.org/persian-language|accessdate=2020-07-29|website=Asia Society}}

Climate

Cold semi-arid climate: the high mountains and valleys in parts of the Alborz range. In the heights, the weather is cold mountainous and most of the precipitation is in the form of snow. Manjil is an example of semi-arid climate found in the region.
Mediterranean climate: found in eastern parts of Mazandaran and parts of Golestan. The weather is hot and dry in summer and wet in autumn and winter. Annual precipitation is from 450mm in Gonbad-e Kavus to over 900mm in Babolsar. Other examples include Gorgan and Amol.
Humid subtropical climate: covering central and western plains of Mazandaran and the province of Gilān. The average annual rainfall amounts to 1200 or 1300 mm or even up to 1800 mm as in Bandar-e Anzali.,[https://en.climate-data.org/asia/iran-66/ Climate data of Iran.] other examples include Rasht, and Astara.

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Climatological nornals for stations in northern Iran (period 1991-2020){{Cite web |url=https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-2-WMO-Normals-9120/Iran/CSV/ |title=Index of WMO Normals for 1991-2020: Iran |access-date=18 February 2024 |website=ncei.noaa.gov |publisher=National Oceanic and atmospheric administration |postscript=.}}

style="vertical-align:middle;"

! Parameter

! Rasht

! Gorgan

! Qaem Shahr(Qara Kheyl)

! Bandar-e Anzali

! Babolsar

! Nowshahr

! Ramsar

! Maraveh Tappeh

WMO Station number

|40719

|40738

|40737

|40718

|40736

|40734

|40732

|40721

Mean daily max/min (January)

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_t|7.1}};"|11.6 °C/3.8 °C (52.9 °F/38.8 °F)

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_t|6.7}};"|12.8 °C/1.9 °C (55.0 °F/35.4 °F)

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_t|7.3}};"|12.6 °C/3.1 °C (54.7 °F/37.6 °F)

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_t|7.3}};"|10.3 °C/5.6 °C (50.5 °F/42.1 °F)

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_t|8.5}};"|12.6 °C/5.4 °C (54.7 °F/41.7 °F)

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_t|7.9}};"|11.6 °C/4.6 °C (52.9 °F/40.3 °F)

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_t|8.0}};"|11.4 °C/5.0 °C (52.5 °F/41.0 °F)

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_t|7.0}};"|11.2 °C/3.6 °C (52.2 °F/38.5 °F)

Mean daily max/min (July)

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_t|25.7}};"|30.5 °C/21.8 °C (86.9 °F/71.2 °F)

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_t|27.8}};"|33.5 °C/22.9 °C (92.3 °F/73.2 °F)

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_t|26.1}};"|30.9 °C/22.2 °C (87.6 °F/72.0 °F)

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_t|26.6}};"|29.2 °C/23.7 °C (84.6 °F/74.7 °F)

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_t|27.0}};"|30.0 °C/23.4 °C (86.0 °F/74.1 °F)

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_t|25.7}};"|29.1 °C/22.3 °C (84.4 °F/72.1 °F)

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_t|26.0}};"|29.2 °C/22.9 °C (84.6 °F/73.2 °F)

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_t|28.4}};"|34.7 °C/23.3 °C (94.5 °F/73.9 °F)

Average Annual Precipitation

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_green|115.23}};"|{{Convert|1382.8|mm|inches|abbr=on}}

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_green|43.02}};"|{{Convert|516.2|mm|inches|abbr=on}}

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_green|60.23}};"|{{Convert|722.7|mm|inches|abbr=on}}

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_green|142.82}};"|{{Convert|1713.8|mm|inches|abbr=on}}

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_green|75.78}};"|{{Convert|909.3|mm|inches|abbr=on}}

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_green|110.42}};"|{{Convert|1325.1|mm|inches|abbr=on}}

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_green|103.2}};"|{{Convert|1238.4|mm|inches|abbr=on}}

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_green|20.27}};"|{{Convert|363.2|mm|inches|abbr=on}}

No. of days with precipitation ≥ 1.0 mm

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|9.48}};"|113.8

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|5.28}};"|63.1

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|6.24}};"|74.9

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|8.53}};"|102.4

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|5.925}};"|71.1

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|7.80}};"|93.7

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|7.43}};"|89.2

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|4.13}};"|49.6

No. of days with Rain/Drizzle

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|8.17}};"|98

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|6.475}};"|77.7

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|8.7}};"|104.4

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|9.475}};"|113.7

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|7.42}};"|89

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|9.13}};"|109.6

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|8.58}};"|103

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|4.87}};"|58.4

No. of days with Rain Showers

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|2.64}};"|31.7

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|2.225}};"|26.7

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|1.87}};"|22.4

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|3.55}};"|42.6

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|2.04}};"|24.5

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|2.83}};"|34

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|2.7}};"|32.4

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|1.39}};"|16.7

No. of days with Snow depth > 0 cm

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|0.67}};"|8

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|0.1}};"|1.2

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|0.075}};"|0.9

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|0.22}};"|2.6

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|0.08}};"|1

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|0.13}};"|1.6

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_d|0.49}};"|5.9

Mean Annual Sunshine hours

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_s|145.7}};"|1748

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_s|190.6}};"|2287

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_s|167.3}};"|2008

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_s|160}};"|1920

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_s|174.6}};"|2095

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_s|158.2}};"|1898

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_s|138.2}};"|1658

|style="{{#invoke:Weather box/colors|color_s|226.7}};"|2720

References

Category:Subdivisions of Iran

Northern Iran

Population

People and language

Climate

See also

References