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The city of 'Ahvaz' or 'Ahwaz'^[1] ( ''ahvāz'' or ), is the capital of the Iranian province of Khūzestān. It is built on the banks of the Karun River and is situated in the middle of Khūzestān Province. The city has an average elevation of 20 meters above sea level. There are approximately 1.6 million inhabitants as of 2006.^[2]

Contents

Etymology

Location and roads

Climate

History

Ancient history

Medieval history

Modern history

Contemporary Ahvaz

Transportation

Colleges and universities

Some famous Ahvazis

Gallery

References

See also

External links

Etymology

The word ''Ahvaz'' is a Persianized form of the local Arabic ''Ahwaz'', which in turn itself is derived from a Persian word. The Dehkhoda Dictionary specifically defines the Arabic "Suq-al-Ahwaz" as "Market of the Khuzis", where "Suq" is Arabic for market, and "Ahwaz" is a plural (اسم جمع) of the form "af'āl" (افعال) of the word "Huz", or more precisely, the Arabic root "ha wa za" (ه و ز), which itself comes from the Persian ''Huz'', from Achaemenid inscriptions from where the term first appears. Thus, "Ahwaz" in Arabic means "the Huz-i people", which refers to the non-Arabic original habitants of Khūzestān.

Location and roads

Ahvaz is 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).
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.

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. It was founded either by Ardashir I in 230 (cf. ''Encyclopædia Iranica'', al-Muqaddasi, et al.) 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. 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.
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. 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.

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. It is discussed by such respected medieval historians and geographers as ibn Hawqal, Tabari, Istakhri, al-Muqaddasi, Yaqubi, Masudi, and Mostowfi Qazvini. Nearby stood the Academy of Gundishapur, where the modern-day teaching hospital is said to have been first established.
Ahvaz was devastated in the bloody Mongol invasions of the 13th and 14th centuries. 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. 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

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)."^[6]
In the 1880s, under Qajar rule, the Karun River was dredged and re-opened to commerce. 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. A port city was built near the old village of Ahvaz, and named ''Bandar-e-Naseri'' in honor of Nassereddin Shah Qajar.

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''. Afterwards, during the Pahlavi period, it resumed its old name, ''Ahvaz''. The government of the Khūzestān Province was transferred there from Shûshtar in 1926. 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. Professional segregation remained well marked between various groups in that period still feebly integrated: Persians, sub-groupings of Persians and Arabs. 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.

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. 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''.
During the year 2005 the city witnessed a series of bomb explosions. 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. Ahvaz is also home to another IPL football team, Esteghlal Ahvaz F.C..

Transportation

Ahvaz is accessible via freeways to Isfahan and Shiraz, and roadways to Tehran. A metro urban railway system is being built by the Ahvaz urban railway organization.

Colleges and universities

Ahvaz is also known for its universities as well as its role in commerce and industry. Ahvaz institutes of higher learning include:

★ Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences

★ Petroleum University of Technology

★ Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz

★ Islamic Azad University of Ahvaz

Some famous Ahvazis

★ Ezzat Negahban, Patriarch of modern Iranian archaeology.

★ Mehrangiz Kar, Human rights activist.

★ Hamid Zangeneh, Economist and author.

★ Rita Asgharpour, Author.

★ Reza Moosavi, national awarded architect.

★ Ahmad Mahmoud, Novelist.

★ Kianoush Aryyari, Director.

★ Hamid Labkhandeh, Director.

★ Hamid Dabashi, Intellectual historian, cultural and literary critic

★ Siavash Ghomeyshi, well-known singer and music composer.

★ Patrick Monahan, British Comedian.

★ Parviz Abnar

★ Mohammad Reza Eskandari, Iran's current minister of Agriculture

★ Abu Nuwas, famous figure in Arabic poetry.

★ Ali Abbas Majusi, physician

★ Ali Shamkhani, Iranian Minister of Defence (1997-2005)

★ Hossein Kaebi, national football star

★ Jalal Kameli Mofrad, national football player

★ Mohammad Mousavi Ney soloist

★ Ali ibn Abbas al-Majusi, the famous physician

★ Abdullah-lbn-Meymoon Ahvazi

★ Naubakht, an astronomer, and his sons;

★ The family of Bakhtshooa Gondishapoori

★ Ibn Sakkit Doraghi Ahwazi, Writer in the early years after invasion of Islam

★ Da'bal-e-Khazai

★ Sattaar Oraki Pouri, Iranian Pianist and Composer

★ Farid Omran, Originallt from Abadan, Globally recognised composer

★ Farshad Kooti, The award winner of Pro Evaluation Soccer(PES6) games in university of tehran, iran(2007).

Gallery

References

1. Ahvaz
2. Ahvāz
3. Dodgeon M. H. and Lieu S. N. C., ''The Roman Eastern Frontier and The Persian Wars; A Documentary History'', London (1991), p.35; ISBN 0-415-10317-7
4. cf. ''Encyclopædia Iranica''
5. X. de Planhol, ''Encyclopædia Iranica''
6. ''Encyclopædia Iranica'', p.690, see entry: ''Ahvaz''
7. ''Ibid'', p.690
8. Pirnia, Mansoureh. ''Salar Zanana Iran''. 1995. Maryland: Mehran Iran Publishing.

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

★ Union of Iranian Southern Universities

★ Fulad Ahvaz Football Club

★ Esteqlal Ahvaz Football Club