Astara (Persian: آستارا pronounced [ɒstaɾɒ] ⓘ), also Romanized as Āstārā,[3] is a city in the Central District of Astara County, Gilan province, Iran, serving as the capital of both the county and the district.[4] It lies on the border with Azerbaijan Republic and on the Caspian Sea. It is an important border trade center between Iran and the Caucasus.
Astara
آستارا | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Skyline of Astara | |
  Astara | |
| Coordinates: 38°25′19″N 48°52′09″E / 38.42194°N 48.86917°E[1] | |
| Country | Iran |
| Province | Gilan |
| County | Astara |
| District | Central |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Meysam Alvanpour |
| Population (2016)[2] | |
| • Total | 51,579 |
| Time zone | UTC+3:30 (IRST) |
At the 2006 National Census, its population was 40,664 in 11,436 households.[5] The following census in 2011 counted 48,470 people in 14,639 households.[6] The latest census in 2016 showed a population of 51,579 people in 16,696 households.[2]
History edit
The earliest mention, under the name Astārāb, comes in the Ḥodūd al-ʿālam, written toward the end of the 10th century. In the 14th century, Astara became the seat of the small principality of the Esfahbad or Espahbad (-bod) of Gīlān. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, the Ṭālešī Khans of Āstārā were either autonomous or nominally subordinate to the governors of Gīlān or Ardabīl; on several occasions they played an important role in the history of the Caspian provinces.[7] According to Minorsky, we do not know whether the later governors of Astara still continued the line of the Ispahbads. Even after the conquest of Northern Tālish by the Russians (1813) the family of the Tālish-khans retained certain rights.[8]
Astara was part of the short lived Talysh Khanate in the 18th and 19th centuries, and for a short while it was the capital of the Khanate before it was moved to Lankaran.[9] In 1828, with the signing of the Treaty of Turkmenchay, Astara was split into two. The city of Astara in Azerbaijan is located just across the Astarachay River.
Tourism edit
Astara has various attractions and is considered a major tourist destination for Iranians and foreigners, especially those from the Caucasus. The city has a selection of beaches and is near to a Temperate rainforest. Annually over six million Iranians, and six hundred thousand foreigners visit the city.[10] The most popular beaches in this city are Shariati park and Sadaf beach. Shariati beach park is located in the city, and Sadaf beach is 7 kilometers from Astara city[11]
Culture edit
Astara is home to one of the first libraries established in the country.[12]
Agriculture edit
Rice has been cultivated in this region for many years, where some indigenous cultivars (landrace) were conventionally bred by farmers.[13]
Climate edit
Astara has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cfa, Trewartha: Cf), with relatively cold, wet winters and warm, humid summers. It has the most precipitation days than any other cities in Iran.[original research?]
| Climate data for Astara (1986 - 2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 26.6 (79.9) |
27.2 (81.0) |
31.6 (88.9) |
32.0 (89.6) |
31.6 (88.9) |
34.8 (94.6) |
36.2 (97.2) |
36.6 (97.9) |
34.6 (94.3) |
32.6 (90.7) |
29.6 (85.3) |
29.0 (84.2) |
36.6 (97.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 8.9 (48.0) |
9.2 (48.6) |
11.6 (52.9) |
16.3 (61.3) |
21.5 (70.7) |
27.0 (80.6) |
29.8 (85.6) |
29.7 (85.5) |
25.4 (77.7) |
20.5 (68.9) |
15.1 (59.2) |
11.1 (52.0) |
18.8 (65.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 5.7 (42.3) |
6.1 (43.0) |
8.6 (47.5) |
13.0 (55.4) |
17.9 (64.2) |
22.8 (73.0) |
25.4 (77.7) |
25.5 (77.9) |
21.8 (71.2) |
17.4 (63.3) |
12.0 (53.6) |
7.9 (46.2) |
15.3 (59.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.5 (36.5) |
2.9 (37.2) |
5.6 (42.1) |
9.7 (49.5) |
14.4 (57.9) |
18.6 (65.5) |
21.1 (70.0) |
21.3 (70.3) |
18.3 (64.9) |
14.2 (57.6) |
8.9 (48.0) |
4.7 (40.5) |
11.9 (53.3) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −7.8 (18.0) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
0.6 (33.1) |
5.4 (41.7) |
12.0 (53.6) |
14.8 (58.6) |
14.2 (57.6) |
11.4 (52.5) |
5.8 (42.4) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−7.8 (18.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 87.5 (3.44) |
92.3 (3.63) |
111.2 (4.38) |
80.5 (3.17) |
63.7 (2.51) |
45.9 (1.81) |
46.7 (1.84) |
77.8 (3.06) |
230.6 (9.08) |
243.4 (9.58) |
157.4 (6.20) |
108.0 (4.25) |
1,345 (52.95) |
| Average precipitation days | 12.5 | 13.1 | 15.5 | 15.0 | 13.6 | 8.6 | 6.0 | 8.3 | 13.2 | 16.0 | 14.1 | 12.2 | 148.1 |
| Average snowy days | 2.4 | 3.8 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 8.5 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 83 | 84 | 84 | 83 | 81 | 75 | 73 | 75 | 83 | 87 | 86 | 84 | 82 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 99.6 | 97.6 | 108.4 | 131.0 | 193.7 | 251.5 | 263.7 | 228.1 | 149.6 | 114.9 | 95.0 | 89.6 | 1,822.7 |
| Source 1: Iranian Meteorological Organization[14] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Shahrekord Meteorology Database[15] | |||||||||||||
Language edit
Linguistic composition of the city.[16]
Famous people from Astara edit
- Fereydun Ebrahimi – Procurator-General in Azerbaijan People's Government
- Ebrahim Nabavi – Iranian journalist
- Payan Rafat – football player
- Kamal Habibollahi – last Commander of the Imperial Iranian Navy
- Moein Piri – Musician and composer
- Mehran Samandari – Adult entertainer
- Babak Fathi - Mechanical Engineer & University professor
Education edit
See also edit
References edit
- ^ OpenStreetMap contributors (2 October 2023). "Astara, Astara County" (Map). OpenStreetMap. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1395 (2016)". AMAR (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. p. 01. Archived from the original (Excel) on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ Astara, Iran can be found at GEOnet Names Server, at this link, by opening the Advanced Search box, entering "-3054011" in the "Unique Feature Id" form, and clicking on "Search Database".
- ^ Habibi, Hassan (21 June 1369). "Approval of the organization and chain of citizenship of the elements and units of the national divisions of Gilan province centered on the city of Rasht". Islamic Parliament Research Center (in Persian). Ministry of Interior, Defense Political Commission of the Government Board. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
- ^ "Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1385 (2006)". AMAR (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. p. 01. Archived from the original (Excel) on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
- ^ "Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1390 (2011)". Syracuse University (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. p. 01. Archived from the original (Excel) on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ Bazin, Marcel [in Persian] (18 August 2011) [December 15, 1988]. "ĀSTĀRĀ i. Town and sub-province". In Yarshater, Ehsan (ed.). Encyclopædia Iranica. Fasc. 8. Vol. II. New York City: Bibliotheca Persica Press. pp. 837–838. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ Minorsky, Vladimir (October 1954). "A Mongol Decree of 720/1320 to the Family of Shaykh Zāhid". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 16 (3). London: SOAS, University of London: 515–527. doi:10.1017/S0041977X00086821. S2CID 159901706.
- ^ "دانشنامه جهان اسلام بنیاد دائرة المعارف اسلامی".
- ^ "Untitled Page". Archived from the original on 23 January 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
- ^ zare, meysam (2 April 2019). "ساحل صدف آستارا". جاذبه های گردشگری - گیلان من (in Persian). Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
- ^ "Nikookaran". Archived from the original on 22 May 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
- ^ Pazuki, Arman & Sohani, Mehdi (2013). "Phenotypic evaluation of scutellum-derived calluses in 'Indica' rice cultivars". Acta Agriculturae Slovenica. 101 (2): 239–247. doi:10.2478/acas-2013-0020.
- ^ Gilan. Astarairimo.ir Archived 13 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Climatological Norms of Iran synoptic stations. Retrieved on: September 12, 2011.[incomplete short citation]
- ^ "Language distribution: Gilan Province". Iran Atlas. 2015. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
External links edit
- Astara[permanent dead link] entry in the Encyclopædia Iranica
- Pazuki, Arman & Sohani, Mehdi (2013). "Phenotypic evaluation of scutellum-derived calluses in 'Indica' rice cultivars". Acta Agriculturae Slovenica. 101 (2): 239–247. doi:10.2478/acas-2013-0020.