Kazerun () is a city in the northwest of Fars Province in Iran and the center of Kazerun County. This city has an ancient history, with numerous historical monuments and tourist attractions. Kazerun is the fifth most populous city in Fars Province.
The population of Kazerun city without suburbs in the 2016 general population and housing census was 96,683 people, and the population of Kazerun county was 211,341 people.
Before Islam, the city of Bishapur was one of the capitals of the Sasanian Empire and the center of the current region of Kazerun. When it was destroyed by the invading Arab Muslims, its Persian residents migrated to the city of Kazerun.
Persian mythology attributes the foundation of the city of Kazerun to the Pishdadian dynasty and Tahmuras, more than 7,500 years ago. Historical accounts also tell of the expansion of this city by Shapur I and Kavad I, two Sasanian kings.
The people of the Kazerun and Shapur regions once rebelled and declared their independence from the Rashidun Caliphate after the Arab conquest of the region. The rebellion, led by a Sassanid nobleman, was severely suppressed.
The ancient city of Bishapur, Tang-e Chowgan, and Shapur cave are among Iran's UNESCO World Heritage sites near Kazerun. In addition, the Arzhan and Parishan Protected Area near Kazerun has been registered as one of Iran's natural heritage sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The people of Kazerun remained followers of the Zoroastrianism religion until the 10th century. However, after the founding of the Kazeruniyeh (Morshediyeh) sufism by Abu Ishaq of Kazerun, the majority of the people of the city converted to Islam.
The Kazeruniyeh sufism, centered in the city of Kazerun, spread to countries such as India, China, and the Ottoman Empire in the following centuries, bringing fame to the city and economic prosperity.
This city was the birthplace of many Persian scientists, poets, Sufis, merchants, and other great Persian figures, and it is remembered as one of the centers of Persian civilization, culture, and knowledge.
The language of the people of Kazerun is Persian with Kazeruni dialect.Payne, J.R. (1987). Bernard Comrie. ed. The World's Major Languages. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 514.
The economy of Kazerun is based on trade, transportation, service occupations, agriculture, and industry.
History The history of the origin of Kazerun, like other ancient cities of Iran, is in obscure and sometimes it is mixed with myths. However, sources such as Fars-Nama attribute the foundation of Kazerun to the Pishdadian dynasty.Ibn Balkhi: Fars-Nama, p. 145
Prehistory
The first signs of habitation in the city known today as Kazerun were found in the caves known as Tikab in the northern mountain of Kazerun. These caves were inhabited by the Human evolution around 20,000 years ago.
Pishdadian dynasty Pishdadian dynasty were the first rulers of Iran land in myths. In Fars-Nama, Ibn Balkhi considers Tahmuras, the Pishdadi king, to be the founder of the city of Kazerun.
Historical period before Islam Achaemenid Empire Although there is not much information about the status of Kazerun during the Achaemenid Empire, but according to some writings, Kazerun was a small and sparsely populated area of the ancient city of Dindella (Persian: دیندلا), which was destroyed in the attack of Alexander the Great on Iran. In the following centuries, a city named Bishapur was built on the site of this ancient city.Hamdallah Mustawfi: Nuzhat al-QulubMohammad Javad Behrouzi: Kazerun, the Green city, Daneshnameh Fars Publications, 2010, p. 209
Sasanian Empire
The period of the Sasanian Empire marked the peak of prosperity of the Kazerun region. After defeating the Roman Empire in the Battle of Edessa, Shapur I, king of the Sasanian Empire, ordered the construction of a city called Bishapur in 266 AD. The city of Bishapur was built according to the Roman city-building method (Hippodamus) by Roman prisoners.
At that time, two cities named Kazerun and Old City (romanized: Shahr-e Kohneh) were also located near Bishapur.Mahmoud bin Othman: Ferdows al-Murshidiyah in Asrar al-Samdiyah, with the efforts of Iraj Afshar, 1954, Publications of the Danesh Library, Tehran Alongside the construction of Bishapur, Shapur I began to develop the city of Kazerun. Bishapur became one of the capitals of the Sasanian Empire and the center of the Shapur-Khwarrah, and Kazerun and the Old City were also considered its subsidiaries.
During this time, the city of Kazerun included three districts: Nowred, Raheban and Derist. The Old City was located in an area between today's Kazerun and Lake Parishan.
In the 5th and 6th centuries AD, Kavad I expanded the city of Kazerun. Until the Arab conquest of Persia, Bishapur was a prosperous city with a population between 50,000 and 80,000 people.
Islamic era Seventh to ninth century AD
During the Arab conquest of Persia in 638 AD, Umar assigned one of his commanders named Mojashe bin Masoud to conquer Shapur-Khwarrah. Despite the great resistance of the people of Shapur-Khwarrah, the Arabs conquered Bishapur.Mohammad Javad Behrouzi: Kazerun, the Green city, Daneshnameh Fars Publications, 2010, p. 210
In 639 AD, Uthman bin Abi al-As was commissioned by Mojashe bin Masoud to conquer Kazerun and captured the city.Mohammad Javad Behrouzi: Kazerun, the Green city, Daneshnameh Fars Publications, 2010, p. 226 After that, the people of Kazerun and Bishapur continuously rebelled against the Arabs. In 643 AD and after the caliphate of Uthman, the people of Shapur-Khwarrah, under the command of Shahrag's brother, one of the Sassanid nobles, declared independence.
After the Great battle of Bishapur, Uthman bin Abi al-As finally conquered Bishapur, now Bandegan and Jereh again with peace and receiving the wealth and tribute.
The people of Shapur-Khwarrah broke their agreement again in 646 AD and Uthman conquered the city again with Abu Musa al-Ash'ari. The resistance of the people of Shapur-Khwarrah against the Arabs was so great that Abida, the Arab general, was seriously injured; when he was dying, he requested the Arab troops to massacre the people of this region for the sake of killing him.Al-Tabari: History of the Prophets and Kings, Fifth volume, p. 2011
In 687 AD, the people of Shapur-Khwarrah revolted against the Arabs once again, and this time they were suppressed by Umar bin Ubaidullah bin Muammar.
In 702 AD, during the rule of Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, the displaced people of Shapur-Khwarrah defeated the Hajjaj army with the help of Ibn al-Ash'ath and captured the city of Kufa. However, with the arrival of reinforcements, the rebels were defeated and Shapur-Khwarrah was again under the control of the Army Umayyads.
Bishapur gradually lost its prosperity in the 8th and 9th centuries of AD, and with the migration of its residents to Kazerun and its surroundings, it transferred its prosperity to this city.
Tenth century AD
In 933 AD, Imad al-Dawla, the founder of the Buyid dynasty, sent his brother Rukn al-Dawla to this region to capture Kazerun and Bishapur. Rukn al-Dawla defeated Yaqut, the governor of Kazerun, and captured the region. Buyid dynasty's rule in the 10th century AD was associated with religious tolerance. In the second half of the 10th century AD, Kazerun was considered one of the largest Zoroastrian cities in Iran.
The ruler of the city was a Zoroastrian named Khorshīd Marzbān.
After 'Adud al-Dawla came to power, the king paid special attention to Kazerun, the main reason for which was its location near the Persian Gulf and Siraf Port.
Buyid dynasty rulers tried to revive the ancient city of Bishapur while Kazerun flourished, and they were able to restore prosperity to this city to some extent after several centuries. The coins minted in Bishapur in this period confirm this.
Kazerun was considered one of the important centers of textile production during the time of Buyid dynasty, and for this reason, it was known as Damietta of Ajam (Persia).
During this period, Abu Ishaq of Kazerun, a famous Sufi, founded the Kazeruniyeh Sufism in this city and started spreading Islam and fighting against Zoroastrians. His actions caused the majority of the Zoroastrians of Kazarun to convert to Islam.
At the end of the 10th century AD, there was a large migration from the Old City (to the east of Kazerun, Balad al-Atigh in Arabic) to Kazerun. Along with the migration of the people of Bishapur, Kazerun became the center of the population concentration.
Eleventh and twelfth centuries AD After the establishment of the Kazeruniyeh Sufism by Abu Ishaq of Kazerun, the city of Kazerun became a religious hub, firmly establishing the position of Kazerun as the center of the Shapur region.
After the Seljuk Empire came to power with Alp Arslan as its sultan, Fadluya, the head of the Shabankara clan, killed Abu Mansur Fulad Sutun, the Amir of Buyid dynasty, and became the ruler of the Fars region. For many years, the Shabankara family ruled over the region.
In 1078 AD, Mahmud I came to power and made his cousin, Turan Shah I, the governor of Fars.
Turan Shah also entrusted Kazerun and Shapur to the elders of Shabankara clan. But the people of the Shabankara tribe were constantly killing and looting in Fars, especially in Kazerun and Shapur. In one case, Abu Saeed Shabankara set fire to the city of Bishapur in 1101 AD.
After Muhammad I Tapar came to power, in 1108 AD, he chose Jalaluddin Chawoli as Atabeg of Fars and thus ended the rule of Shabankara clan in Fars. Chawoli arrested and killed Abu Saeed Shabankara. He also revitalized the city of Kazerun.Mohammad Javad Behrouzi: Kazerun, the Green city, Daneshnameh Fars Publications, 2010, pp. 226-227
Thirteenth to sixteenth centuries AD
The 13th to 16th century AD marked another peak period of prosperity and fame for the city of Kazerun. This was due to the expansion of the Kazeruniyeh Sufism and its Sufi lodges in Iran, India, China, and the Ottoman Empire, and was influenced by the religious appeal of Abu Ishaq of Kazerun.
Beginning in the 10th century, a large network of merchants from Kazerun traveled all over Iran, as well as India, China, and the Ottoman Empire. Along with trading goods, they were representatives of the central Sufi lodge in Kazerun and promoted this form Sufism. Hasan Fasa'i narrates about this in his book Fars-Nama-ye Naseri:
The influence of the Kazeruniyeh Sufism during the 10th century AD reached such an extent that kings of Iran and emperors of India and the Ottoman became disciples of the Kazeruniyeh Sufism. They made their offerings to the central Sufi lodge in Kazerun, and it created world fame for the city.
Among the kings of Iran who were followers of the Kazeruniyeh Sufism are Shahrukh, who used to visit the tomb of Abu Ishaq of Kazerun during his trip to the south of Iran.Hasan Fasa'i: Fars-Nama-ye Naseri, p. 337 Among the kings of India who were disciples of the Kazeruniyeh Sufism are Balban,Ziauddin Barani: Tarikh-i-Firuz Shahi, pp. 111-112 Alauddin KhaljiWassaf: Tārīkḣ-i Waṣṣāf, p. 264 and Muhammad bin Tughluq.Ibn Battuta: Rihla, 1964, Beirut, pp. 210-211
The two Ottoman emperors, Bayezid the Thunderbolt and Mehmed the Conqueror, were also devotees of the Kazeruniyeh Sufism and built buildings in the name of this Sufism in Ottoman. Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan traveler who also traveled to Kazerun and visited the tomb of Abu Ishaq of Kazerun, in this regard, writes in the book Rihla:
The fame and prestige of the Kazeruniyeh Sufism continued until the 16th century AD.
One of the most important events of Kazerun in the 13th century AD is the Mongol attack on Kazerun in 1263.