Ahvaz اهواز
White bridge.
Ahvaz
Coordinates: 31°19′39″N 48°41′38″E / 31.3275, 48.69389
Country	Iran
Province	Khuzestan
Government
- Mayor	Saeed Mombeini
Elevation	17 m (52 ft)
Population (2006 census)
- Total	1,338,126
- Density	2,000/km² (5,180/sq mi)

The city of Ahvaz or Ahwaz^[1] (Persian: اهواز ahvāz or Arabic: أحواز‎), is the capital of the Iranian province of Khūzestān. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Iran is subdivided into thirty provinces ( Persian: استان ostān, plural استان‌ها ostānhā) each governed from a local center Khūzestān (خوزستان is one of the 30 provinces of Iran. The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Khūzestān (خوزستان is one of the 30 provinces of Iran. It is built on the banks of the Karun River and is situated in the middle of Khūzestān Province. The Karūn (also spelled as Karoun is Iran 's most effluent and the only navigable River. The city has an average elevation of 20 meters above sea level. The city had a population of 1,338,126 in 2006. ^[2]

Etymology

The word Ahvaz is a Persianized form of the local Ahwaz, which in turn itself is derived from a Persian word. The Dehkhoda Dictionary specifically defines the Market of the Khuzis", where "Suq" is Persian word "chahar-suy/sugh" for market, and "Ahwaz" is a plural (اسم جمع) of the form "af'āl" (افعال) of the word "Huz", or more precisely, the root "ha wa za" (ه و ز), which itself comes from the Persian Huz, from Achaemenid inscriptions from where the term first appears. Dehkhoda Dictionary ( is the largest comprehensive Persian Dictionary ever published in 15 volumes (26000 pages Thus, which refers to the non-Arabic original habitants of Khūzestān.

The term "Huz", meanwhile, is the Old Persian rendition of Suz (Susa-Susiana), the native Elamite name of the region. The Old Persian language is one of the two attested Old Iranian languages (besides Avestan) Susa ( Biblical שושן ( Shushan) also Greek: Σοῦσα Transliterated as Sousa; Latin Susa) Elam is the name of an ancient civilization located in what is now southwest Iran. Elamite is an Extinct language, which was spoken by the ancient Elamites. Old Persian commonly changed the initial "s" in a foreign word into an "h," most famously, in its rendition of the name the river and the people Sindh/Sindhi into Hind/Hindi, which was then Hellenized into Indus, whence India. Sindh ( Sindhī: سنڌ Urdu: سندھ is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhis. The Indus River { Sanskrit: सिन्धु Sindhu; Urdu: urd {{Nastaliq سندھ}} Sindh; Sindhi: snd India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country

Location and roads

Ahwaz located 120 km north-west of Abadan and is accessible via following routes in addition of a single runway airport:

• Tehran-Khorramshahr national railway
• Ahvaz-Abadan highway (145 km)
• Ahvaz-Andimeshk (152 km) highway
• Ahvaz-Bandar-e Emam Khomeyni highway (175 km). Abadan (film is also the name of a 2003 Iranian movie from director Mani Haghighi, as well as the name of a town in Turkmenistan Tehran (or Teheran) ( Persian: تهران Tehrān) is the capital and largest City of Iran, and the administrative center of Khorramshahr (خرمشهر is a Port city in Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran. Abadan (film is also the name of a 2003 Iranian movie from director Mani Haghighi, as well as the name of a town in Turkmenistan Andimeshk is a city in Khuzestan province, Iran, located about 7km north of Dezful, on the main road and the rail line from Tehran to

Ahvaz being the largest city in the province consists of two distinctive districts: the newer part of Ahvaz, the administrative and industrial center, has been built on the right bank of the Karun while residential areas are found in the old section of the city, on the left bank.

Climate

Ahvaz has long, hot summers and mild, short winters. The maximum temperature in summer could soar up to 54 degrees Celsius while in winters the minimum temperature could fall around 2 degrees Celsius. The annual rainfall is 195 mm.

History

For a more comprehensive historical treatment of the area, see the history section of Khūzestān Province. Khūzestān (خوزستان is one of the 30 provinces of Iran.

Ancient history

Ahvaz is the anagram of "Avaz" and "Avaja" which appear in Darius's epigraph. This word appears in Naqsh-Rostam inscription as "Khaja" or "Khooja" too.

First named Ōhrmazd-Ardašēr (Persian: هرمزداردشیر) (Roamn Hormizdartazir^[3]) it was built near the beginning of the Sassanid dynasty on what historians believe to have been the site of the old city of Taryana, a notable city under the Persian Achaemenid dynasty. The Sassanid Empire or Sassanian Dynasty or Sassanian Dynasty (ساسانیان) is the name used for the third Iranian dynasty and the second Persian empire Taryana was an ancient city in southwestern Iran ( Persia) where present Ahvaz is located its history dates back to ~500 B The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenid Persian Empire ( haχɒmaneʃijɒn (558–330 BC was the first of the Persian Empires to rule over significant portions of It was founded either by Ardashir I in 230 (cf. Ardashir I, founder of the Sassanid dynasty, was ruler of Istakhr (206-241 subsequently Persia Events By Place Roman Empire Taxes are increased in order to maintain the unity and defense of the Empire Encyclopædia Iranica, al-Muqaddasi, et al. Muhammad ibn Ahmad Shams al-Din Al-Muqaddasi (محمد بن أحمد شمس الدين المقدسي also Transliterated as Al-Maqdisi and el-Mukaddasi ) or (according to the Middle Persian Šahrestānīhā ī Ērānšahr) by his grandson Hormizd I; the town's name either combined Ardashir's name with the Zoroastrian name for God, Ōhrmazd or Hormizd's name with that of his grandfather. Hormizd I was the third Sassanid King of Persia from 272 to 273 Ahura Mazda ( ae Ahura Mazdā) is the Avestan language name for a divinity exalted by Zoroaster as the one uncreated Creator It became the seat of the province, and was also referred to as Hūmšēr. During the Sassanid era, an irrigation system and several dams were constructed, and the city prospered. Examples of Sassanid-era dams are Band-e Bala-rud, Band-e Mizan, Band-e Borj Ayar and Band-e Khak. The city replaced Susa, the ancient capital of Susiana, as the capital of what was then called Xuzestān. Susa ( Biblical שושן ( Shushan) also Greek: Σοῦσα Transliterated as Sousa; Latin Susa)

The city had two sections; the nobles of the city lived in one part while the other was inhabited by merchants. ^[4] When the Arabs invaded the area in 640, the part of the city home to the nobility was demolished but the Hūj-ī-stānwāčār "Market of Khūz State", the merchant area, remained intact. Events By Place Europe Tulga succeeds his father Suinthila as king of the Visigoths. The city was therefore renamed Sūq al-Ahwāz, "Market of the Khuz", a semi-literal translation of the Persian name of this quarter - Ahwāz being the Arabic broken plural of Hûz, taken from the ancient Persian term for the native Elamite peoples, Hūja (remaining in medieval Xūzīg "of the Khuz" and modern Xuzestān "Khuz State", as noted by Yaqut al-Hamawi (1179-1229) and Abu-Mansoor Javalighi. In Linguistics, broken plurals are a grammatical phenomenon typical in many Semitic languages of the Middle East and Ethiopia in which a singular Elam is the name of an ancient civilization located in what is now southwest Iran. Yaqut ibn-'Abdullah al-Rumi al-Hamawi) (1179-1229 (ياقوت الحموي الرومي was a Syrian Biographer and Geographer.

Medieval history

During the Umayyad and Abbasid eras, Ahvaz flourished as a center for the cultivation of sugarcane and as the home of many well-known scholars. Sugarcane ( Saccharum) is a genus of 6 to 37 species (depending on taxonomic interpretation of tall perennial grasses (family Poaceae tribe Andropogoneae It is discussed by such respected medieval historians and geographers as ibn Hawqal, Tabari, Istakhri, al-Muqaddasi, Ya'qubi, Masudi, and Mostowfi Qazvini. Mohammed Abul-Kassem ibn Hawqal (محمد أبو القاسم بن حوقل born in Nisibis; travelled 943-969 CE was a 10th century Arab writer geographer and Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari (838-923 أبو جعفر محمد بن جرير الطبري was one of the earliest most prominent and famous Persian Historians Muhammad ibn Ahmad Shams al-Din Al-Muqaddasi (محمد بن أحمد شمس الدين المقدسي also Transliterated as Al-Maqdisi and el-Mukaddasi Ahmad ibn Abu Ya'qub ibn Ja'far ibn Wahb Ibn Wadih al-Ya'qubi (? – 897 known as Ya'qubi, was a Muslim historian and Geographer TemplateInfobox Muslim scholars --> Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn al-Husayn íbn Ali al-Mas'udi (transl) (born c Hamdollah Mostowfi ( 1281 – 1349 was an Iranian Historian, Geographer and epic poet Nearby stood the Academy of Gundishapur, where the modern-day teaching hospital is said to have been first established. The Academy of Gundishapur (in دانشگاه گنديشاپور Dânešgâh Gondišâpur was a renowned academy of learning in the city of Gundeshapur during Late antiquity

Ahvaz was devastated in the bloody Mongol invasions of the 13th and 14th centuries. The Mongol Empire ( Mongolyn Ezent Güren or mn Их Mонгол улс Ikh Mongol Uls; 1206–1368 was the largest contiguous Empire Ahvaz subsequently declined into a mere village. The dam and irrigation channels, no longer maintained, eroded and finally collapsed early in the 19th century. During this time Ahvaz was primarily inhabited by Arabs and a small number of Sabians. Iranian Arabs (عربان ايرانی are the Arabic -speaking peoples of Iran. The Sabians ( صابئين, צבאים) were a religious group Some minor cultivation continued, while all evidence of sugarcane plantations had vanished, although ruins of sugarcane mills from the medieval era remained in existence. ^[5]

Modern history

Sahel Cinema.

In the 19th century, "Ahvaz was no more than a small borough inhabited mainly by Sha'ab Arabs and a few Sabeans (1,500 to 2,000 inhabitants according to Ainsworth in 1835; 700 according to Curzon in 1890). A borough is an Administrative division of various countries In principle the term borough designates a self-governing Township although in practice The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding The Sabians ( صابئين, צבאים) were a religious group "^[6]

In the 1880s, under Qajar rule, the Karun River was dredged and re-opened to commerce. The Qajar dynasty (also known as Ghajar or Kadjar ( ( - or دودمان قاجار) is a common term to describe Iran (then known as Persia) under A newly-built railway crossed the Karun at Ahvaz. The city again became a commercial crossroads, linking river and rail traffic. The construction of the Suez Canal further stimulated trade. The Suez Canal is a Canal in Egypt. Opened in 1869 it allows Water transportation between Europe and Asia without circumnavigation A port city was built near the old village of Ahvaz, and named Bandar-e-Naseri in honor of Nassereddin Shah Qajar. Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar ( July 16, 1831 - May 1, 1896) () was the King and Shah of Persia from September 17

Uptown Kianpars, a district of Ahvaz.

Oil was found near Ahvaz in the early 20th century, and the city once again grew and prospered as a result of this newfound wealth. From 1897-1925, Sheikh Khaz'al controlled this area and the name was changed to Naseriyeh. Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Sheikh Khaz'al Khan Ibn Haji Jabir Khan, GCIE, KCSI ( 18 August[[ 863]]?- 24 May[[ 936]] Muaz us-Sultana Afterwards, during the Pahlavi period, it resumed its old name, Ahvaz. The government of the Khūzestān Province was transferred there from Shûshtar in 1926. Khūzestān (خوزستان is one of the 30 provinces of Iran. Shûshtar is an ancient Fortress City in the Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The trans-Iranian railroad reached Ahvaz in 1929 and by the World War II, Ahvaz had become the principal built-up area of interior of Khūzestān. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Professional segregation remained well marked between various groups in that period still feebly integrated: Persians, sub-groupings of Persians and Arabs. layout and formatting it should ensure no clashes with the top of the infobox The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding Natives of the Isfahan region held an important place in retail trade, owners of cafes and hotels and as craftsmen. ^[7]

Iraq attempted to annex Khūzestān and Ahvaz in 1980, resulting in the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). Ahvaz was close to the front lines and suffered badly during the war.

Foolad Ahvaz steelworks.

Iraq had pressed its claims to Khūzestān in part because many of the inhabitants of the area spoke Arabic rather than Persian, the dominant language in Iran. Iraq had hoped to exacerbate ethnic tensions and win over popular support for the invaders. Most accounts say that the Iranian Arab inhabitants resisted the Iraqis rather than welcome them as liberators. Iranian Arabs (عربان ايرانی are the Arabic -speaking peoples of Iran. However, some Iranian Arabs claim that as a minority they face discrimination from the central government; they agitate for the right to preserve their cultural and linguistic distinction and more provincial autonomy. See Politics of Khūzestān. This article focuses on the politics of Khūzestān Province, an oil-rich and ethnically diverse province of southwestern Iran.

During the year 2005 the city witnessed a series of bomb explosions. The Ahvaz bombings were a series of bomb explosions that took place mostly in Ahvaz, Iran. Many government sources relate these events to developments in Iraq, accusing foreign governments of organising and funding Arab separatist groups.

Contemporary Ahvaz

In 1989, the Foolad Ahvaz steel facility was built close to the town. This company is best known for its company-sponsored football club, Foolad F.C., which was the chart-topper for Iran's Premier Football League in 2005. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Foolad Khuzestan Football Club ( is an Iranian football club based in Ahvaz, Khuzestan. The Iran Pro League (IPL ( currently known as the Persian Gulf Cup (جام خلیج فارس is a professional football league competition for clubs located at Ahvaz is also home to another IPL football team, Esteghlal Ahvaz F.C.. Esteghlal Ahvaz Football Club ( is an Iranian football club based in Ahvaz, Iran.

Transportation

• Ahvaz is accessible via freeways to Isfahan and Shiraz, and roadways to Tehran. Esfahān or Isfahan (historically also rendered as Ispahan or Hispahan, Old Persian: Aspadana, Middle Persian: Spahān Shiraz ( شیراز Shīrāz) is the fifth most populated city in Iran and the capital of Fars Province. Tehran (or Teheran) ( Persian: تهران Tehrān) is the capital and largest City of Iran, and the administrative center of
• A metro urban railway system is being built by the Ahvaz urban railway. It will be a 23Km underground line with 24 stations.
• The airport is served by Iran Asseman Airlines (Dubai, Kuwait, Tehran), Caspian Airlines (Dubai), Iran Air (Isfahan, Kuwait, Tehran), Iran Air Tours (Isfahan, Mashad, Shiraz, Tehran), Kish air (Tehran)

Colleges and universities

Ahvaz is also known for its universities as well as its role in commerce and industry. Iran Aseman Airlines (هواپیمایی آسمان is an Airline based in Tehran, Iran, Operates air taxi services and scheduled domestic and regional Caspian Airlines ( هواپیمایی کاسپین) is an Airline based in Tehran, Iran. Iran Air ( is the Flag carrier Airline of Iran, based in Tehran. Iran Air Tours (ایران ایر تور is an Airline based in Tehran, Iran. Ahvaz institutes of higher learning include:

• Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences
• Petroleum University of Technology (Persian)
• Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz
• Islamic Azad University of Ahvaz (Persian)

Some famous Ahvazis

Soon after the founding of the modern University of Jondishapur, Dr. Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences (AJUMS is a medical school in Khuzestan Province of Iran. Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz is a major Iranian University in Ahvaz, Khuzestan, Iran. Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz is a major Iranian University in Ahvaz, Khuzestan, Iran. Tal'at Basāri was appointed vice chancellor of the university, the first woman to reach such a post in any university in Iran. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. ^[8]

Malileh Farshid: One of Iran's first and youngest female architects. She designed the Ahvaz Sports Complex. Her wish was to have it ready for Ahvaz to host the 1984 Summer Olympics. The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, ^[8]

• Sousan S. Altaie, PHD Scientific Policy Advisor, OIVD CDRH, FDA
• Ezzat Negahban, Patriarch of modern Iranian archaeology. Dr Sousan S Altaie is Scientific Policy Advisor for the Office of In Vitro Diagnostic Devices in the United States. Ezat Ollah Negahban (Born 1926 Ahvaz, Iran) is a celebrated Iranian Archaeologist who is known as the patriarch of Iranian modern Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos
• Mehrangiz Kar, Human rights activist. Mehrangiz Kar (b 1944 Ahvaz, Iran) ( is a prominent Iranian lawyer human right activist and author
• Ahmad Mahmoud, Novelist. Ahmad Mahmoud ( December 25, 1931 Ahvaz, Iran – October 4, 2002 in Tehran, Iran was an Iranian
• Hamid Dabashi, Intellectual historian, cultural and literary critic
• Siavash Ghomeyshi, well-known singer and music composer. Biography Born and raised in southern city of Ahvaz in Iran, Dabashi was educated in Iran and then in the United States where he received a dual Ph Siavash Ghomeyshi ( born 1945 in Dezful, Khuzestan, Iran) is an Iranian Singer and Song writer.
• Patrick Monahan, British Comedian. Patrick Monahan (born June 23, 1976 in Ahvaz, Iran) is an Irish - Iranian Stand-up comedian born to an Irish
• Parviz Abnar, Iranian Sound recordist. Parviz Abnar ( born 1958 in Ahvaz, Iran) is an Iranian Sound recordist.
• Mohammad Reza Eskandari, Iran's current minister of Agriculture
• Abu Nuwas, famous figure in Arabic poetry. Mohammad Reza Eskandari is the Minister of Agriculture of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Abu-Nuwas al-Hasan ben Hani al-Hakami ( 750 &ndash 810) known as Abū-Nuwās ( Arabic: ابونواس) was one of the greatest of classical Arabic poetry ( Arabic, الِشعر العربي ash-shi`ru 'l-`arabiy) is the earliest form of Arabic literature.
• Ali Shamkhani, Iranian Minister of Defence (1997-2005)
• Hossein Kaebi, national football star
• Jalal Kameli Mofrad, national football player
• Seyed Kazem Alavi Fazel, Psychiatrist, X-Chancellor of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences
• Mohammad Mousavi Ney soloist
• Ali ibn Abbas al-Majusi, the famous physician
• Naubakht, an astronomer, and his sons;
• Ibn Sakkit Doraghi Ahwazi, Writer in the early years after invasion of Islam
• Sattaar Oraki Pouri, Iranian Pianist and Composer
• Farid Omran, Originally from Abadan, Globally recognised composer

Gallery

Ahvaz Bridge over Karun River at night. Ali Shamkhani (علی شمخانی is an Iranian Admiral. He was the Iranian Minister of Defense until August 24, 2005, and was replaced Hossein Kaebi (also spelled Ka'abi,, born 23 December, 1985 in Ahvaz) is an Iranian football player who currently plays Jalal Kameli Mofrad, ( born 15 May, 1981 in Shadgan, Iran) is an Iranian football player Mohammad Mousavi (born 1946 is an Iranian musician noted for his Ney work Ali ibn Abbas al-Majusi (died 982-994 also known as Masoudi or Latinized as Haly Abbas, was a Persian Physician and Nobakht Ahvazi (نوبخت اهوازى also transliterated 'Naubakht' and his sons were Astrologers from Ahvaz (in the present-day Khuzestan Province

Rumi statue located in the front of the faculty of letters and humanities of the Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz.

References

See also

• Mandaeism, Mandaic language
• Khūzestān Province
• Politics of Khūzestān
• Gundeshapur
• Susa
• Elam
• Choqa Zanbil
• History of Iran
• Takhti Stadium (Ahvaz)

External links

• Ahvaz Municipal Office (Persian)
• Union of Iranian Southern Universities (Persian)
• Foolad Ahvaz Football Club (Persian)
• Ahwaz Bazaar Directory (Persian)