Nahavand Persian:نهاوند | |
|---|---|
City | |
  Nahavand | |
| Coordinates:34°11′34″N48°22′23″E / 34.19278°N 48.37306°E /34.19278; 48.37306[1] | |
| Country | Iran |
| Province | Hamadan |
| County | Nahavand |
| District | Central |
| Population (2016)[2] | |
• Total | 76,162 |
| Time zone | UTC+3:30 (IRST) |
Nahavand (Persian:نهاوند)[a] is a city in theCentral District ofNahavand County,Hamadan province,Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.[4] It is south of the city ofHamadan, west ofMalayer and northwest ofBorujerd.
Inhabited continuously sinceprehistoric times, Nahavand was bestowed upon theHouse of Karen in theSasanian period. During theMuslim conquest of Persia, it was the site of the famousBattle of Nahavand.
The nameNahāvand is probably ultimately derived fromOld Persian*Niθāvanta-, related to the Old Persian nameNisāya, itself derived from the prefixni-, meaning "down" and a second element which is related toAvestansi orsay, meaning "to lie down".[5]
It has been spelled differently in different books and sources:Nahavand,Nahavend,Nahawand,Nahaavand,Nihavand,Nehavand,Nihavend, orNehavend, formerly calledMah-Nahavand, and in antiquityLaodicea (Greek:Λαοδίκεια;ArabicLadhiqiyya), also transliteratedLaodiceia andLaodikeia,Laodicea in Media,Laodicea in Persis,Antiochia in Persis,Antiochia of Chosroes (Greek:Αντιόχεια του Χοσρόη),Antiochia in Media (Greek:Αντιόχεια της Μηδίας),Nemavand andNiphaunda.
Excavations conducted in 1931/2 atTepe Giyan byGeorges Contenau andRoman Ghirshman led to the conclusion that Nahavand and its environs have been inhabited since prehistoric times.[6] It showed that the site of Tepe Giyan, which liesc. 10 kilometers southeast of Nahavand, was occupied from at least 5,000 BC toc. 1,000 BC.[6][7]
During theAchaemenid period (550–330 BC), Nahavand was located in the southernmost part ofMedia, on the fertileNisaean plain.[6][9] The ancient geographer and historianStrabo wrote that it was "(re-)founded" by Achaemenid KingXerxes the Great (r. 486–465 BC).[6] It layc. 96 kilometers fromEcbatana (modern-day Hamadan), on thetrunk road fromBabylonia through Media toBactria.[9] In theSeleucid period, Nahavand was turned into a Greekpolis with magistrates and a Seleucid governor.[9] In the 20th century, a stonestele was found near Nahavand. The stele bore a copy of the dynastic cult inscription of Seleucid rulerAntiochus III the Great (r. 222–187 BC), which he had created for his wife, QueenLaodice III.[6][9][10] The stele, dated to 193 BC, revealed theterminus ante quem of the foundation of the Greekpolis of Laodiceia.[9][10] According to the polymathAbu Hanifa Dinawari, who flourished in the 9th century, in theParthian period, Nahavand was the seat of the Parthian prince Artabanus, who later reigned asArtabanus I of Parthia (r. 127–124/3 BC).[6] During theSasanian period, the district of Nahavand was bestowed upon theHouse of Karen.[6] There was also afire temple in the city.[6]
In 642, during theArab conquest of Iran, afamous battle was fought at Nahavand.[6][11] With heavy losses on both sides, it eventually resulted in a Sasanian defeat, and as such, opened up the doors of theIranian plateau to the invaders.[6][11] In the early Islamic period, Nahavand flourished as part of the province ofJibal. It first functioned as administrative center of theMah al-Basra ("Media of the Basrans") district.[6] Its revenues were reportedly used for the payment of the troops fromBasra that were stationed in Nahavand. Medieval geographers mention Nahavand as an affluent commercial hub with twoFriday mosques.[6] When the 10th-century Arab traveller Abu Dulaf travelled through Nahavand, he noted "fine remains of the [ancient] Persians".[6] Abu Dulaf also wrote that during the reign of Caliphal-Ma'mun (813–833), a treasure chamber had been found, containing two gold caskets.[6]
In the course of the subsequent centuries, only few events in Nahavand were recorded. The Persianvizier of theSeljuk Empire,Nizam al-Mulk, was assassinated in 1092 near Nahavand.[6] According to the historian and geographerHamdallah Mustawfi, who flourished in the 13th and 14th centuries, Nahavand was a town of medium size surrounded by fertile fields where corn, cotton and fruits were grown.[6] Mustawfi added that its inhabitants were mainlyTwelver ShiaKurds.[6]
In 1589, during theOttoman-Safavid War of 1578–1590, Ottoman generalCığalazade Yusuf Sinan Pasha built a fortress at Nahavand for future campaigns againstSafavid Iran.[6] By theTreaty of Constantinople (1590), the Safavids were forced to cede the city to the Turks.[12] In 1602/3, Nahavand's citizens revolted against the Ottoman occupiers.[6] Coinciding with theCelali revolts inAnatolia, the Safavids recaptured Nahavand and expelled the Ottomans from the city, thus restoring Iranian control.[6][13] The Safavid governor ofHamadan, Hasan Khan Ustajlu, subsequently destroyed the Ottoman fort.[6][14] In the wake of the collapse of the Safavids in 1722, the Turks captured Nahavand once more. In 1730, they were ousted byNader-Qoli Beg (later known asNader Shah;r. 1736–1747).[6] Nader's death in 1747 led to instability. Over the next few years, Nahavand was exploited by localBakhtiari chiefs.[6] Inc. 1752,Karim Khan Zand defeated the Bakhtiari chieftainAli Mardan Khan Bakhtiari at Nahavand.[6]
The local language of the city is the Nahavandi sub-dialect of the northern dialect of theLuri language. This dialect is one of the closest dialects to the Middle Persian language, and is occasionally considered a distinct language.[15]
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 72,218 in 19,419 households.[16] The following census in 2011 counted 75,445 people in 22,672 households.[17] The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 76,162 people in 23,947 households.[2]
Nahavand is situated in thewest of Iran, in the northern part of theZagros region.[6] It liesc. 90 kilometers south ofHamadan, from which it is separated by themassif of theAlvand subrange.[6] This massif grants Nahavand and its hinterlands an abundant water supply.[6] Historically, Nahavand was located on a route that led from centralIraq throughKermanshah to northern Iran, and was therefore often crossed by armies.[6] Another historic road, coming from Kermanshah, leads towardsIsfahan in central Iran and avoids the Alvand massif.[18] Nahavand also lies on the branch of the Gamasab river which comes from the southeast from the vicinity ofBorujerd; from Nahavand the Gamasab river flows westwards toMount Behistun.[18] Given Nahavand's location, it was the site of several battles, and was considered important inIranian history during Iran's wars with its western neighbors.[6][18]
Nahavand has aMediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification '"Csa).
| Climate data for Nahavand (elevation:1,680.9 m (5,515 ft), 1996-2005 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 0.8 (33.4) | 3.3 (37.9) | 7.3 (45.1) | 12.7 (54.9) | 16.9 (62.4) | 22.3 (72.1) | 26.0 (78.8) | 26.0 (78.8) | 21.1 (70.0) | 15.8 (60.4) | 8.6 (47.5) | 4.8 (40.6) | 13.8 (56.8) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 56.1 (2.21) | 40.4 (1.59) | 86.7 (3.41) | 53.9 (2.12) | 22.8 (0.90) | 1.1 (0.04) | 1.1 (0.04) | 0.3 (0.01) | 2.0 (0.08) | 14.2 (0.56) | 46.3 (1.82) | 51.3 (2.02) | 376.2 (14.8) |
| Source: IRIMO[19] | |||||||||||||
Nahavand also gives its name to the musical mode (maqam)Nahawand in Arabic, Persian and Turkish music.[20] This mode is known for its wide variety of Western sounding melodies.
Media related toNahavand at Wikimedia Commons
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Laodiceia".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.| International | |
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