Rafsanjan

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 136,388 in 33,489 households.{{cite report|title=Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1385 (2006): Kerman Province|language=fa|publisher=The Statistical Center of Iran|website=amar.org.ir|url=http://www.amar.org.ir/DesktopModules/FTPManager/upload/upload2360/newjkh/newjkh/08.xls|access-date=25 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920093605/http://www.amar.org.ir/DesktopModules/FTPManager/upload/upload2360/newjkh/newjkh/08.xls|format=Excel|archive-date=20 September 2011}} The following census in 2011 counted 151,420 people in 39,281 households.{{cite report|title=Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1390 (2011): Kerman Province|language=fa|publisher=The Statistical Center of Iran|website=irandataportal.syr.edu|via=Iran Data Portal, Syracuse University|url=https://irandataportal.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/Kerman.xls|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329231518/https://irandataportal.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/Kerman.xls|archive-date=29 March 2023|access-date=19 December 2022|format=Excel}} The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 161,909 people in 47,013 households.{{cite report|title=Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1395 (2016): Kerman Province|language=fa|publisher=The Statistical Center of Iran|website=amar.org.ir|url=https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/census/1395/results/abadi/CN95_HouseholdPopulationVillage_08.xlsx|access-date=19 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020091047/https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/census/1395/results/abadi/CN95_HouseholdPopulationVillage_08.xlsx|format=Excel|archive-date=20 October 2020}}

Rafsanjan is the biggest producer of pistachios in the world. The Sarcheshmeh copper mines are among the largest in the world. In addition, the biggest and oldest mud-house in the world is in Rafsanjan. The city is also a major center of carpet production, although the rugs are sold as Kermani rugs rather than Rafsanjani ones.

==Etymology==

The origin of the name Rafsanjan is believed to have roots in Old Persian. According to one theory,{{which|date=December 2024}} the name is derived from the words "Rafsan" and "Kan," which in Old Persian mean "copper" and "mine," respectively. These two words gave rise to the original name of the city, "Rafsangan," which later transformed into its current Arabic version, "Rafsanjan."

Another theory suggests that the original name of the city was "Sanjan." Due to its location in the path of floods, the city suffered significant destruction and was renamed "Raft Sanjan" and then "Rafsanjan" among the people. It changed from “Raf” to “Raft”; adding a letter changes the meaning of the word in Farsi to “sweeping”, signifying the damage of the grand rapids. According to a legend, the city was renamed "Rafsanjan" after a massive rapid occurred in the area, resulting in the change from "Sanjan" to "Rafsanjan."

{{Unreferenced section|date=January 2023}}

About the origin and creation of this city there are significant rhetorical stories. At the period of Qajar kingdom and under Naser-Aldin-Shah's reign, Rafsanjan was named az “Anas” and was part of Fars province; after a while it came under the control of Kerman’s government. In the history, Rafsanjan has been named as an important city due to being on the crossroad between Kerman and Yazd. At the end of Safavieh kingdom, Afghans attacked this city and caused disaster and catastrophe. The low rate of prosperity after mentioned attack was stretched until Qajar’s kingdom and the city was almost ruined until that time. In 1787, Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar attacked the city and people decided to acquiesce in order to end the war, so he conquered the city without violence. In 1866, Ebrahim Khan Zahiradole (the

governor of Kerman) ordered to reshape and rebuild the city. Buildings were constructed and the situation started to improve. In 1913, Amir Mofkhem Bakhtiari ordered to build a strong wall around the city which part of ruins still remain today. This step caused importance and accredit to the city. For the first time in 1938, crossroads were built in the city, which are named as Emam Khomeyni, Enghelab, and Shohada these days.

Rafsanjan was also an important city due to high production of cotton earlier on time. Because of the high quality of this product, it was exported to India and Russia. In 1945, Rafsanjan was assigned as a

township. Nowadays, Rafsanjan is considered as a of the most crowded cities of Kerman with major industries, oil depots, and agricultural mega-farms that have an undeniable role in the economy of province and country. Such mineral and agricultural products are well-known not only in Iran, but all around the world.

Rafsanjan is located in south part of the Lut desert, in north-west of Kerman province. The longitude of this city is 56 degrees east and the latitude is 30 degrees south. The Average distance between Kerman and this city is {{convert|110|km|mi|abbr=on}}. The city has an airport and railway (Tehran-Bandar Abbas route). Moreover, the altitude is {{convert|1460|m|ft|abbr=on}} and the land-measurement is approximately {{convert|10687|km|mi|abbr=on}}. North part of Rafsanjan has a common frontier with Bafgh and Zarand; south part is neighboring with Bardsir and on west side with Anar and Shahre-Babak; finally east side of this city is neighboring with Kerman and Zarand. Rafsanjan has two seasonal rivers named as Shour and Giouderi. The mountains in the area are part of Zagros range, and Sarcheshmeh and Davaran are the most famous.

The underground lake Chah Darya is located in Rafsanjan.{{cite web |title=Where Legends Prevail and Rivers Meet {{!}} FinancialTribune |url=https://financialtribune.com/articles/travel/9435/where-legends-prevail-and-rivers-meet |website=financialtribune.com |access-date=23 May 2025 |language=en |date=20 January 2015}}

{{POV section|date=May 2023|talk=POV Climate}}

Rafsanjan has cold and chilly winters as well as very hot and dry summers. This city is located in the central part of Iran in the arid climate zone. Days are warm and nights are cold in general. The average amount of precipitation is {{convert|90|mm|in|abbr=on}} annually.

{{Weather box

| name =

| width = auto

| collapsed =

| metric first = yes

| single line = yes

| location = Rafsanjan (elevation: {{Convert|1580.9|m|ft|abbr=on}}, 1992-2005 normals)

| temperature colour =

| Jan high C =13.0

| Feb high C =16.2

| Mar high C =19.8

| Apr high C =25.9

| May high C =31.1

| Jun high C =36.0

| Jul high C =37.5

| Aug high C =36.0

| Sep high C =32.6

| Oct high C =26.7

| Nov high C =20.2

| Dec high C =15.8

| year high C =

| Jan mean C =6.8

| Feb mean C =9.5

| Mar mean C =13.0

| Apr mean C =18.8

| May mean C =23.6

| Jun mean C =28.3

| Jul mean C =30.0

| Aug mean C =28.1

| Sep mean C =24.6

| Oct mean C =19.1

| Nov mean C =13.0

| Dec mean C =8.9

| year mean C =

| Jan low C =0.6

| Feb low C =2.8

| Mar low C =6.3

| Apr low C =11.8

| May low C =16.1

| Jun low C =20.6

| Jul low C =22.4

| Aug low C =20.2

| Sep low C =16.7

| Oct low C =11.4

| Nov low C =5.7

| Dec low C =2.0

| year low C =

| humidity colour =

| time day =

| daily =

| Jan humidity =49

| Feb humidity =40

| Mar humidity =36

| Apr humidity =30

| May humidity =24

| Jun humidity =19

| Jul humidity =19

| Aug humidity =18

| Sep humidity =19

| Oct humidity =25

| Nov humidity =36

| Dec humidity =43

| year humidity =

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm =18.8

| Feb precipitation mm =19.4

| Mar precipitation mm =14.6

| Apr precipitation mm =9.7

| May precipitation mm =5.4

| Jun precipitation mm =0.9

| Jul precipitation mm =0.4

| Aug precipitation mm =0.0

| Sep precipitation mm =0.2

| Oct precipitation mm =2.4

| Nov precipitation mm =4.1

| Dec precipitation mm =13.8

| year precipitation mm =

| Jan sun =215.1

| Feb sun =218.6

| Mar sun =240.9

| Apr sun =268.5

| May sun =333.8

| Jun sun =335.7

| Jul sun =339.9

| Aug sun =353.7

| Sep sun =314.3

| Oct sun =304.5

| Nov sun =240.2

| Dec sun =215.7

| year sun =

| source 1 = Iran Meteorological Organization{{cite web |title=AVERAGE OF MEAN DAILY TEMPERATURE IN C. for Rafsanjan (99502) |url=http://www.chaharmahalmet.ir/stat/archive/iran/ken/RAFSANJN/5.asp |website=chaharmahalmet |publisher=IRIMO |access-date=27 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160320072604/http://www.chaharmahalmet.ir/stat/archive/iran/ken/RAFSANJN/5.asp |archive-date=20 March 2016 |format=asp}}

• {{cite web |title=AVERAGE OF MINIMUM TEMPERATURE IN C. for Rafsanjan (99502) |url=http://www.chaharmahalmet.ir/stat/archive/iran/ken/RAFSANJN/2.asp |website=chaharmahalmet |publisher=IRIMO |access-date=27 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150126070359/http://www.chaharmahalmet.ir/stat/archive/iran/ken/RAFSANJN/2.asp |archive-date=26 January 2015 |format=asp}}
• {{cite web |title=AVERAGE OF MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE IN C. for Rafsanjan (99502) |url=http://www.chaharmahalmet.ir/stat/archive/iran/ken/RAFSANJN/3.asp |website=chaharmahalmet |publisher=IRIMO |access-date=27 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516024410/http://www.chaharmahalmet.ir/stat/archive/iran/ken/RAFSANJN/3.asp |archive-date=16 May 2013 |format=asp}}{{cite web |title=AVERAGE OFRELATIVE HUMIDITY IN PERCENT for Rafsanjan (99502) |url=http://www.chaharmahalmet.ir/stat/archive/iran/ken/RAFSANJN/14.asp |website=chaharmahalmet |publisher=IRIMO |access-date=27 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160318024553/http://www.chaharmahalmet.ir/stat/archive/iran/ken/RAFSANJN/14.asp |archive-date=18 March 2016 |format=asp}}{{cite web |title=MONTHLY TOTAL OF PRECIPITATION IN MM. for Rafsanjan (99502) |url=http://www.chaharmahalmet.ir/stat/archive/iran/ken/RAFSANJN/25.asp |website=chaharmahalmet |publisher=IRIMO |access-date=27 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150118220900/http://www.chaharmahalmet.ir/stat/archive/iran/ken/RAFSANJN/25.asp |archive-date=18 January 2015 |format=asp}}{{cite web |title=Monthly Total Of Sunshine Hours for Rafsanjan (99502) |url=http://www.chaharmahalmet.ir/stat/archive/iran/ken/RAFSANJN/42.asp |website=chaharmahalmet |publisher=IRIMO |access-date=27 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109201722/http://www.chaharmahalmet.ir/stat/archive/iran/ken/RAFSANJN/42.asp |archive-date=9 November 2014 |format=asp}}

}}

Rafsanjan has been exposed to the polluting smoke of Sarcheshme, Khatunabad and Shahrbabak copper smelters. On the other hand, up to 14 pistachio orchards are sprayed every year, as a result, dozens of tons of poison are released in the pistachio orchards of Rafsanjan. The level of arsenic contamination in Rafsanjan water is about ten times the permissible limit, and it is strongly recommended to use authorized water purification devices for drinking water, and to ensure the health of the water purification device, the water produced by the device should also be tested.{{Cite journal |last1=Mirzaei Aminiyan |first1=Milad |last2=Baalousha |first2=Mohammed |last3=Mousavi |first3=Rouhollah |last4=Mirzaei Aminiyan |first4=Farzad |last5=Hosseini |first5=Hamideh |last6=Heydariyan |first6=Amin |date=May 2018 |title=The ecological risk, source identification, and pollution assessment of heavy metals in road dust: a case study in Rafsanjan, SE Iran |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28255819/ |journal=Environmental Science and Pollution Research International |volume=25 |issue=14 |pages=13382–13395 |doi=10.1007/s11356-017-8539-y |issn=1614-7499 |pmid=28255819|bibcode=2018ESPR...2513382M |s2cid=4036346 }}{{Cite journal |last1=Hakimi |first1=Hamid |last2=Ahmadi |first2=Jafar |last3=Vakilian |first3=Alireza |last4=Jamalizadeh |first4=Ahmad |last5=Kamyab |first5=Zahra |last6=Mehran |first6=Mahya |last7=Malekzadeh |first7=Reza |last8=Poustchi |first8=Hossein |last9=Eghtesad |first9=Sareh |last10=Sardari |first10=Farimah |last11=Soleimani |first11=Mohammadreza |last12=Khademalhosseini |first12=Morteza |last13=Abolghasemi |first13=Mohammadreza |last14=Mohammadi |first14=Movahedeh |last15=Sadeghi |first15=Tabandeh |date=2021-02-01 |title=The profile of Rafsanjan Cohort Study |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-020-00668-7 |journal=European Journal of Epidemiology |language=en |volume=36 |issue=2 |pages=243–252 |doi=10.1007/s10654-020-00668-7 |pmid=32725579 |s2cid=220809495 |issn=1573-7284|url-access=subscription }}

Wild plantations and trees include common fig and almonds. Wild animals which are living in mountainous areas are goats, ewes, gazelles, wolves, hyenas, wildcats and some species of birds like pigeons, eagles and partridges.

Rafsanjan, a semiarid region in central Iran, is renowned for its high-quality pistachio production, generating nearly $1 billion annually. {{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Historic Data |url=https://iranpistachio.org/en/statistical-archive/historic-data |access-date=2023-04-27 |website=Iran Pistachio Association {{!}} Official Site |date= 5 November 2018|language=en-gb}} The Iranian government has provided energy and water subsidies over the past several decades, attracting producers to the area, where more than 30,000 people are directly involved in the production by owning or managing pistachio orchards.{{Cite web |title=FAOSTAT |url=https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/ |access-date=2023-04-27 |website=www.fao.org}}

However, economically viable pistachio production requires specific climatic conditions, such as long, hot summers and sufficient chill in winters, which occur in areas far from surface water resources like rivers or lakes, making the crop water-intensive.Benmoussa H, Luedeling E, Ghrab M, Ben Yahmed J, Ben MM. 2017. Performance of Pistachio ( L.) in warming Mediterranean Orchards. Environmental and Experimental Botany 140: 76–85.Elloumi O, Ghrab M, Kessentini H, Ben MM. 2013. Chilling accumulation effects on performance of pistachio trees cv. Mateur in dry and warm area climate. Scientia Horticulturae 159: 80–87. As a result, pistachio producers in Rafsanjan have long relied on groundwater as the only source of water for irrigation.Mehryar S, Sliuzas R, Sharifi A, Van Maarseveen MFAM. 2016. The socio-ecological analytical framework of water scarcity in Rafsanjan township, Iran. International Journal of Safety and Security Engineering 6(4): 764–776.Motagh M, Walter TR, Sharifi MA, Fielding E, Schenk A, Anderssohn J, Zschau J. 2008. Land subsidence in Iran caused by widespread water reservoir overexploitation. Geophysical Research Letters 35(16): L16403. https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GL033814

According to reports from the late 1980s, the Rafsanjani family is said to "control" Iran's multimillion-dollar pistachio market centered around the town of Rafsanjan.{{cite news| title=Wrong ways on a 'righteous path' |newspaper=The Washington Post | date=20 February 1989 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1989/02/20/wrong-ways-on-a-righteous-path/48401178-76ed-4bea-9708-2dab530e34a7/ | access-date=27 May 2023}} Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, former Iranian president and one of the most powerful members of the regime in Iran, was the head of the parliamentary speaker and had close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) construction firm, which built most of Iran's infrastructure, including dams.

{{Cite web |title="I am thirsty": statements from Soheil Arabi and the Federation of Anarchism Era on the uprising in Iran {{!}} libcom.org |url=https://libcom.org/article/i-am-thirsty-statements-soheil-arabi-and-federation-anarchism-era-uprising-iran |access-date=2023-04-27 |website=libcom.org |language=en}} These dams were used to redirect water to the agricultural fields of high-ranking members of the regime, including the Rafsanjani family, resulting in a water mafia-like scenario.

In the region, although communal “garden ownership” (baghcheh-dari) was prevalent among villagers, absentee landlords still held a virtual monopoly over the ownership of the basin's land and water resources.{{cite book|title= Women's Studies at York Series|edition=First|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|location=York|year=1993|page=117-118}} This is due to orchards being exempted from redistribution under the Iranian Land Reform Programme of 1962, which sought to abolish the feudal system and redistribute arable land from large landowners to smaller agricultural workers. At the end of the 80s, a survey done in two Rafsanjan villages revealed that villagers owned only about 17% of the water and cultivated land, while the rest belonged to a small number of absentee landlords.

During the same era, there was a shift in labor relations from the traditional sharecropping contracts, which were prevalent throughout most of the Persian plateau, to wage labor. For pistachio cultivation, the new labor force was differentiated by skill and gender and was exclusively on a wage basis. The laborers, called “ghararis”, who were by definition male and highly skilled in irrigation work, which was an exclusively male task, constituted the "labor aristocracy." They were employed on a permanent basis with a monthly wage, a New Year bonus, and given a small plot of land free of charge with access to the landlord's irrigation water.

On the other hand, female laborers engaged in harvest and post-harvest operations occupied the lowest position in the labor hierarchy. Their work was seasonal, and their labor remuneration was mostly based on a piece-rate basis, with payment made three to four months after finishing the work. Additionally, the spinning and weaving of cotton textiles, which used to be a traditional income-earning activity for women, had at the time been virtually wiped out due to competition with the cheap synthetic fibers.

Rafsanjan is located in the middle of Kerman-Yazd highway and also Chabahar transit pathway. The distances between Rafsanjan and the surrounding cities are:

{{convert|12|km|mi|abbr=on}} to Bardsir, {{convert|140|km|mi|abbr=on}} to Sirjan, {{convert|130|km|mi|abbr=on}} to Shahre-Babak, {{convert|90|km|mi|abbr=on}} to Anar, {{convert|75|km|mi|abbr=on}} to Zarand, {{convert|185|km|mi|abbr=on}} to Bafgh and {{convert|230|km|mi|abbr=on}} to Yazd.

Locally, people use both public and private transportation, however private vehicles are more popular among residents.

Rafsanjan also houses bus stations with destination to almost every major city around the country, cargo and freit terminal, domestic trains station in the middle of Tehran-Bandar Abbas railway, and also a comercial airport with flights to and from Tehran.

• Former President of Iran Hashemi Rafsanjani was born in Nough, near Rafsanjan
• Former Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Mohammad Hosseini was born in Koshkouyeh near Rafsanjan
• Seyyed Hossein Marashi, former Iranian Vice-President of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, was born in Koshkouyeh near Rafsanjan.
• Ali Samereh, Iranian football player
• {{ill|Hussayn Jalali|fa|حسین جلالی}}, Shia Cleric
• Mark Amin, vice president of Lions Gate Entertainment production company.
• {{ill|Mohammad Hashemian|fa|محمد هاشمیان}}, Shia Cleric
• Mehdi Tabatabaei, Shia Cleric

• [http://www.iaurafsanjan.ac.ir/ Islamic Azad University Rafsanjan Branch]
• [http://www.aj.ac.ir/ Allameh Jafari University]
• Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences [http://www.rums.ac.ir/]
• [http://www.vru.ac.ir/ Rafsanjan University of Vali Asr]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110208152406/http://rums.ac.ir/index.php?sid=78&slc_lang=en Rafsanjan School of Medicine]

Football club Mes Rafsanjan F.C. is based in the city.

{{Portal-inline|Iran}}

{{clear}}

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Kerman Province|state=collapsed}}

{{Rafsanjan County|state=collapsed}}

Category:Cities in Kerman province

Category:Populated places in Rafsanjan County