Kashan

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For the historical city in Volga Bulgaria and Khanate of Kazan, see Qashan.

Country	‎ Iran
Kashan
Tabatabaei House, early 1800s, Kashan. A fine example of traditional Persian architecture.
Kashan Location in Iran
Coordinates: 33°59′22.56″N 51°26′50.28″E / 33.9896, 51.4473
Province	Isfahan Province
Website: Kashan.ir

Kashan is a city in the province of Isfahan, Iran. It had an estimated population of 272,359 in 2005 [1].

The etymology of the city name comes from Kasian, the original inhabitants of Kashan whose remains are found at Tapeh Sialk dating back 9,000 years over mellenia this changed to kashian and the the town became kashan.the Persian word Kashi, which translates into the English word tile. Kashan is the first of the large oases along the Qom-Kerman road which runs along the edge of the central deserts of Iran. Its charm is thus mainly due to the contrast between the parched immensities of the deserts and the greenery of the well-tended oasis.

1 History
2 Kashan today
- 2.1 Colleges and universities
3 Kashan's architectural heritage
- 3.1 Kashan Information
4 Famous Kashanis
5 Famous Families
6 Sister cities
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] History

Amin-o-Dowleh, Persian Royal envoy to the court of Napoleon III. He financed the building of Timcheh Amin-o-dowleh.

Archeological discoveries in the Sialk Hillocks which lie 2.5 miles (4 km) west of Kashan reveal that this region was one of the primary centers of civilization in pre-historic ages. Hence Kashan dates back to the Elamite period of Iran. The Sialk ziggurat still stands today in the suburbs of Kashan after 7000 years.

The artifacts uncovered at Sialk reside in the Louvre in Paris and the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Iran's National Museum.

By some accounts - though not all - Kashan was the origin of the three wise men who followed the star that guided them to Bethlehem to witness the nativity of Jesus, as recounted in the Bible. Whatever the historical validity of this story, the attribution of Kashan as their original home testifies to the city prestige at the time the story was set down.

Teemcheh-e-Amin o Dowleh, Kashan Bazaar, Iran. 1800s. Persian architects used these structures to naturally decrease temperatures, regulate sunlight, and ventilate the interior spaces during the daytime.

Abu-Lu'lu'ah/Pirouz Nahāvandi, the Persian soldier who was enslaved by the Islamic conquerors and eventually assassinated the caliph Umar al-Khattab in 23 AH (644–645) CE, reportedly fled to Kashan after the assasination and lived there some years before being finally caught and executed. His tomb is one of Kashan's conspicuous landmarks (see gallery below).

Sultan Malik Shah I of the Seljukid dynasty ordered the building of a fortress in the middle of Kashan in the 11th century. The fortress walls, called Ghal'eh Jalali still stand today in central Kashan.

Kashan was also a leisure vacation spot for Safavi Kings. Bagh-e Fin (Fin Garden), specifically, is one of the most famous gardens of Iran. This beautiful garden with its pool and orchards was designed for Shah Abbas I as a classical Persian vision of paradise. The original Safavid buildings have been substantially replaced and rebuilt by the Qajar dynasty although the layout of trees and marble basins is close to the original. The garden itself however, was first founded 7000 years ago alongside the Cheshmeh-ye-Soleiman. The garden is also notorious as the sight of the murder of Mirza Taghi Khan known as Amir Kabir, chancellor of Nasser-al-Din Shah, Iran's King in 1852.

The earthquake of 1778 leveled the city of Kashan and all the edifices of Shah Abbas Safavi, leaving 8000 casualties. But the city started afresh and has today become a focal tourist attraction via the numerous large houses from the 18th and 19th centuries, illustrating the finest examples of Qajari aesthetics.

[edit] Kashan today

The rug of Kashan.

Although extremely wealthy in terms of tourism potentials, the city remains largely undeveloped in this sector. However, hundreds of foreign tourists from all over the world visit this historical city every year. Qamsar and Abyaneh are notable towns around Kashan, attract tourists year around. An incredible man made cave and a historical fireplace in the town of Niasar, near Kashan, are also notable although not known for tourists.

Nevertheless Kashan is internationally famous for manufacturing carpets, silk and other textiles. Kashan today houses most of Iran's mechanized carpet-weaving factories, and has an active marble and copper mining industry.

Kashan is connected via freeways to Isfahan and Natanz to the South, and Qom, which is an hour drive away to the north. Kashan and suburbs have a population of 400,000.

[edit] Colleges and universities

[edit] Kashan's architectural heritage

Among Kashan's architectural masterpieces are:

Architecture of a building in Fin garden	Part of the Tabatabaei House	Entrance of a Bazaar in Kashan.	The Agha Bozorg Mosque and its "sunken" courtyard. 1700s.
Tomb of Abu-Lu'lu'ah is not far from Fin Garden.	The Borujerdi ha House has become a famous landmark and sample of Persian traditional residential architecture.	Aerial view of the Tabatabaei House.	Abbasian House is yet another example of Kashani craftsmenship.

[edit] Kashan Information

For more information about kashan, visit the following kashan referral websites:

Agha Bozorg Mosque.
Boroujerdi ha Residence.
Tabatabaie Residence
Ameri-Ha (Amerian) House
Abbasian House
Sharifian House
Al-e-Yaseen House
Sultan Amir Shrine
Sultan Amir Bath
40 Dokhtaran Fortress
Pirouz Nahavandi/Abu-Lu'lu'ah Shrine (the assassin of Islam's second Caliph)
Fin Garden
Sialk Ziggurat
Ghal'eh jalali
Kashan Bazaar
Timcheh Amin-o-dowleh (seen in sketch on this page)

[edit] Famous Kashanis

Sohrab Sepehri
Ghyath ad-Din Jamshid Kashani
Kamal-ol-Molk
Ustad Ali Maryam
Muhsen Feyz Kashani
Mohammad Alavi (footballer)
Javad Kazemian(Footballer)
Ehsan Hajysafi(Footballer)
Mostafa Chatrabgoon (Footballer)
Hosein-Shirazi
Yedidia Shofet
Leghāi-e Kāshāni, poet
Amir Ghiāss od-Din, one of the Generals of the Safavid King Shah Abbas II who accompanied Shah Abbas in the wars leading to the conquest of Kandahar in 1648. He is the patriarch of the Zarrābi family in Kashan and one of the ancestors of the renown Iranian poet Mohammad-Taqí Bahār.
Isaac Larianis the Chief Executive Officer of MGA Entertainment, the biggest privately owned toy company in the world.
David Alliance, Baron Alliance- Iranian-born Jewish-British businessman and a Liberal Democrat politician

[edit] Famous Families

[edit] Sister cities

Umeå, Sweden

[edit] See also

Kashan Rug
Iranian Architecture
Sialk - Kashan's ancient architecture.
Traditional Persian residential architecture

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kashan

Rugs from Kashan, Manchester, Mohtashem and Silks
About Kashan
"Humble Earth": Kashani residential architecture (if link does not work, refresh)
Photos from Kashan
Shapour Bahrami, Kashan, Iran, Photo Set, flickr.
The Ghaffari Clan of Kashan.
Great information and pictures of Kashan.
Kashan Carpets and Rugs

Coordinates: 33°59′N 51°26′E / 33.983, 51.433

v • d • e The architecture of Iran and historical Persia

Elements	Bazaars • The Persian Garden (hayāt) • Windcatchers • Shabestan • Kucheh • Talar • Iwan • Howz • Panjdari • Hashti • Andaruni • Biruni (persian architecture) • Dalan e Vorudi • Qanat • Kariz • Gonbad • Ab anbar • Yakhchal • Caravanserais • Robats • Burj • Khaneqah • Tekyeh • Sahn • Imamzadeh • mosques

Notable traditional cities	Architecture of Tehran • Kashan • Qazvin • Yazd • Isfahan • Shiraz • Qom • Herat • Derbent • Bukhara • Samarkand • Merv • Mashad • Bam • Persepolis • Susa • Shahrisabz

History and theory	Traditional Persian residential architecture • Traditional water sources of Persian antiquity • Islamic architecture • Sassanid architecture • Pre-Parsi style • Parsi style • Parthian style • Khorasani style • Razi style • Azari style • Isfahani style

Lists	List of ab anbars of Qazvin • List of historical Iranian architects • List of mosques • Args, Castles, and Ghal'ehs • List of Ziyarat-gahs

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