Zanjan

About Zanjan

Zanjan is a city in the Central District of Zanjan County, Zanjan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. Zanjan is situated among provinces where Azerbaijani, Kurdish, and Persian languages are predominantly spoken, resulting in a distinctive demographic and linguistic composition.

Zanjan's population boasts the highest level of happiness among the people of 30 other provinces in Iran, according to a detailed survey conducted by Isna.

According to the Nuzhat al-Qulub of the 14th-century Iranian geographer Hamdallah Mustawfi (died after 1339/40), Zanjan was said to have been founded by the first Sasanian ruler Ardashir I (r. 224–242), who named it "Shahin." During the Arab invasion of Iran, Zanjan was conquered in 645 by a force led by al-Barra ibn Azib. Medieval geographers generally agree that Zanjan was located in the region of Jibal/Persian Iraq, near the frontier of the neighbouring region of Azerbaijan. Some geographers also include Zanjan as part of Daylam or Ray.

After 833, the Abbasid Caliphate had a chain of forts constructed from Zanjan to Ardabil to counter the 817–837 rebellion...

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.