Fasa Persian:فَسا | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Local palm grove  Shrine of Prince Qaseem  Shrine of Imamzade Esmail  City entrance  Promenade of the Ruined Firetemple  Municipality Observatory  Fasa House building  Mount Kharman in the distance | |
| Etymology: Possibly fromOld Persian*pa-sāya ("encampment") | |
  Fasa | |
| Coordinates:28°57′01″N53°37′38″E / 28.95028°N 53.62722°E /28.95028; 53.62722[1] | |
| Country | Iran |
| Province | Fars |
| County | Fasa |
| District | Central |
| Area | |
• City | 25.5 km2 (9.8 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 3rd |
| Elevation | 1,150 m (3,770 ft) |
| Population (2016)[2] | |
| • Density | 4,346/km2 (11,260/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 110,825 |
| • Population Rank | 4th |
| Demonym | Fasa'i |
| Time zone | UTC+3:30 (IRST) |
| Website | shfasa |
Fasa (Persian:فسا)[a] is a city in theCentral District ofFasa County,Fars province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.[4] The city's population in 2016 was 110,825.[2] Fasa is the fourth most populous city of the province,[5] and dates back to theAchaemenid period.[6]
Fasa's economy is based on agriculture and Pastoralism.Jahrom,Darab,Sarvestan,Kherameh andEstahban are neighbours of Fasa. This city is located on the road fromShiraz toKerman, This has made Fasa a strategic and important city.
The name Fasa is derived from the older formPasā.[7] Various etymologies for this name have been proposed.[7][8][9][6][10] Local tradition holds that Fasa is named after a legendary prince named Pasa, son of Fars and grandson ofTahmuras.[7] InIbn al-Balkhi's retelling the legend, Fars granted the town of Fasa to Pasa; inHamdallah Mustawfi's version, Pasa founds the city himself (in this version, he is directly the son of Tahmuras).[7]
Harold Bailey proposed on linguistic grounds that the name is ultimately derived fromOld Persian*pa-sāya, meaning "campground".[8] This name would have referred to what was originally a Persian nomadic encampment that later evolved into a town (presumably Tall-e Zahhak, 3km south of present-day Fasa).[8] It would have then come to refer more generally to the entire surrounding plain – i.e. the Fasa plain.[8] ThePersepolis Administrative Archives (tablets 49 and 53)[9] mention a place in Fars called (inElamite)ba-a-ši-ya-an, which George Glenn Cameron had already identified with Fasa; Bailey argued that this is an Elamite rendering of the Persian name*Pasāya.[8]
This identification is not entirely uncontested – for example, Jan Tavernier reconstructs this form as Old Persian*Paišiyā-, literally meaning "before" and being a shortened form of a longer name.[9] Tavernier instead prefers the form*Fasāta, reconstructed from ElamitePa-iš-šá-taš, as the ancient name of Fasa.[9] Researchers have also considered the meaning of the word Fasa "the city of thePersians".[6][10] Much earlier, the 13th century writerYaqut al-Hamawi also suggested that the name meant "the north wind".[7]
Whatever its original meaning was, the name of Fasa later becamePasā inMiddle Persian.[7][8] At some point the ancient site at Tall-e Zahhak was abandoned and the name was transferred to the modern site.[8] Finally, after theMuslim conquest of Persia, sinceArabic doesn't have the sound "P", Arabic authors wrote the name asFasā orBasā.[7] Eventually, the Arabized formFasā supplanted the old namePasā locally as well.[7]
The adjective (akanesba ordemonym) associated with Fasa today isFasā'ī.[7] An older form isFasāwī, which was used by some medieval writers such asIbn al-Sam'ani.[7] Within Fars, a completely different demonym was used: according to Ibn al-Sam'ani andHamza Esfahani (as quoted by Yaqut), the locals saidBasāsīrī instead ofFasa'i.[7] This shares an origin with the Persian termsgarm-sīr ("hot region") andsard-sīr ("cold region"), so that in effectbasāsīrī meant "the Fasa region".[7] Hamza Esfahani also mentioned a place nearNa'in calledKasnā, which used the similarly derived adjectivekasnāsīrī.[7] A prominent bearer of thisnesba wasAbu'l-Harith Arslan Basasiri, an 11th-century Turkic mercenary leader who led a rebellion against the caliphal-Qa'im.[7]
The origins of Fasa go back to at least theAchaemenid period and probably earlier.[7] Several prehistoric mounds, such as Tall-e Siah, indicate early human activity in the Fasa region; they mostly are from theEneolithic period.[7] One of these sites is Tall-e Zahhak, a 660x750 m-widetell 3 km southeast of present-day Fasa.[8] Tall-e Zahhak represents the old site of Fasa itself, with many archaeological strata spanning a time between the 3rd millennium BCE and the 13th century CE.[8] At some point, the old site at Tall-e Zahhak became abandoned, and the name "Fasa" migrated to the new location that is inhabited today.[8] If the linguistic derivation of the name from Old Persian meaning "encampment" is correct, then Fasa probably began as a nomadic encampment that later developed into a permanent settlement.[8]
There are two prehistoric archaeological sequences at Tall-e Zahhak: the older Khayrabad ware and the more recent Zahhak ware.[8] Both are similar to different types of theKaftari ware of central Fars and may date from the same period, which is tentatively estimated to be 2000-1800 BCE.[8] There is then a gap until the Achaemenid period, when "finely-burnished red ware showing characteristic everted rims" appear in the archaeological record.[8] There is a large mud-brick platform, which probably also dates from Achaemenid times given its resemblance to similar platforms atPersepolis andPasargadae.[8] Another characteristically Achaemenid feature found at Tall-e Zahhak is a large fluted column base similar to the ones found at Persepolis.[8] This column base may indicate that Achaemenid Fasa was the site of a royal palace or administrative center.[8] In any case, Fasa was an important fortified settlement during this period.[7] There is also evidence of occupation duringHellenistic times.[8]
Fasa came under Muslim control peacefully in 644 (23AH), when the Arab generalUthman ibn Abi al-As reached an agreement with theherbad of Fasa andDarabgerd.[7] According toIbn al-Balkhi, the herbad offered a payment of two milliondirhams in return foramān (protection from harm), and promised that the locals would continue to pay thejizya tax to the Muslims.[7] Another force was sent to Fars underAbdallah ibn Amir in 650 (29 AH).[7]
In the 10th century,Estakhri described Fasa as the largest town in thekūra (province) of Darabgerd – it was almost as large as Shiraz, which was then the capital of Fars.[7] Its buildings, he wrote, were "more spacious" than the ones in Shiraz, and they were made ofcypress wood and mud.[7] It had wide streets, a citadel, a moat, and arabaz or market quarter outside the walls.[7] Fasa was an affluent town, and its residents lived in relative comfort because their commercial activity brought in plenty of wealth.[7] Fasa's agricultural districts produced both cold and warm weather fruits.[7] The main religion wasSunni Islam, of the samemadhhab asBaghdad.[7]
Estakhri listed some of the items sold at Fasa's markets:silks, including so-calledwashy silks that were multicolored and sometimesbrocaded; "good delicate costumes";besāṭs (i.e. tablecloths and rugs); finesetrs (i.e. curtains and bedsheets);fūṭas (i.e. napkins and towels); fine carpets; tablecloths;khargāhs (i.e. fine tents);mandīls (i.e.handkerchiefs and turban-like headgear); andsafflower.[7]Moqaddasi wrote in 985 that Fasa was home to "the most righteous, pleasant, and liberal people of Fars" and noted that its marketplace was all built out of wood.[7] He described itscongregational mosque as being larger than the one in Shiraz; it was built from brick and featured two courtyards connected by a roofed passage like the one in Baghdad.[7] The anonymous author of theHudud al-'Alam in 982 also described Fasa as a large and prosperous town that was a center of commerce.[7]
Fasa was devastated in 989/90 (379 AH) during a bloodyBuyid civil war between Turkish mercenaries formerly employed bySharaf al-Dawla, who had recently died, andDaylamite troops loyal toSamsam al-Dawla.[7] Fasa had been a base of the Daylamites under Samsam al-Dawla, and the Turks, commanded by Sharaf al-Dawla's son Abu Ali, sacked Fasa and killed all the Daylamites stationed there before returning west.[7]
Later, in 1050 (442 AH), the futureSeljuk sultanAlp Arslan led a clandestine raid on Fasa, which was still under Buyid control.[7] His forces snuck up on Fasa through the desert, killed many of the inhabitants, looted three milliondinars worth of valuables, and took 3,000 captives before returning toMerv inKhorasan.[7]
Fasa is rarely mentioned in later documents, probably because it had declined significantly by then.[7] In the first decade of the 1100s,Ibn al-Balkhi wrote, "although Fasa is as large as Isfahan, it is in complete disarray, and the largest part thereof in ruin.Shabankara [tribesmen] had destroyed it; theatabegČāvlī had it rebuilt."[7] The perception that Fasa had previously been a great city but had now fallen into decay is supported by the fact that the latest pottery fragments found at Tall-e Zahhak date from the 12th and 13th centuries.[8]
In 1762/3 (1176 AH),Karim Khan Zand sent forces to subdue theBakhtiari tribe in the mountains near Isfahan.[7] Two branches, theHaft Lang andChahar Lang, were forced to migrate; the Haft Lang were resettled nearQom and the Chahar Lang were resettled near Fasa.[7] "As a gesture of goodwill", Karim Khan had agricultural lands provided for the Bakhtiaris.[7] This event "might have had serious socio-economic and cultural consequences for Fasa".[7] Later,Zayn al-Abedin Shirvani wrote that Fasa was "a pleasant townlet... Most of its inhabitants areTajik... all of them areShi'ite and not devoid ofmardomī (civility)...Now it includes nearly two thousand houses, and its countryside nearly thirty hamlets and cultivated fields."[7]
Urban Foundations of Fasa (Grand Mosque, Bazaar, Bath, etc.) was established during theSafavid period and expanded during theAfsharids. Epidemics, famines, political games, insecurity and looting were among the most important factors in the destruction and decline of Fasa's prosperity during theQajar period.[6]
The predominant language of the people of Fasa is Persian with the Eastern Fars dialect (a dialect between Shirazi and Kermani), and because various tribes have inhabited this land in the past, There is also a significantKhamseh Arab minority in Fasa. Almost all of the people areMuslims.[6]
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 90,251 in 22,097 households.[11] The following census in 2011 counted 104,809 people in 28,862 households.[12] The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 110,825 people in 33,379 households.[2]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 31,489 | — |
| 1986 | 64,771 | +105.7% |
| 1991 | 74,478 | +15.0% |
| 1996 | 81,706 | +9.7% |
| 2006 | 90,251 | +10.5% |
| 2011 | 104,809 | +16.1% |
| 2016 | 110,825 | +5.7% |
Fasa has ahot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification:BSh). Its average annual precipitation is about 290 millimetres (11 in).
| Climate data for Fasa (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 25.4 (77.7) | 27.0 (80.6) | 31.8 (89.2) | 39.0 (102.2) | 41.0 (105.8) | 45.0 (113.0) | 45.0 (113.0) | 43.6 (110.5) | 41.0 (105.8) | 39.0 (102.2) | 30.0 (86.0) | 28.0 (82.4) | 45.0 (113.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 14.7 (58.5) | 17.2 (63.0) | 21.0 (69.8) | 27.0 (80.6) | 33.8 (92.8) | 38.7 (101.7) | 40.1 (104.2) | 39.1 (102.4) | 35.6 (96.1) | 30.1 (86.2) | 22.3 (72.1) | 17.4 (63.3) | 28.1 (82.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 7.4 (45.3) | 9.7 (49.5) | 13.1 (55.6) | 18.3 (64.9) | 24.8 (76.6) | 29.6 (85.3) | 31.7 (89.1) | 30.4 (86.7) | 26.2 (79.2) | 20.4 (68.7) | 13.4 (56.1) | 9.2 (48.6) | 19.5 (67.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.4 (34.5) | 3.1 (37.6) | 5.7 (42.3) | 9.7 (49.5) | 14.8 (58.6) | 18.8 (65.8) | 21.9 (71.4) | 20.7 (69.3) | 16.3 (61.3) | 11.1 (52.0) | 5.7 (42.3) | 2.6 (36.7) | 11.0 (51.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −6.0 (21.2) | −5.6 (21.9) | −5.0 (23.0) | 0.0 (32.0) | 4.0 (39.2) | 10.6 (51.1) | 14.0 (57.2) | 11.0 (51.8) | 6.0 (42.8) | 2.0 (35.6) | −2.6 (27.3) | −7.0 (19.4) | −7.0 (19.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 77.3 (3.04) | 59.5 (2.34) | 56.7 (2.23) | 17.8 (0.70) | 2.2 (0.09) | 0.3 (0.01) | 0.4 (0.02) | 1.9 (0.07) | 0.5 (0.02) | 1.0 (0.04) | 17.4 (0.69) | 49.7 (1.96) | 284.7 (11.21) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1 mm) | 5.7 | 4.3 | 4.9 | 2.5 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 24.6 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 63 | 59 | 54 | 46 | 29 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 31 | 48 | 59 | 39.8 |
| Averagedew point °C (°F) | −0.3 (31.5) | 0.7 (33.3) | 2.2 (36.0) | 4.6 (40.3) | 3.5 (38.3) | 3.1 (37.6) | 6.2 (43.2) | 5.2 (41.4) | 2.7 (36.9) | 1.3 (34.3) | 0.8 (33.4) | 0.1 (32.2) | 2.5 (36.5) |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 227 | 219 | 249 | 266 | 330 | 349 | 336 | 335 | 312 | 305 | 246 | 236 | 3,410 |
| Source 1:NOAA NCEI[13] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: IRIMO,[14] Fars province Meteorological Organization[15] | |||||||||||||
| Climate data for Fasa (1966–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 24.0 (75.2) | 27.0 (80.6) | 31.0 (87.8) | 39.0 (102.2) | 40.0 (104.0) | 45.0 (113.0) | 45.0 (113.0) | 43.6 (110.5) | 41.0 (105.8) | 39.0 (102.2) | 30.0 (86.0) | 28.0 (82.4) | 42 (108) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 14.3 (57.7) | 16.8 (62.2) | 20.8 (69.4) | 26.7 (80.1) | 33.5 (92.3) | 38.3 (100.9) | 39.7 (103.5) | 38.7 (101.7) | 35.3 (95.5) | 29.8 (85.6) | 22.7 (72.9) | 16.7 (62.1) | 27.8 (82.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 7.7 (45.9) | 9.6 (49.3) | 13.2 (55.8) | 18.2 (64.8) | 24.3 (75.7) | 28.7 (83.7) | 30.6 (87.1) | 29.6 (85.3) | 25.8 (78.4) | 20.3 (68.5) | 14.1 (57.4) | 9.6 (49.3) | 19.3 (66.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.1 (34.0) | 2.5 (36.5) | 5.6 (42.1) | 9.7 (49.5) | 15.1 (59.2) | 19.0 (66.2) | 21.6 (70.9) | 20.6 (69.1) | 16.2 (61.2) | 10.9 (51.6) | 5.6 (42.1) | 2.5 (36.5) | 10.9 (51.6) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −6.0 (21.2) | −5.6 (21.9) | −5.0 (23.0) | 0.0 (32.0) | 4.0 (39.2) | 10.6 (51.1) | 14.0 (57.2) | 11.0 (51.8) | 6.0 (42.8) | 2.0 (35.6) | −2.6 (27.3) | −7.0 (19.4) | −7.0 (19.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 82.3 (3.24) | 50.9 (2.00) | 52.4 (2.06) | 18.5 (0.73) | 2.1 (0.08) | 0.3 (0.01) | 1.5 (0.06) | 1.4 (0.06) | 0.3 (0.01) | 1.5 (0.06) | 13.1 (0.52) | 65.6 (2.58) | 289.9 (11.41) |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 63 | 57 | 53 | 44 | 29 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 31 | 43 | 58 | 39 |
| Averagedew point °C (°F) | 0.0 (32.0) | 0.7 (33.3) | 2.7 (36.9) | 4.5 (40.1) | 4.4 (39.9) | 4.1 (39.4) | 6.7 (44.1) | 6.8 (44.2) | 3.6 (38.5) | 1.6 (34.9) | 0.4 (32.7) | 0.4 (32.7) | 3.0 (37.4) |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 224.5 | 221.2 | 244.9 | 262.4 | 330.9 | 351.4 | 333.8 | 325.5 | 311.4 | 301.7 | 249.3 | 224.3 | 3,381.3 |
| Source: IRIMO[16] Fars province Meteorological Organization[17] | |||||||||||||
Fasa is thriving in terms of agriculture, and is known as the city ofwheat. Due to the favorable climate,palms,walnut trees, andcitrus such asoranges,tangerines,pomegranates,pistachios,almonds, andwalnuts are common in this city.Cotton cultivation has also flourished in Fasa.[18]
Pastoralism is the second base of Fasa's economy. A variety of livestock and dairy products, wool, leather, meat, are the products of the city.
There is also an under construction petrochemical project in the city. The construction stated in 2012 and after the complete operation, It will produce Low density polyethylenes.[19]
The "Fasaei bread" (Persian:نان فسایی) is the most significant and the main souvenir of Fasa city.Kilim,Gabbeh,Jajim,Lemon,Orange,Tangerine,Pomegranate,Walnut,Pistachio and handicrafts are other souvenirs of this city.[20]
Fasa has two hospitals in operation and one hospital under construction.
Shiraz-Fasa highway, The highway which connects Fasa to Shiraz is in operation. Fasa-Darab and Fasa-Estahban-Neyriz highway projects are also under construction.[22]
Currently, the Shiraz-Golgohar railway is passing through Fasa with the aim of connecting Shiraz to the Golgohar mines andKerman province. The length of this route is 346 kilometres (215 mi), which is under construction in 4 phases and connects Shiraz to Golgohar throughSarvestan, Fasa,Estahban andNeyriz.[23]
Fasa Airport is an airport near Fasa. The airport is currently inactive, but studies of the airport's development plan, improving and increasing the length of the runway with the aim of resuming commercial flights are being done. The airport has a 1,982 metres (6,503 ft) runway.[24]
Media related toFasa at Wikimedia Commons
Fasa travel guide from Wikivoyage
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