Fars Province, historically known as Pars, Farsistan, and Persis, is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Shiraz.
Fars province has an area of 122,400 km2 and is located in Iran's southwest, in Region 2. It neighbours the provinces of Bushehr to the west, Hormozgan to the south, Kerman and Yazd to the east, Isfahan to the north, and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad to the northwest.
Etymology The Persian word Fârs (), derived from the earlier form Pârs (), which is in turn derived from (), the native Old Persian name for the region and the source of the Ancient Greek word Persis. The English word Persia also originates from this region, ultimately through the Ancient Greek Persis.Zangiabadi, A., and M. Akbari. "Assessment and Analysis of Development Indicator in Township of Fars Province." (2011): 113–122.
Pars is the historical homeland of the Persian people. It was the homeland of the Achaemenid and Sasanian Persian dynasties of Iran, who reigned on the throne by the time of the ancient Persian Empires. The ruins of the Achaemenid capitals Pasargadae and Persepolis, among others, demonstrate the ancient history of the region. Due to the historical importance of this region, the entire country has historically been also referred to as Persia in the West. Prior to caliphate rule, this region was known as Pars.Zargaran, Arman. "The City of Shiraz and Fars Province, the root of medical sciences in the history." (2012): 103–104.
History Persis
The ancient Persians were present in the region from about the 10th century BC, and became the rulers of the largest empire the world had yet seen under the Achaemenid dynasty which was established in the mid 6th century BC, at its peak stretching from Thrace-Macedonia, Bulgaria-Paeonia and Eastern Europe proper in the west, to the Indus Valley in its far east. The ruins of Persepolis and Pasargadae, two of the four capitals of the Achaemenid Empire, are located in Pars.
The Achaemenid Empire was defeated by Alexander the Great in 333 BC, incorporating most of their vast empire. Shortly after this the Seleucid Empire was established. However, it never extended its power in Pars beyond the main trade routes, and by the reign of Antiochus I or possibly later Persis emerged as an independent state that minted its own coins.The Cambridge History of Iran, Vol. 3 (1), p. 299
The Seleucid Empire was subsequently defeated by the Parthians in 238 BC, but by 205 BC, the Seleucid king Antiochus III had extended his authority into Persis and it ceased to be an independent state.The Cambridge History of Iran, Vol. 3 (1), p. 302
Babak was the ruler of a small town called Kheir. Babak's efforts in gaining local power at the time escaped the attention of Artabanus IV, the Parthian Arsacid Emperor of the time. Babak and his eldest son Shapur I managed to expand their power over all of Persis.
The subsequent events are unclear. Following the death of Babak around 220, Ardashir who at the time was the governor of Darabgird, got involved in a power struggle of his own with his elder brother Shapur.
At this point, Ardashir moved his capital further to the south of Persis and founded a capital at Ardashir-Khwarrah (formerly Gur, modern day Firouzabad). After establishing his rule over Persis, Ardashir I rapidly extended the territory of his Sassanid Persian Empire, demanding fealty from the local princes of Pars, and gaining control over the neighboring provinces of Kerman, Isfahan, Susiana, and Mesene.
Artabanus marched a second time against Ardashir I in 224. Their armies clashed at Hormizdegan, where Artabanus IV was killed. Ardashir was crowned in 226 at Ctesiphon as the sole ruler of Persia, bringing the 400-year-old Parthian Empire to an end, and starting the virtually equally long rule of the Sassanian Empire, over an even larger territory, once again making Persia a leading power in the known world, only this time along with its arch-rival and successor to Persia's earlier opponents (the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire); the Byzantine Empire.
The Sassanids ruled for 425 years, until the Muslim armies conquered the empire. Afterwards, the Persians started to convert to Islam, this making it much easier for the new Muslim empire to continue the expansion of Islam.
Persis then passed hand to hand through numerous dynasties, leaving behind numerous historical and ancient monuments; each of which has its own values as a world heritage, reflecting the history of the province, Iran, and West Asia. The ruins of Bishapur, Persepolis, and Firouzabad are all reminders of this. The Arab invaders brought about an end to centuries of Zoroastrian political and cultural dominance over the region; supplanted as the faith of the ruling class in the 7th century by Islam, which and over the next 200 years gradually expanded to include a majority of the population.
Demographics Language and ethnicity The main ethnic group in the province consists of indigenous Persians (including Larestani people and the Basseri), while Qashqai, Lurs, Arabs, Kurds, Georgians, and Circassians constitute minorities.
Due to the geographical characteristics of Fars and its proximity to the Persian Gulf, Fars has long been a residing area for various peoples and rulers of Iran. However, the tribes of Fars including, Mamasani Lurs, Khamseh and Kohkiluyeh have kept their native and unique cultures and lifestyles which constitute part of the cultural heritage of Iran attracting many tourists. Kurdish tribes include Uriad, Zangana, Chegini, Kordshuli and Kuruni.P. Oberling, "FĀRS vii. Ethnography", Encyclopaedia Iranica>
Among the hundreds of thousands of Georgians and Circassians that were transplanted to Persia under Shah Abbas I, his predecessors, and successors, a certain amount of them were to guard the main caravan routes; many were settled around Āspās and other villages along the old Isfahan-Shiraz road. By now the vast majority Caucasians that were settled in Pars have lost their cultural, linguistic, and religious identity, having mostly been assimilated into the population.
Population At the time of the 2006 National Census, the province's population was 4,220,721 people in 1,014,690 households. The following census in 2011 counted 4,596,658 people in 1,250,135 households, of whom 67.6% were registered as urban dwellers (urban/suburbs), 32.1% villagers (small town/rural), and 0.3% nomad tribes. The 2016 census measured the population of the province as 4,851,274 people in 1,443,027 households.
Administrative divisions
The population history and structural changes of Fars province's administrative divisions over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table.
+ Pars province Counties 2006 2011 2016 Abadeh 87,203 98,188 100,831 Arsanjan 40,916 41,476 42,725 Bakhtegan — — — Bavanat 44,069 48,416 50,418 Beyza — — — Darab 172,938 189,345 201,489 Eqlid 99,003 93,975 93,763 Estahban 66,391 66,172 68,850 Evaz — — — Farashband 38,679 42,760 45,459 Fasa 188,189 203,129 205,187 Firuzabad 111,973 119,721 121,417 Gerash — 47,055 53,907 Jahrom 197,331 209,312 228,532 Juyom — — — Kavar — 77,836 83,883 Kazerun 258,097 254,704 266,217 Khafr — — — Kharameh — 61,580 54,864 Khonj 37,978 41,133 41,359 Khorrambid 44,669 50,252 50,522 Kuhchenar — — — Lamerd 76,971 83,916 91,782 Larestan 223,235 226,879 213,920 Mamasani 162,694 116,386 117,527 Marvdasht 294,621 307,492 323,434 Mohr 54,094 59,727 64,827 Neyriz 105,241 113,750 113,291 Pasargad 29,825 31,504 30,118 Qir and Karzin 61,432 65,045 71,203 Rostam — 46,851 44,386 Sarchehan — — — Sarvestan — 40,531 38,114 Sepidan 87,801 89,398 91,049 Shiraz 1,676,927 1,700,687 1,869,001 Zarqan — — — Zarrin Dasht 60,444 69,438 73,199 Total 4,220,721 4,596,658 4,851,274
Cities
According to the 2016 census, 3,401,675 people (over 70% of the population of Pars province) live in the following cities:
City Population Abadeh 59,116 Abadeh Tashk 7,379 Ahel 3,179 Alamarvdasht 4,068 Ardakan 14,633 Arsanjan 17,706 Asir 3,042 Bab Anar 7,061 Baba Monir 1,379 Bahman 7,568 Baladeh 5,972 Banaruiyeh 9,077 Beyram 7,300 Beyza 7,252 Darab 70,232 Darian 10,037 Dehram 3,468 Dezhkord 3,924 Do Borji 2,907 Dobiran 13,809 Duzeh 1,348 Efzar 2,657 Emad Deh 4,235 Emam Shahr 5,803 Eqlid 44,341 Eshkanan 9,115 Estahban 36,410 Evaz 19,987 Fadami 4,097 Farashband 20,320 Fasa 110,825 Firuzabad 65,417 Galleh Dar 13,448 Gerash 34,469 Hajjiabad 21,675 Hamashahr 3,852 Hasanabad 2,045 Hesami 3,131 Ij 6,246 Izadkhast 5,910 Jahrom 141,634 Jannat Shahr 13,598 Juyom 8,010 Kamfiruz 3,713 Karzin 8,841 Kavar 31,711 Kazerun 96,683 Khaneh Zenyan 4,027 Khaniman 3,020 Khavaran 4,332 Kherameh 18,477 Khesht 9,599 Khonj 19,217 Khumeh Zar 6,220 Khur 7,338 Khuzi 3,245 Konartakhteh 6,081 Korehi 3,954 Kuhenjan 3,281 Kupon 3,237 Lamerd 29,380 Lapui 8,985 Lar 62,045 Latifi 7,300 Madar-e Soleyman 1,546 Marvdasht 148,858 Masiri 9,031 Mazayjan 3,567 Meshkan 4,617 Meymand 10,120 Miyan Deh 5,912 Mobarakabad 4,707 Mohr 7,784 Neyriz 49,850 Now Bandegan 2,410 Nowdan 2,892 Nujin 3,769 Nurabad 57,058 Qaderabad 14,973 Qaemiyeh 26,918 Qarah Bolagh 6,772 Qatruyeh 2,895 Qir 20,010 Qotbabad 7,476 Ramjerd 2,550 Runiz 5,760 Saadat Shahr 17,131 Safashahr 26,933 Sarvestan 18,187 Sedeh 6,747 Seyyedan 8,574 Shahr-e Pir 8,927 Shahr-e Sadra 91,863 Sheshdeh 5,960 Shiraz 1,565,572 Soghad 12,582 Soltanabad 1,928 Surian 9,776 Surmaq 3,050 Varavi 4,622 Zahedshahr 9,719 Zarqan 32,261
Most populous cities
The following sorted table lists the most populous cities in Pars according to the 2016 census results announced by the Statistical Center of Iran. +Most populous urban areas in Pars province Rank City County Population1ShirazShiraz 1,565,5722MarvdashtMarvdasht 148,8583JahromJahrom 141,6344FasaFasa 110,8255KazerunKazerun 96,6836SadraShiraz 91,8637DarabDarab 70,2328FiruzabadFiruzabad 65,4179LarLarestan 62,04510AbadehAbadeh 59,116
Climate and wildlife There are three distinct climatic regions in the Pars province. First, the mountainous area of the north and northwest with moderate cold winters and mild summers. Secondly, the central regions, with relatively rainy mild winters, and hot dry summers. The third region located in the south and southeast has cold winters with hot summers. The average temperature of Shiraz is 16.8 °C, ranging between 4.7 °C and 29.2 °C.
The geographical and climatic variation of the province causes varieties of plants; consequently, variation of wildlife has been formed in the province. Additional to the native animals of the province, many kinds of birds migrate to the province every year. Many kinds of ducks, storks and swallows migrate to this province in an annual parade. The main native animals of the province are gazelle, deer, mountain wild goat, ram, ewe and many kinds of birds. In the past, like in Khuzestan Plain, the Persian lion had occurred here.Humphreys, P., Kahrom, E. (1999). Lion and Gazelle: The Mammals and Birds of Iran. Images Publishing, Avon.
The province of Pars includes many protected wildlife zones. The most important protected zones are: Toot Siah (Black Berry) Hunt Forbidden Zone, which is located at the end of Boanat region. Basiran Hunt Forbidden Zone, which is located 4 kilometers south to Abadeh; Bamu National Park, which is located north-east of Shiraz; Estahban Forest Park (Parke Jangaly), which is located on the outskirts of Touraj mountain; Hermoodlar Protected Zone, which is located east to Larestan.
Arjan Meadow and Lake Parishan are designated Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar convention.
Economy