Zanjan, Iran

File:Walled enclosure Zengan by Eugène Flandin.jpg]]

According to the Nuzhat al-Qulub of the 14th-century Iranian geographer Hamdallah Mustawfi (died after 1339/40), Zanjan was said to have been founded by the first Sasanian ruler Ardashir I ({{reign|224|242}}), who named it "Shahin." During the Arab invasion of Iran, Zanjan was conquered in 645 by a force led by al-Barra ibn Azib. Medieval geographers generally agree that Zanjan was located in the region of Jibal/Persian Iraq, near the frontier of the neighbouring region of Azerbaijan. Some geographers also include Zanjan as part of Daylam or Ray.{{sfn|Bosworth|2002|p=446}}

After 833, the Abbasid Caliphate had a chain of forts constructed from Zanjan to Ardabil to counter the 817–837 rebellion of the Khurramite leader Babak Khorramdin (died 838).{{sfn|Mottahedeh|1975|p=75}} In the 10th-century, Zanjan was ruled by local Daylamite dynasties such as the Musafirids (919–1062).{{sfn|Bosworth|2002|p=446}} According to the 13th-century Arab geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi (died 1229), the Persians referred the city as "Zangan."{{sfn|Le Strange|1905|p=222}} During the Ilkhanate era (1256–1335), the inhabitants were reported by Hamdallah Mustawfi to have spoken "pure Pahlavi" (pahlavī-e rāst), a Median or northern form of Persian.{{sfn|Bosworth|2002|p=447}}{{sfn|Yarshater|1988|pp=238–245}}

One important moment in the history of the city was in 1851 when the city became a center for the suppressed Babi religious movement, along with Neyriz and a fortress known as Shaykh Tabarsi. The forces of the central government captured the Babi fort in Zanjan after a long siege on the orders of Grand Vizier (Prime Minister of Iran) Amir Kabir and killed or expelled the Bab's followers.Abdu'l-Bahá, Edward Granville. "A Traveller's Narrative Written to Illustrate the Episode of the Báb", Published by Kalimat Press, 2004, {{ISBN|1-890688-37-1}}, {{ISBN|978-1-890688-37-0}}

Before becoming the capital of the namesake Zanjan province, Zanjan was a county of the Gilan province.{{sfn|Bosworth|2002|p=447}}

The population of Zanjan consists mostly of Iranian Azeris who are bilingual in Azerbaijani and Persian.{{cite journal |last1=Mirvahedi |first1=Seyed Hadi |last2=Jafari |first2=Rasoul |title=Family language policy in the City of Zanjan: a city for the forlorn Azerbaijani |journal=International Journal of Multilingualism |date=2017 |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=1–23|doi=10.1080/14790718.2018.1545019}}

Approximately half of the population of Zanjan province lives in Zanjan city. In a 2017 study, researchers concluded that Azerbaijani-speaking families in the city display language shift to Persian.

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 341,801 in 89,829 households.{{cite report|title=Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1385 (2006): Zanjan 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/19.xls|access-date=25 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920091748/http://www.amar.org.ir/DesktopModules/FTPManager/upload/upload2360/newjkh/newjkh/19.xls|format=Excel|archive-date=20 September 2011}} The following census in 2011 counted 386,851 people in 110,943 households.{{cite report|title=Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1390 (2011): Zanjan 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/Zanjan.xls|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230121160421/https://irandataportal.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/Zanjan.xls|archive-date=21 January 2023|access-date=19 December 2022|format=Excel}} The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 430,871 people in 132,469 households,{{cite report|title=Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1395 (2016): Zanjan 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_19.xlsx|access-date=19 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220427114852/https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/census/1395/results/abadi/CN95_HouseholdPopulationVillage_19.xlsx|format=Excel|archive-date=27 April 2022}} making it the 20th largest city in Iran.

The city lies {{convert|298|km|abbr=on}} northwest of Tehran on the main highway to Tabriz and Turkey, and approximately {{convert|125|km|abbr=on}} from the Caspian Sea. It is about {{convert|20|km|abbr=on}} south of the Qaflankuh Mountain Range.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, rainfed agriculture makes up around 42% of Zanjan's land cover and grasslands account for another 37%. The remainder is bareland, irrigated agriculture, forest, orchard and riverbanks. Only 1.07% of the land is urban development.{{cite web|title=Zanjan Province - Land Cover Map |url=http://www.fao.org/3/ca5883en/ca5883en.pdf |website=Food and Agriculture Organization}}

Zanjan has a cool semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) with hot, dry summers and cold, moist winters, often with snowfall. Precipitation is very low, and mostly falls between October and May. On February 13, 2020, a temperature of {{convert|−21.0|°C|°F|1|disp=or}} was recorded.{{cite web |url=http://ogimet.com/cgi-bin/gsynres?ind=40729&ano=2020&mes=2&day=13&hora=0&min=0&ndays=30 |title=40729: Zanjan (Iran) |author= |date=February 13, 2020 |website= ogimet.com|publisher=OGIMET |access-date=November 12, 2020 }}

{{Weather box

|width = auto

|location = Zanjan (1991–2020, records 1955–2020)

|metric first = Y

|single line = Y

|Jan record high C = 18.1

|Feb record high C = 22.0

|Mar record high C = 27.2

|Apr record high C = 32.0

|May record high C = 33.3

|Jun record high C = 40.0

|Jul record high C = 40.5

|Aug record high C = 43.0

|Sep record high C = 37.0

|Oct record high C = 30.0

|Nov record high C = 24.0

|Dec record high C = 22.5

|Jan high C = 5.5

|Feb high C = 7.6

|Mar high C = 13.0

|Apr high C = 18.7

|May high C = 23.9

|Jun high C = 29.8

|Jul high C = 32.8

|Aug high C = 32.9

|Sep high C = 28.9

|Oct high C = 21.9

|Nov high C = 13.3

|Dec high C = 8.0

|Jan mean C = −0.9

|Feb mean C = 1.3

|Mar mean C = 6.1

|Apr mean C = 11.5

|May mean C = 16.2

|Jun mean C = 21.5

|Jul mean C = 24.5

|Aug mean C = 24.2

|Sep mean C = 19.6

|Oct mean C = 13.4

|Nov mean C = 6.3

|Dec mean C = 1.5

|Jan low C = −5.2

|Feb low C = −3.3

|Mar low C = −0.5

|Apr low C = 4.8

|May low C = 8.2

|Jun low C = 11.6

|Jul low C = 14.9

|Aug low C = 14.4

|Sep low C = 10.3

|Oct low C = 6.2

|Nov low C = 1.2

|Dec low C = −2.8

|year low C = 5.1

|Jan record low C = -30.0

|Feb record low C = -28.6

|Mar record low C = -19.6

|Apr record low C = -11.0

|May record low C = -5.0

|Jun record low C = 1.6

|Jul record low C = 5.4

|Aug record low C = 4.5

|Sep record low C = 0.0

|Oct record low C = -6.0

|Nov record low C = -15.2

|Dec record low C = -24.8

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 26.0

|Feb precipitation mm = 29.0

|Mar precipitation mm = 39.6

|Apr precipitation mm = 51.3

|May precipitation mm = 38.8

|Jun precipitation mm = 9.7

|Jul precipitation mm = 8.4

|Aug precipitation mm = 4.4

|Sep precipitation mm = 3.3

|Oct precipitation mm = 20.2

|Nov precipitation mm = 36.5

|Dec precipitation mm = 28.5

|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

| Jan precipitation days =5.0

| Feb precipitation days =5.5

| Mar precipitation days =6.4

| Apr precipitation days =8.0

| May precipitation days =6.7

| Jun precipitation days =2.3

| Jul precipitation days =1.8

| Aug precipitation days =1.0

| Sep precipitation days =0.7

| Oct precipitation days =3.8

| Nov precipitation days =5.3

| Dec precipitation days =5.2

|Jan rain days = 10.8

|Feb rain days = 10.1

|Mar rain days = 12.6

|Apr rain days = 13.0

|May rain days = 11.5

|Jun rain days = 4.2

|Jul rain days = 2.7

|Aug rain days = 2.3

|Sep rain days = 1.9

|Oct rain days = 6.4

|Nov rain days = 8.0

|Dec rain days = 9.9

|Jan snow days = 9.6

|Feb snow days = 8.0

|Mar snow days = 5.6

|Apr snow days = 1.0

|May snow days = 0.0

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.0

|Oct snow days = 0.0

|Nov snow days = 1.9

|Dec snow days = 6.7

|Jan humidity = 71

|Feb humidity = 67

|Mar humidity = 58

|Apr humidity = 55

|May humidity = 52

|Jun humidity = 42

|Jul humidity = 42

|Aug humidity = 40

|Sep humidity = 43

|Oct humidity = 52

|Nov humidity = 65

|Dec humidity = 70

|year humidity = 54.8

| Jan dew point C =-6.8

| Feb dew point C =-5.6

| Mar dew point C =-3.5

| Apr dew point C =0.7

| May dew point C =4.2

| Jun dew point C =5.9

| Jul dew point C =8.7

| Aug dew point C =7.7

| Sep dew point C =4.4

| Oct dew point C =1.7

| Nov dew point C =-1.5

| Dec dew point C =-4.7

|Jan sun = 147

|Feb sun = 161

|Mar sun = 196

|Apr sun = 218

|May sun = 280

|Jun sun = 345

|Jul sun = 350

|Aug sun = 348

|Sep sun = 309

|Oct sun = 244

|Nov sun = 163

|Dec sun = 138

|source 1 = NOAA NCEI{{Cite web |url=https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-2-WMO-Normals-9120/Iran/CSV/Zanjan_40729.csv |title=World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020: Zanjan |access-date=2 February 2024 |website=ncei.noaa.gov |publisher=NOAA |format=CSV}}

|source 2 = [https://www.chaharmahalmet.ir/stat/archive/iran/zan/ZANJAN] (records, rain days, snow/sleet days 1955–2010)

}}

File:N (4) (Custom).jpg

Zanjan's bazaar is a public marketplace that started in Agha Mohammadkhan Ghajar-era in 1784 CE, and completed in 1792 CE during the Fath-Ali Shah-era.{{Cite web|url=http://www.iran-daily.com/News/117254.html|title=Zanjan Bazaar|date=2015-05-04|website=Iran Daily|access-date=2019-01-27}} Mosques and a bath were added later. This bazaar has 940 shops, which consist of two defined parts, namely Bazaar-e Bala (upper bazaar) and Bazaar-e Paieen (lower bazaar). Vendors are organized by their professions and commodities.

The central mosque of Zanjan is Jameh Mosque of Zanjan, also known as the Seyyed Mosque (Masjid-e-Seyyed), this was constructed in 1826 during the Qajar-era, by one of Fath-Ali Shah's sons.{{Cite web|url=http://www.itto.org/iran/attraction/2496-Zanjan-Jame%27-Seyed-Mosque/|title=Zanjan Jame' (Seyed) Mosque in Zanjan, Travel to IRAN|last=Rasaneh|first=Sirang|website=itto.org {{!}} Iran Tourism & Touring|access-date=2019-01-27}} This mosque was built in the old area of the city and it's the religious center of Zajan.

It's built on Imam Street. This building holds six naturally preserved human remains called saltmen or “namaki”, which had been discovered in 1993 in the Chehrabad salt mines. These remains are originally from Achaemenian-era.

Tofighi's building is related to last parts of Qajar-era and Pahlavi-era. It's built on Imam Street. It was a house of the greatest man of Zanjan that was mayor of city. This building has 2 floors and consists of a symmetrical form.

The Match company (3 stars match company) is related to Pahlavi-era and located on Safa street. It is the second company of city and constructed by Mahmud Shalchi, before the World War II. It has a brick chimney.

The old abbey was constructed 200 years ago in the area of Enghelab square which is the most central and oldest part of Zanjan. It initially served as a caravanserai and then for approx. 80 years it was the house of one of Zanjan's scholars, Sheikh Jalal Ashabi.

It had been uninhabited for 20 years after the passing of the Seikh from 1997. It began to be renovated in 2017 and now serves as a traditional hotel.

The Sangi Caravanserai (stone caravanserai) is an ancient roadside inn, constructed in Safavi-era and was converted into a restaurant in the 1990s.{{Cite web|url=http://www.tehrantimes.com/news/22582/Caravanserai-Sangi-Registered-as-National-Monument|title=Caravanserai Sangi Registered as National Monument|date=1998-12-01|website=Tehran Times|language=en|access-date=2019-01-27}}{{Cite web|url=https://caravanserai.org.uk/2013/09/caravanserai-2013-edition/|title=Canning Town Caravanserai|website=Caravanserai in the Modern World|access-date=2019-01-27}} It's a single story stone building that has four iwans (porches) and a ceiling that is arcuate.

The Rakhtshooy Khaneh Edifice is a historical wash-house and Iranian national heritage site, that is currently being used as Zanjan anthropological museum.{{Cite web |date=2018-07-28 |title=Rakhtshooy Khaneh Historical Edifice in Iran's Zanjan |url=https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2018/07/28/1784446/rakhtshooy-khaneh-historical-edifice-in-iran-s-zanjan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220716012836/https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2018/07/28/1784446/rakhtshooy-khaneh-historical-edifice-in-iran-s-zanjan |archive-date=2022-07-16 |access-date= |website=Tasnim News Agency |language=en}}

• Lead
• Zinc
• Pasteurized milk
• Chemical productions
• Weaving
• Cotton
• Food productions
• Transformer
• Electrical productions{{Clarify|reason=Seems to be another term lost in translation|date=January 2019}}

The most famous handicrafts are knives, charuq (a local style of women's shoes, similar to clodhopper shoes),{{Cite web|url=http://www.itto.org/iran/attraction/Zanjan_Handicrafts_and_Souvenirs/|title=Handicrafts and Souvenirs of Zanjan in Zanjan, Travel to IRAN|last=Rasaneh|first=Sirang|website=itto.org {{!}} Iran Tourism & Touring|access-date=2019-01-27}} filigree and gilding. Gilding is the one important art for decoration the books and calligraphies. Other handicrafts include coppersmithing, rug weaving and carpet weaving (including Kilim and Jajim style).

Zanjan is also home to several universities such as:

• University of Zanjan
• Zanjan University of Medical Sciences
• Islamic Azad University of Zanjan
• Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS)

Zanjan is known for having one of the best indoor sport climbing walls in the Middle East, located in Enghelab sports complex. The facility also includes standard speed climbing walls. The city's football team is Shahrdari Zanjan F.C., who play in the 2nd Division.{{cite web |url=http://newspaper.hamshahrionline.ir/id/25740/%D8%AA%DB%8C%D9%85-%D9%81%D9%88%D8%AA%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84%C2%AB%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%86%C2%BB%D9%BE%DB%8C%D8%AF%D8%A7.html|title=تیم فوتبال"شهرداری زنجان"پیدا شد |website=newspaper.hamshahrionline.ir |trans-title=The football team of "Zanjan Municipality" was found |access-date=2021-04-05 |quote=تیم شهرداری زنجان طبق قانون قابل برگشت به شهرداری است و این موضوع با مصوبه اعضای شورای شهر مطالبه می‌شود [The Zanjan Municipality team can be returned to the municipality according to the law, and this issue is demanded with the approval of the city council members]}}

For a complete list see: :Category:People from Zanjan, Iran

• Syed Miran Hussain Zanjani, 11th century Sayyid Sufi mystic, who travelled to and settled in Lahore to preach Islam
• Shahab al-Din Yahya ibn Habash Suhrawardi, Persian philosopher and founder of the Iranian school of Illuminationism, an important school in Islamic philosophy that drew upon Zoroastrian and Platonic ideas
• Asadollah Bayat-Zanjani, Iranian theologian, Islamic philosopher, writer and Grand marja of Islam
• Hujjat, early leader of the Bábí movement of 19th-century Persia
• Reza Mirkarimi, contemporary film writer, director, and producer
• Mousa Shubairi Zanjani, Iranian shia Marja
• Yousef Sobouti, contemporary Iranian theoretical physicist
• Mehdi Sohrabi, Iranian professional racing cyclist
• Amir Hatami, Iranian regular army (Artesh) officer with the rank of Brigadier general and the current minister of defense of Iran
• Abbas-Ali Amid Zanjani, Iranian politician and cleric
• Saeid Mahdioun, Iranian fighter pilot
• Majid Shahriari, nuclear scientist and engineer who worked with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran
• Jamileh Sheykhi, Iranian actress
• Said Matinpour, Iranian activist, journalist and ex-political prisoner{{cite web |date=2015-08-27 |title="Cənubi Azərbaycanın Mandelası" |trans-title=Iranian Azerbaijanis are happy about the release of Said Matinpour |url=https://www.bbc.com/azeri/region/2015/08/150827_said_matinpur_freed |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150829220306/https://www.bbc.com/azeri/region/2015/08/150827_said_matinpur_freed |archive-date=2015-08-29 |access-date= |publisher=BBC Azərbaycanca |language=az}}
• Mirza Abutaleb Zanjani, Iranian jurist and Shia scholar
• Mohammad Ezodin Hosseini Zanjani, Iranian shia Marja
• Farah Ossouli, Iranian painter
• Jamshid Ansari, Iranian reformist politician
• Abdulkarim Zanjani, Shiite teacher
• Mohammad Yeganeh, Iranian economist who was the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran from 1973 to 1975
• Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini Zanjani, Iranian shia Marja
• Reza Zanjani, Shia Iranian cleric
• Masoud Roghani Zanjani, Iranian academic, economist, scholar
• Fatemeh Rakeei, Iranian politician, linguist, poet
• Ali Shakouri-Rad, Iranian physician and reformist politician
• Mahsa Javar, Iranian competitive rower
• Mohsen Mohammadseifi, Iranian wushu athlete
• Abdul Karim Kho'ini Zanjani, Iranian scholar and cleric
• Ali Akbar Saremi, Iranian architect
• Mohammad Kiavash, Iranian politician
• Meisam Nassiri, Iranian freestyle wrestler
• Ebadollah S. Mahmoodian, retired professor of mathematics
• Hossein Monzavi, prominent Iranian poet
• Hossein Abedini, Iranian actor
• Ahmad Hakimipour, Iranian reformist politician
• Davoud Maleki, Iranian featherweight weightlifter
• Seyed Esmaeil Mousavi Zanjani, Iranian politician
• Sadollah Nasiri Gheydari, university professor
• Narges Mohammadi, human rights activist and Nobel laureate

File:Bayatzanjani2.jpg|Asadollah Bayat-Zanjani

File:Grand Ayatollah Mousa Zanjani 5 (cropped).jpg|Mousa Shubairi Zanjani

File:Seyyed Reza Mirkarimi 2019-04-25.jpg|Reza Mirkarimi

File:Ali Akbar Saremi 2013 IAUCTB.jpg|Ali Akbar Saremi

File:Prof.soubuti by Mardetanha.jpg|Yousef Sobouti

File:Mehdi-Sohrabi.jpg|Mehdi Sohrabi

• {{flagicon|Turkey}} Trabzon, Turkey{{Cite web|url = http://zanjanshora.ir/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=48:%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AF%DA%AF%DB%8C-%D8%B2%D9%86%D8%AC%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%DA%A9%D8%A7-%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B2%DB%8C&Itemid=665|title = Zanjan sister Malacca, Malaysia|date = 2013-09-29|access-date = 2015-12-12|website = Zanjan Shora}}
• {{flagicon|Malaysia}} Malacca, Malaysia

File:Zanjan archaeology museum.jpg|Archaeology museum of Zanjan

Image:Jame'h Mosque of Zanjan.jpg|Jeme'h Mosque of Zanjan

Image:Bazaar zanjan01.jpg|Bazaar of Zanjan

Image:Rakhtshurkahneh.jpg|Rakhtshur khaneh, (traditional laundry house of Qajar era, Zanjan's Museum of Anthropology)

Image:Sakhteman markazi01.jpg|University of Zanjan

Image:Soltaniyeh interiors.jpg|Soltaniyeh's tiles (interior designs)

• Rakhtshooy Khaneh Edifice

{{commons category-inline|Zanjan}}

{{clear}}

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• {{EI2|last=Bosworth|first=C.E.|author-link=Clifford Edmund Bosworth|volume=11|title=Zand̲j̲ān|pages=446–447|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/zandjan-SIM_8117}}
• {{Lands of the Eastern Caliphate}}
• {{Cambridge History of Iran|volume=4|last=Mottahedeh|first=Roy|author-link= Richard Nelson Frye|chapter=The ‘Abbāsid Caliphate in Iran|pages=57–89}}
• {{Encyclopædia Iranica | volume = 3 | fascicle = 3 | title = Azerbaijan vii. The Iranian Language of Azerbaijan | last = Yarshater | first = Ehsan | url = https://iranicaonline.org/articles/azerbaijan-vii | pages = 238–245 }}

• [https://archive.today/20121219093249/http://www.ostandari-zn.ir/ Official website of Zanjan Governorship]
• [http://www.zanjan.org/ zanjansite]
• [http://www.zccim.org Official website of Zanjan chamber of commerce]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060614155641/http://www.sultanieh.ir/ Sultaniyeh Dome Official website]

{{Authority control}}

{{Zanjan Province|state=collapsed}}

{{Zanjan County|state=collapsed}}

{{Provincial capitals of Iran}}

Category:Cities in Zanjan province

Category:Iranian provincial capitals

Category:Populated places in Zanjan County

Category:Sasanian cities