Abhar Persian:ابهر | |
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City | |
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  Abhar | |
| Coordinates:36°08′47″N49°13′21″E / 36.14639°N 49.22250°E /36.14639; 49.22250[1] | |
| Country | Iran |
| Province | Zanjan |
| County | Abhar |
| District | Central |
| Population (2016)[2] | |
• Total | 99,285 |
| Time zone | UTC+3:30 (IRST) |
Abhar (Persian:ابهر)[a] is a city in theCentral District ofAbhar County,Zanjan province,Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.[4] Abhar has historically served as a place of importance due to lying right between the cities ofQazvin andZanjan.[5]
"Abhar" is a combination of the wordsāb (water) andhar (mill), due to the various water mills in the area. The locals refer to it as "Awhar".[6] In the 10th-century geography bookHudud al-'Alam, the name is also spelt as "Awhar".Yaqut al-Hamawi (died 1229) likewise reports that the Persians called the city "Awhar".[7]
Abhar has served as a vital spot since antiquity due to its location on the route that linksDinavar toQazvin andZanjan as well as the central areas of Iran to the region ofAzerbaijan. It was conquered in 643 or 645 byal-Bara' ibn Azib during theArab conquest of Iran. The inhabitants of Abhar initially put up a fierce fight which lasted for several days, but eventually sued for peace, which the Arabs agreed to.[7]
Abhar was part of theJibal region,[8] which would later in the 11th-12th centuries become known asPersian Iraq.[9]Ibn Hawqal, writing in the 10th-century, reports that the inhabitants of Abhar wereKurds.[10] TheSamanid rulerIsmail Samani (r. 892–907) captured Abhar during his rule.[7] In 916 or 917, Abhar (along with Zanjan, Qazvin, andRay) was seized from the Samanids by theSajidYusuf ibn Abi'l-Saj (r. 901–928), the virtually independent governor of the caliphal provinces of Azerbaijan andArmenia. Yusuf attempted to justify his attack by claiming that the previous caliphal vizierAli ibn Isa ibn al-Jarrah had given him the governorship of the region. Most authors, however, consider this claim to be made up.[11][12] In 917, Wasif al-Baktimuri was given the governorship of Abhar and other areas by the caliphal-Muqtadir (r. 908–929).[7]
In 928, Abhar was briefly seized by theAlid ruler of northern Iran, Abu Muhammad Hasan ibn Qasim. He was soon ousted from the town byAsfar ibn Shiruya, who claimed the place for himself.[7] In 930, Asfar was betrayed and ambushed by hisZiyarid commanderMardavij, who took over his domains, including Abhar.[13] In 942, the Samanid generalAbu Ali Chaghani captured Abhar.[7] In 997, the ruler of theDaylamiteSallarid dynasty, Ibrahim II ibn Marzuban II, capitalized on the weak rule of theBuyid rulerMajd al-Dawla (r. 997–1029) by briefly seizing Buyid land in Jibal, including Abhar, Zanjan andSohrevard. A coin that was struck in 1013/14 has been found in Abhar, either made under theSallarids or their opponents, theRawadid dynasty.[14] In 1029, Abhar was conquered by aGhaznavid force led by princeMas'ud.[7]
In 1091, theNizari Ismailis seized Sanamkuh, a fortress located in the environs of Abhar. They controlled until 1096, when they were repelled by thesultan of theSeljuk Empire,Berkyaruq (r. 1094–1105). In 1167, Abhar was attacked by a force led by Inanaj, a commander of theEldiguzid dynasty of Azerbaijan. Supported by soldiers sent by theKhwarazmshahAla al-Din Tekish (r. 1172–1200) of theAnushtegin dynasty, Inanaj ran rampant in the town, capturing the women and children before going back toKhwarazm. In 1217, the KhwarazmshahMuhammad II (r. 1200–1220) conquered Abhar.[7]
Abhar is described in some detail by Hamdallah Mustawfi, who in the 14th-century served as governor of the town along with some other places. He estimated that the length of theramparts was 5,500gams (paces/strides). He commended theproduce of the town, which encompassed of grain and large amount of fruits, especially theSijistani pears, Bu Ali plums and black cherries. He also reported that the residents of Abhar had fair skin and were adherents of theShafi'i school, and that the grave of Shaykh Abu Bakr ibn Tahir al-Tayyar al-Abhari was located there.[7]
The 17th-century French travelerJean-Baptiste Tavernier, who had been to Abhar, reported the place in his 1676 bookLes six voyages en Turquie, en Perse et aux Indes as a sizable, ancient town that was now in ruins and home to a community ofArmenians. Another French traveler,Jean Chardin, who had been to Abhar in 1673, reported that the place had seen several massacres and devastations. He added that the town had large gardens despite having little more than 2,500 houses. He described its inhabitants as Persian-speaking, contrary to its previous populace, which spokeTurkic.[7]
Comte Laurent de Sercey, writing in 1840, reported that Abhar had 800–900 inhabitants and 200 houses.Zayn al-Abidin Shirvani (died 1837), however, reported that Abhar had 700 houses. During the rule of theQajarshah of Iran,Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (r. 1848–1896), the royal artillery used Abhar as one of their central bases.[7]
The population of Abhar consists of Turkic speakers who are generally bilingual in Persian.[6]
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 70,836 in 19,136 households.[15] The following census in 2011 counted 87,396 people in 25,646 households.[16] The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 99,285 people in 30,932 households.[2]
The Abhar-rud valley has remains and artifacts that date back to the 2nd millennium BC. Abhar's ancient origins are further demonstrated by the fact that it is linked by Islamic-era writers to mythological and semi-mythical individuals inKayanian era. In hisTarikh-i guzida,Hamdallah Mustawfi (died after 1339/40) reports that the founder of Abhar was the Kayanian ruler,Dara II,[7] whose historical counterpart is theAchaemenid rulerDarius III (r. 336–330 BC).[17] However, in hisNuzhat al-Qulub, Hamdallah Mustawfi creditsKay Khosrow with the city's foundation. Yaqut al-Hamawi attributes the foundation of Abhar and its fortress to theSasanian rulerShapur II (r. 309–379). Another fortress appears to have been erected or added on top of this old fortress at a later time. According to Hamdallah Mustawfi, Nushtagin Shirgir Saljuqi's descendant Baha al-Din Haydar constructed the Haydariyya castle on the location of a fortress.[7]
The following are some of the historical sites in Abhar:[7]
Media related toAbhar at Wikimedia Commons
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