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Mazandaran province

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Mazandaran is a large province located in the north of Iran.

Mazandaran
Mazandaran

It sits along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. To the south, the land rises into the Central Alborz mountain range.

Alborz Mountains1
Alborz Mountains1

The province is bordered by several other Iranian provinces, including Gilan, Golestan, and Tehran. It also shares a sea border with Russia. The area is quite large, covering 24,842 square kilometers.

Mazandaran Relief Map
Mazandaran Relief Map

Visitors can see many different types of land here. There are sandy beaches, wide plains, and thick Hyrcanian forests. High, snowy mountains like Mount Damavand also rise above the landscape.

Damavand Aerial Panorama
Damavand Aerial Panorama

The natural world in Mazandaran provides many useful things. Large amounts of oil and natural gas are found in reservoirs under the sea. On land, the province is a major place for farming. People grow many crops and also farm fish in the water.

Caviar on Black (4317534324)
Caviar on Black (4317534324)

This fish farming helps the economy grow alongside traditional agriculture. Many people from all over Iran travel there for tourism. The area is also becoming a fast-growing center for biotechnology. This is a type of science that studies living things to make new products.

History in this region goes back a very long time. Some evidence suggests humans lived here at least 75,000 years ago.

Grablege Gohar Tepe
Grablege Gohar Tepe

An important site called Gohar Tepe shows that people lived in cities here for over 5,000 years. The name "Mazandaran" comes from very old words. It once meant "the gate of the giants" or "the valley of the giants."

Mazandaran Population history chart
Mazandaran Population history chart

Old stories in the Shahnameh describe the land as a place of magic beings and sorcerers. This made the land seem very difficult for anyone to conquer.

Many different groups of people have lived in Mazandaran through the ages. Long ago, tribes like the Amard and the Tapuri lived in the mountains.

Fenner, Rest. Persis, Parthia, Armenia. 1835 (K)
Fenner, Rest. Persis, Parthia, Armenia. 1835 (K)

Later, the region was part of the Sasanian Empire. During the Safavid era, many people from the Caucasus moved to the area. These included Georgians, Armenians, and Circassians.

You can still find towns today that have names linked to these groups. The local people are known as Mazanderanis.

Today, Mazandaran is a busy and well-connected part of Iran. In the early 1900s, new roads and railways were built through the mountains.

Mazandaran Sevatcow Dowab
Mazandaran Sevatcow Dowab

This helped connect the north to the rest of the country. Because of this, people often call the northern provinces "Shomal," which means "the North." The capital city of the province is Sari.

The province remains a vital place for culture, science, and nature.

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🖼️ Images & Media (20)
File:Sassanid Music Plate 7thcentury.jpg
Sassanid Music Plate 7thcentury.jpg
File:Median Empire.jpg
Median Empire.jpg
File:Fenner, Rest. Persis, Parthia, Armenia. 1835 (K).jpg
Fenner, Rest. Persis, Parthia, Armenia....
File:Vase with grape harvesting scenes BM 1 (edited)897.12-31.189.jpg
Vase with grape harvesting scenes BM 1...
File:Gold cup kalardasht.jpg
Gold cup kalardasht.jpg
File:Grablege Gohar Tepe.jpg
Grablege Gohar Tepe.jpg
File:Alavids-map.png
Alavids-map.png
File:Lingusitic Map of Mazandaran Province.png
Lingusitic Map of Mazandaran Province.png
File:Mazandaran Population history chart.gif
Mazandaran Population history chart.gif
File:Mazandaran.svg
Mazandaran.svg
File:Damavand Aerial Panorama.jpg
Damavand Aerial Panorama.jpg
File:Mazandaran Relief Map.png
Mazandaran Relief Map.png

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