History of Shiraz

The city of Shiraz, Iran is more than 4000 years old.

Ancient times

Shiraz lies in Pars Province, a central area for Persian civilisation. The massive ruins of the Persian Empire's grand palace Persepolis, about 2500 years old, are about 60 km northeast of . Piruzapad, and Pasargadae are other nearby historic settlements.

The earliest reference to Shiraz is on Elamite clay tablets dated to 2000 BC, found in June 1970 during digging for the construction of a brick kiln in the southwest corner of the city. The tablets, written in ancient Elamite, name a city called Tiraziš. Phonetically, this is interpreted as /tiračis/ or /ćiračis/. This name became Old Persian /širājiš/; through regular sound change comes the modern Persian name Shirāz. The name Shiraz also appears on clay sealings found at Qasr-i Abu Nasr, a Sassanid ruin, east of the city, (2nd century AD). As early as the 11th century several hundred thousand people inhabited Shiraz. Its size has decreased through the ages.

Cuneiform records from Persepolis show that Shiraz was a significant township in Achaemenid times.

There is mention of a city at Shiraz during the Sassanid era, (2nd to 6th century AD) in the 10th century geographical treatise Hudud ul-'alam min al-mashriq ila al-maghrib, which reports the existence of two fire temples and a fortress called "Shahmobad". In the 14th century the Nozhat ol-Qolub of Hamdollah Mostowfi confirmed the existence of pre-Islamic settlements in Shiraz.

Islamic period

The city became a provincial capital in 693, after the Arab invaders looted and destroyed Istakhr and Pasargade, the nearby Sassanian capital. As Istakhr fell into decline, Shiraz grew in importance under several local dynasties. The Buwayhid dynasty (945 — 1055) made it their capital, building mosques, palaces, a library and an extended city wall.

The city was spared destruction by the invading Mongols when its local ruler offered tributes and submission to Genghis Khan. Shiraz was again spared by Tamerlane when in 1382 the local monarch, Shah Shoja agreed to submit to the invader. In the 13th century, Shiraz became a leading center of the arts and letters, thanks to the encouragement of its ruler and the presence of many Persian scholars and artists. For this reason the city was named by classical geographers Dar al-Elm, the House of Knowledge. Among the important Iranian poets, mystics and philosophers born in Shiraz were the poets Sa'di and Hafiz the mystic Roozbehan and the philosopher Mulla Sadra.

Bazar of Shiraz as seen by Jane Dieulafoy in 1881

As early as the 11th century, several hundred thousand people inhabited Shiraz. In the 14th century Shiraz had sixty thousand inhabitants. During the 16th century it had a population of 200,000 people, which by the mid-18th century had decreased to only 50,000.

In 1504 Shiraz was captured by the forces of Ismail I, the founder of the Safavid dynasty. Throughout the Safavid empire (1501–1722) Shiraz remained a provincial capital and Emam Qoli Khan, the governor of Fars under Shah Abbas I, constructed many palaces and ornate buildings in the same style as those built in the same period in Isfahan, the capital of the Empire. After the fall of the Safavids, Shiraz suffered a period of decline, worsened by the raids of the Afghans and the rebellion of its governor against Nader Shah; the latter sent troops to suppress the revolt. The city was besieged for many months and eventually sacked. At the time of Nader Shah's murder in 1747 most of the historical buildings of the city were damaged or ruined, and its population fell to 50,000, a quarter of that of the 16th century.

Shiraz soon returned to prosperity under the enlightened rule of Karim Khan Zand who made it his capital in 1762. Employing more than 12,000 workers he constructed a royal district with a fortress, many administrative buildings, a mosque and one of the finest covered bazaars in Iran. He had a moat built around the city, constructed an irrigation and drainage system, and rebuilt the city walls. However, Karim Khan's heirs failed to secure his gains. When Agha Mohammad Khan, the founder of the Qajar dynasty, eventually came to power, he wreaked his revenge on Shiraz by destroying the city fortification and moving the national capital to Sari. Although lowered to the rank of provincial capital, Shiraz maintained a level of prosperity as a result of the continuing importance of the trade route to the Persian Gulf and its governorship was a royal prerogative throughout the Qajar dynasty. many of the famous gardens, buildings and residences built during the nineteenth century, contribute to the actual outlook of the city.

Eram Garden

Shiraz is the birthplace of the founder of the short-lived Babi movement, the Báb (Sayyid `Ali-Muhammad Shirazi, 1819-1850). In this city, on the evening of 22 May 1844, he began discussions that led to his claiming to be an interpreter of the Qur'an, the first of several progressive claims between then and 1849. Since Shirazi is considered a 'forerunner' of the Baha'i religion, Shiraz is a holy city for Bahá’ís, where the Bab's House (demolished in 1979 by the Islamic regime) was a putative pilgrimage site.

Further information: 1910 Shiraz blood libel

In 1910 a pogrom of the Jewish quarter started after false rumours that the Jews had ritually killed a Muslim girl. In the course of the pogrom, 12 Jews were killed and about 50 were injured, and 6,000 Jews of Shiraz were robbed of all their possessions.

The city's role in trade greatly diminished with the opening of the trans-Iranian railway in the 1930s, as trade routes shifted to the ports in Khuzestan. Much of the architectural inheritance of Shiraz, and especially the royal district of the Zands, was either neglected or destroyed as a result of irresponsible town planning under the Pahlavi dynasty. Lacking any great industrial, religious or strategic importance, Shiraz became an administrative centre, although its population has grown considerably since the 1979 revolution.

Recent history

Recently many historical sites in the city were renovated. But in 1979, the Islamic regime demolished the beautifully restored house that had belonged to Sayyid 'Ali Muhammad Shirazi, the Bab, and built a mosque on the site. The Shiraz International Airport is expanded.

Agriculture has always been a major part of the economy in and around Shiraz. This is partially due to a relative abundance of water compared to the surrounding deserts. The Gardens of Shiraz and "Evenings of Shiraz" are famous throughout Iran and the middle east. The moderate climate and the beauty of the city has made it a major tourist attraction.

Shiraz is also home to many Iranian Jews, although most have immigrated to the United States and Israel in the last half of the twentieth century, particularly after the Islamic Revolution. Along with Tehran and Esfahan Shiraz is one of the handful of Iranian cities with sizable Jewish populations and more than one active synagogue.

The municipality of Shiraz and the related cultural institutions have promoted and carried out many important restoration and reconstruction projects through the city. Among the most recent ones are the complete restoration of the Arg of Karim Khan and of the Vakil Bath as well as a comprehensive plan for the preservation of the old city quarters. Other noteworthy initiatives of the municipality include the total renovation of the Qur'an Gate and the mausoleum of the poet Khwaju Kermani, both located in the Allahu Akbar Gorge, as well as the grand project of expansion of the mausoleum of the world famous poet Hafiz.

Timeline

c2000 BC: A settlement of the Iranian people is located at or near the current site of the city. Clay tablets referring to this settlements were found in the 1970s. C1000 BC: The growth of the settlements particularly near the rivers flowing in the area leads to development of a regional power structure among the local tribes. The Medes rotary their rise to power C750 BC: Cambosys sets the foundations of the first Persian empire. C650 BC: Cyrus, son of Cambosys, defeats all local, regional, and continental wide kingdoms. He forms the Achamenid empire extending from North Africa, And the Meditranea to India and western China. It encompasses the largest percentage of earths population under one rule. A record that has never been broken to present day.

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• 640-653: Fārs falls to the Arab armies of Umar. Shiraz in 641. Estakhr in 653.
• 650-869: Seat of the Arab government of Fārs. Controlled from Baghdad with very limited Persian activity. Other towns in the region decline as Shiraz grows with new immigrants. Turkish tribes are brought to the region to serve as soldiers in the Arab army. Descendents of these tribes form ruling dynasties of the region in the next several centuries.
• 790: Shiraz scholar Sibawayh publishes his writings. This is the first formal basis of Arabic Grammar.
• 869: Saffarid dynasty leader Yaqub Leis liberates Shiraz. Baghdad Caliphate rule weakened. Many Arabs and Turks in the city are eliminated but a significant number choose to stay in Shiraz, as they have adopted Persian culture.
• c870: Amr-o-Leis Saffari (Yaqub's brother) builds a mosque in Shiraz, that is still standing today (Masjed Jaume).
• 9th century: Shirazi wine is praised as the best of the Middle East.
• 933: Shiraz is Capital of the Buwayhid dynasty. Becomes cultural center under Emmad-al-dowleh, first Buyid Amir.
• 937: Buyids eventually bring down the Caliphate of Baghdad and Shiraz gains international prominence. Literature, science, art and culture are promoted. Religious minorities are treated well. Christaians, Jews and Zoroastrians are among the ministers and consultants of the Buyid Amirs.
• c950: Subterranean canal made in the mountains to bring fresh water to the city by Rokn-al-dawleh, Emmad's brother. The stream (called Abeh Rokni) still runs today, and is immortalized in poetry of Shiraz.
• c1000: First wall built around Shiraz due to attacks by Seljuk Turks, (see also Turkmens). The Seljuks were supported by the Damascuss based remainder of the Caliphate, against the Buyids.
• c1010: Over the next 50 years this war, as well as internal feuds among the Buyids destroys much of the city.
• 1062: City is eventually captured by Seljuks, However, to the dismay of the Caliphate, the new rulers quickly adopt the Persian culture and many settle in Shiraz. The Seljuks actually become great patrons of Persian art and culture, as they build a great empire.
• c1075: Shiraz is rebuilt to splendor by Seljuk Attabak Jalal-ed-din and his sons. Development attracts new immigrants from all corners of Persia, as well as Central Asia.
• 1090: Revolts within the Seljuk army are prompted and supported by Damascuss and Baghdad as the First Crusade weakens the Seljuk military might, and empire. Successful rebels in Shiraz are the Songhorid Turks.
• 1100: Shiraz becomes capital of the Songhorid dynasty of Turkish origin (Attabak-ane Fars).
• 1100: Although they promote Sunni Islam on behalf of Baghdad, the Songhorid also eventually become die hard Persians. They settle in and rebuild Shiraz as their home.
• 1105: A wall is restored to encircles the city with Eight gates. Influence of the Baghdad Caliphate is contained to mostly ceremonial terms.
• c1110: Hanafi sect of the Sunni Muslims rule the region from Shiraz. Although Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism are still freely practiced among a large minority in the city and the region. This tolerance promotes another migration wave into the city and the region. Many tribes of Turkish and Cacauss regions move to Shiraz, and surrounding areas. Many still live in the region (Qashqai, Lurs).
• c1115: Shiraz is a center of the pious and the Jurists of the nation. Number of religious shrines are built, many of which are still standing, among them: Masjid Atiq, Masjid Now.
• 1170: Sheikh Ruzbehan (1128–1209), establishes own Sufi sect in Shiraz.
• 1150-1195: Decline of Shiraz as dynastic feuds among the various ruling tribes and a famine ruin the city.
• 1195: Saad ibn Zangi, a local Attabak, establishes rule and restores the city.
• c1200 Moaref-al-Din Mosal-leha (1184–1291) chooses the pen name Saadi in the honor of the fair ruler Saad ibn Zangi.
• 1280 Shiraz saved from Mongol invasion by diplomacy of Abu Bakr ibn Saad. Genghis Khan is so enamoured by the Persian ruler that names him Ktlug Khan and considers him a friend.
• 1281: Grave site of Ahmad-ibn-Musa (son of the 7th imam of the shiites) is identified by Amir Moqarrab-alDin a Vazir of Abu Bakr, during excavation for a palace.
• 1282: A shrine is built on the grave site. Today it is the holiest Muslim site in the city and the region, (Shah Cheragh).
• 1284: Decline of Shiraz due to the high Taxes imposed by Mongols. Corruption and feuds resume.
• 1287: Drought and Famine kills approximately 100,000 people in Shiraz.
• 1291: Saadi dies and is buried in his garden next to an artesian well. Currently the beautiful gardens are a major tourist attraction, with a still flowing well and stream next to Saadi's tomb.
• 1297: Measles and Plague kill another 50,000 people in Shiraz and surrounding area.
• 1297: Female ruler Aubee Khatton and her daughter Kurdujin save lives and the city by their charitable foundations. They were Songhorid matrons who had married into the Mongols.
• 1304: Injuids dynasty takes over and rebuild Shiraz, but their in-fighting eventually causes more destruction..
• 1325: Ilkhanate period. Their rule is marked by warfare and destruction.
• 1353: The Muzaffarid dynasty captures Shiraz. Once again Shiraz is the capital for Persia.
• c1350: Traveller Ibn Battuta visits Shiraz and documents a great city, rich with gardens, streams, bazaars, and cleanly clothed people.
• 1357: Muzaffarid Shah Shuja takes reign and revives the city.
• 1360: Hafiz (1310–1380) is patronized by Shah Shuja and settles in Bage-Mossalla where he establishes a great following. His tomb in the same garden is a revered and major tourist attraction for world travellers and Iranians alike.
• 1382: Shah Shuja gives Timur's army with gifts and saves the city from Pillage again.*1384: After the death of Shah Shuja in-fighting flares up among the Muzaffarids and leads to several battles in Shiraz and eventual city decline.
• 1387: Shirāz is occupied for a short period by Timur.
• 1393: Timur occupies Shirāz for the second time and spent a month there "rejoicing and feasting". He appoints his grandson who has adopted the Persian culture as governor. Rebuilding of the city resumes.
• 1400: Shiraz is known as the city of SAADI and HAFEZ. Their tombs, still intact today, become shrines.
• 1410: Shiraz prospers with a population of 200,000. For a few years it is the capital of the Turkmen Aq Qoyunlu rulers.
• 1470: Mongols and Turkmen, the invaders, are soon ousted from the city.
• 1503: Saffavid ruler Shah Ismaeel captures Shiraz and kills or exiles most Sunni leaders to promote Shiism.
• 1550: Allah-verdi Khan and his son Emam-Qoli-Khan governors of the Saffavid rebuild city.
• 1575: Shiite followers grow in numbers, schools and shrines are built. Many are still standing, Madrese Khan.
• c1590: Period of relative prosperity. Arts flourish. Shiraz artists and craftsmen are famous and utilized worldwide. See Taj Mahal
• c1600: Shiraz wine discovered by the British and reported to be one of the best in the world.
• 1621: British and French merchants frequent the city. Grapes are taken to Europe.
• 1630: A flood destroys large parts of the town.
• 1634: Mulla Sadra, a well known philosopher from Shiraz is prosecuted for heretical writings and opinions. He promotes the idea of a free thinking Moslem and writes against the practice of blindly following the edicts of the clergy (Thaghlid).
• 1668: Another flood hits Shirāz.
• 1724: Shirāz is sacked by Afghan invaders.
• 1744: Nader Shah of the Afsharid dynasty captures Shiraz. Large sections of the city destroyed during wars.
• 1747-1800: Three way power struggle in Iran between Afsharid dynasty, Zand, and the Qajars
• 1750: Karim Khan Zand moves to Shiraz and takes the title People's Representative, (Vakil-ol-Roaya). He establishes the Zand Dynasty.
• 1750: Shirāz becomes capital of the Zand dynasty. City is rebuilt. Structured into 11 quarters (10 Muslim and one Jewish). Huge moat and wall surround the city, with six gates. Culture, Arts and minorities flourish.
• 1794: End of the Zand dynasty, and Shirāz' status as capital.
• 1794: Shiraz captured by Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, pillaged and destroyed.
• 1800: Decline of the city under the Qajar dynasty
• 1822: Plague and Cholera epidemics kill thousands.
• 1824: An earthquake destroys parts of the town.
• 1830: Plague of locusts destroys the crops, local agriculture and creates famine. Tens of thousands die and many more move out of the city. Population decreases to only about 19000 by diseases and outmigration.
• 1844: A young merchant, Sayyid `Alí Muhammad and given the title of 'The Báb' (Arabic, meaning 'The Gate'), declared His Messianic mission and founded the Bábí Faith.
• 1853: Another major earthquake hits Shirāz.
• 1860: British influence prevails in southern Iran and Shiraz. The British are actively opposed by the native Qashqai tribes in the mountains outside the city.
• 1880: Qavam family suppresses local unrests with the help of the British Indian Rifelmen.
• 1883: First official census shows a population of 53,607.
• 1907: Sur-e Esrafil, a widely circulated newspaper published in Shiraz by Mirza Jahangir Khan Shirazi, supports the Persian Constitutional Revolution. Qashqai leaders support Mirza Jahangir Khan in revolt against the government.
• 1908: Mirza Jahangir Khan is executed and his paper shut down.
• 1910: Shiraz blood libel: local people destroy the entire Jewish quarter during a pogrom
• 1911: Seyyed Zia'eddin Tabatabaee, a local shiite leader publishes newspaper Banaye-Islam with the help of the British consulate in Shiraz.
• 1918: Qashqai tribesmen with leader Naser Khan besiege the city. Central government power declines in Iran. British influence increases with the discovery of oil. They help local associates to suppress tribal revolts throughout the region.
• 1919: Influenza epidemic kills 10,000. Iran is falling apart with Russian and British invasions from the north and south respectively. Shiraz belongs to the British.
• 1921: Qajar dynasty ends. Reza Shah Pahlavi takes over, with Seyyed Zia'eddin Tabatabaee at his side.
• 1945: Shirāz University opens.
• 2005: Census reports show a population of 1,255,955.