Shiraz

SHIRAZ

Ancient city and provincial capital in southwestern Iran.

Shiraz, the capital of Fars, probably dates back to Achemenid times (c. 550–330 b.c.e.). During the Sassanian dynasty (c. 226–642 c.e.), it developed into an important commercial center and military base, a position it has retained for more than 1,300 years. During the medieval period, two of Iran's greatest poets, Saʿdi and Hafez, lived in the city. Shiraz flourished in the late eighteenth century as the capital of the Zand dynasty (1750–1794).

During the nineteenth century Shiraz was an important center for the distribution of foreign trade, much of which passed through the Persian Gulf port of Bushehr (Bushire), about 125 miles west of the city. The development of ports in Khuzestan in the early twentieth century, and especially the building of the Trans-Iranian Railway, which bypassed both Shiraz and Bushehr, led to the decline of this trade. Beginning in the 1930s, however, modern industries were developed in Shiraz, initially textile factories, but increasingly more diversified manufacturing after 1965. Industrialization brought a major influx of rural migrants, and the city's population increased nearly sixfold in 40 years, from 179,000 in 1956 to 1,053,000 by 1996.

Bibliography

Fisher, W. B. "Physical Geography." In The Cambridge History of Iran, vol. 1, edited by W. B. Fisher. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 1968.

neguin yavari
updated by eric hooglund