Guilan
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Guilan (گیلان in Persian) is one of the 30 provinces of Iran, known during ancient times as part of Hyrcania, with a population of approximately 2 million and an area of 14,700 sq. km. It lies just west of the province of Mazandaran, along the Caspian Sea. The center of the province is the city of Rasht. Other towns in the province include Astara, Astaneh-e Ashrafiyyeh, Rudsar, LangRud, Souma'eh Sara, Talesh, Fuman, Masouleh, and Lahijan.
The main harbor port of the province is Bandar-e Anzali (previously Bandar-e Pahlavi).
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History
Image:Swastika iran.jpgImage:Rood-khan.jpg
Ancient history
Archaeological excavations reveal the antiquity of the province to date back to prior to the last Ice Age.
In the 6th century BCE, the inhabitants of Guilan (such as the Gill and Daylam tribes) allied with Cyrus the Great and overthrew the Medes. The province then passed from the control of one dynasty to the next.
Modern history
After World War I, Guilan came to be ruled independently of the central government of Tehran and concern arose that the province might permanently separate at some point. Prior to the war, Guilanis had played an important role in the Constitutional Revolution of Iran under the leadership of Mirza Kouchak Khan Jangali. His movement, known as the Jangalis (Foresters Movement), had sent an armed brigade to Tehran which helped depose the Qajar ruler Mohammad Ali Shah. However, the revolution did not progress the way the constitutionalists had strived for, and Iran came to face much internal unrest and foreign intrusions, particularly from the British and Russian Empires.
Guilan's contribution to the movement of Mirza Kouchak Khan Jangali, known as the Constitutionalist movement of Guilan (also Jangalis) is glorified in Iranian history and effectively secured Guilan and Mazandaran against foreign invasions. However, in 1920 British forces invaded Bandar-e Anzali, while being pursued by the Bolsheviks. In the midst of this conflict between Britain and Russia, the Jangalis entered into an alliance with the Bolsheviks against the British. This culminated in the establishment of the Soviet Republic of Guilan, which lasted from June 1920 until September 1921. In February 1921 the Soviets withdrew their support for the Jangali government of Guilan, and signed the Soviet-Iranian Friendship Treaty with the central government of Tehran. The Jangalis continued to struggle against the central government for the rest of that year until their final defeat in September when control of Guilan returned to Tehran.
Geography and Climate
Image:Mirza teeghi.jpg Guilan has a humid temperate climate with plenty of annual rainfall. The Alborz range provides further diversity to the land in addition to the Caspian coasts.
Large parts of the province are mountainous, green and forested. The coastal plain along the Caspian Sea is similar to that of Mazandaran, mainly used for rice paddies.
In May 1990 large parts of the province were destroyed by a huge earthquake, in which about 45,000 people died. Abbas Kiarostami made his famous films "Nothing but Life" and "Through the Olive Trees" based upon this event.
People and Culture
The majority of the population speaks Gilaki, a distinct dialect of Persian, as their first language while many children, particularly in the cities, tend to use standard Persian amongst themselves.
Gilan's position in between the Tehran-Baku trade route has established the cities of Bandar-e Anzali and Rasht as ranking amongst the most important commercial centers in Iran. As a result, the merchant and middle-classes comprise a significant percentage of the population.
The province has an annual average of 2 million tourists, mostly domestic. Although Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization lists 211 sites of historical and cultural significance in the province, the main tourist attraction in Guilan is the small town of Masouleh in the hills south-east of Rasht. The town is built not dissimilar to the pueblo settlements, with the roof of one house being the courtyard of the next house above.
Gilan has a strong culinary tradition, from which several dishes have come to be adopted across Iran. This richness derives in part from the climate, which allows for a wide variety of fruit, vegetables and nuts grown in the province. Seafood is a particularly strong component of Gilani (and Mazandarani) cuisine. Sturgeon, often smoked or served as kabab, and caviar are delicacies along the whole Caspian littoral. Traditional Persian stews such as ghalieh mahi (fish stew) and ghalieh maygu (shrimp stew) are also featured and prepared in a uniquely Gilani fashion.
More specific to Gilan are a distinctive walnut-paste and pomegranate-juice sauce, used as a marinade for 'sour' kabab and as the basis of fesenjun, a rich stew of duck, chicken or lamb. Mirza Ghasemi is an aubergine and egg dish with a smoky taste that is often served as a side dish or appetizer. Other such dishes include pickled garlic, olives with walnut paste, and smoked fish. The caviar and smoked fish from the region are, in particular, widely prized and sought after specialities in both domestic and foreign gourmet markets. See also Persian cuisine.
Colleges and Universities
- Gilan University of Mofid
- University of Gilan
- Islamic Azad University of Astara
- Islamic Azad University of Bandar Anzali
- Islamic Azad University of Rasht
- Gilan University of Medical Sciences
See also
External links
- Picture Gallery of Guilan
- Guilan University of Medical Sciences Health Information Center
- Gilan Cultural Heritage Organization (An excellent source of info in Persian)
- Masouleh Village Official website
- Guilan Province Office of Tourism
- Guilan Province Department of Education (in Persian)
| Provinces of Iran | Image:Iran flag large.png |
|---|---|
| Ardabil | Bushehr | Chahar Mahaal and Bakhtiari | East Azerbaijan | Isfahan | Fars | Guilan | Golestan | Hamadan | Hormozgan | Ilam | Kerman | Kermanshah | Khuzestan | Kohkiluyeh and Buyer Ahmad | Kurdistan | Lorestan | Markazi | Mazandaran | North Khorasan | Qazvin | Qom | Razavi Khorasan | Semnan | Sistan and Baluchistan | South Khorasan | Tehran | West Azerbaijan | Yazd | Zanjan | |
