Behbahan Explained

Behbahan
Native Name:Persian: بهبهان
Native Name Lang:fa
Settlement Type:City
Pushpin Map:Iran
Coordinates Footnotes:[1]
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Iran
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Khuzestan
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Behbahan
Subdivision Type3:District
Subdivision Name3:Central
Unit Pref:Metric
Population As Of:2016
Population Total:122604
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:IRST
Utc Offset:+3:30

Behbahan (Persian: بهبهان) is a city in the Central District of Behbahan County, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.[2]

Etymology

The origin of word 'Behbahan' can be traced back to two distinct ideas. According to some scholars like Nowban,[3] while the first part of the word, 'beh', means 'good', the latter, 'bahan', means palace or a very big house surrounded by orchards and gardens. This is well-documented that the region was an agricultural center/hub producing mainly olive, dates, citruses as well as flower gardens.[4] [5] This means, the term Behbahan means a nice living area surrounded by gardens and farms.

Alternatively, it is suggested that the latter component of the word, namely 'bahan', might had been used to refer to a type of tent used in old times. In other words, after the downfall[6] of the ancient city of Arrajan due to a series of devastating earthquakes,[7] survivors unsurprisingly had to live in tents for some time. As they started to reconstruct the city, the name 'Behbahan' was used to mean it is better than tents.[8] However, the use of the word 'beh' as 'better' rather than 'good' is rarely, if any, reported in Persian language.[9] Also, there is no actual document of people using 'bahan' tents after the above-mentioned earthquakes. Resultantly, there needs to be more research on the etymology of the word Behbahan.

History

History of Behbahan is indispensably intertwined with the ancient Iranian city of Argan (Arrajan) from Elamite era (3200–539 BC).[10] [11] During a dam construction project[12] on Marun river in 1982,[13] an accidental[14] find was reported shocking local archeologists. It was identified as a neo-Elamite[15] [16] tomb (600-550 BC)[17] of a noble person who later turned out to be the Elamite ruler[18] Kidin-Hutran[19] son of Kurlush.[20] The tomb contains a large bronze coffin[21] which had a golden ring of power,[22] ninety-eight golden buttons,[23] ten cylindrical vessels,[24] a dagger, a silver bar, and a bronze tray[25] called Arjan bowl with various images[26] found with the coffin.[27]

However, Arjan saw its downfall as it was hit by a series of earthquakes destroying almost all of its infrastructure. In the cross-road of Elamite and Persian empires, as claimed by Alvarez-Mon,[28] the city had to be rebuilt.

The reconstruction was done by Kavadh I who was the Sasanian King of Kings[29] of Iran from 488 to 531, with a two or three-year interruption.[30] In 502-503,[31] the king launched a campaign as part of the Anastasian War against northern Roman Mesopotamia,[30] and deported 80,000 prisoners from Amida, Theodosiopolis, and possibly Martyropolis to Pars, some of whom are thought to have helped rebuild the city of Arrajan.[32] This is why the names 'Ram-Qobad', 'Beram-Qobad', 'Abar-Qobad' and 'Beh az Amed-e Kavad' all used by later historians to refer to the reconstructed Arjan, include an elemet referring to king Kavad I.[33]

Through time, Arrajan experienced ups and downs of the history and managed to survive even the Arab Muslim invasion albeit at the cost of almost all residents having to convert from Zoroasterianism to Islam. The name, as discussed above, was changed to Behbahan in the Islamic period.

Demographics

Population

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 99,204 in 24,204 households.[34] The following census in 2011 counted 107,412 people in 29,280 households.[35] The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 122,604 people in 35,826 households.[36]

Climate

Behbahan has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSh), characterised by sweltering and rainless summers and pleasant winters with occasional heavy rainfall.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. ((OpenStreetMap contributors)) . Behbahan, Behbahan County . . 27 July 2023 . 27 July 2023 . fa.
  2. Web site: Approval of the organization and chain of citizenship of the elements and units of the national divisions of Khuzestan province, centered in the city of Ahvaz . fa . Islamic Parliament Research Center . https://web.archive.org/web/20140717093724/https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/113029 . Ministry of Interior, Political and Defense Commission of the Government Board . Habibi . Hassan . 17 July 2014 . 25 January 2024.
  3. Book: Nowban, Mehrozaman . Names of Geographical Places across Time . Mah . 1998 . 964-6497-00-4 . 118 . fa.
  4. Book: Qubadiani-Balkhi, Naser Khosrow . Book of Travels . Amirkabir . 2007 . Vazinpour . Nader . 10th . Tehran . 2007 . fa.
  5. Web site: گنجور » ناصرخسرو » سفرنامه » بخش ۹۲ - ارجان . 2024-05-31 . ganjoor.net.
  6. Web site: Iranica Encyclopedia . Arrjan . May 31, 2024 . Encyclopedia Iranica.
  7. Book: Ebn-e Athir, Ezzoddin . The Full History . Asatir . 2005 . 3rd . Tehran . fa . Roohani . Hossein.
  8. Web site: 2011-07-14. Meaning of Behbahan - معنى بهبهان . 2021-02-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20110714033012/http://www.marafie.com/port10/index.php/behbahan-long/meaning-of-behbahan.html. 14 July 2011.
  9. Book: Dehkhoda, Ali Akbar . Dehkhoda Dictionary of Persian Language . Tehran University Publications . 2007 . 978-964-0393857 . Tehran . fa.
  10. Web site: 2023-06-21 . Historical mansion in Behbahan to turn into handicrafts center . 2024-05-31 . Tehran Times . en.
  11. Behbahan . 2024-05-31 . referenceworks . 10.1163/2330-4804_EIRO_COM_11688 . en. free .
  12. Web site: زارع . بابک . 2021-07-30 . گنجینه ارجان . 2024-05-31 . تاریخ ما . fa-IR.
  13. Web site: 2020-12-12 . داستانِ اشتباهی که در هدیه‌ی تاریخی بهبهانی‌ها به المپیک توکیو رخ داد . 2024-05-31 . ایسنا . fa.
  14. Web site: پنج گنج بزرگ ایرانی که به طور اتفاقی کشف شدند . 2024-05-31 . fa.
  15. Vallat . Francois . Kidin-Hutran et l'epoque néo-élamite . Akkadica . fr . 1884 . 37 . 1–17.
  16. Alizadeh . Abbas . 1985 . A Tomb of the Neo-Elamite Period at Arjan, Near Behbahan . Archaologische Mitteilungen aus Iran und Turan . 18 . 49–73.
  17. Web site: Peeters Publishers Leuven . 2024-05-31 . www.peeters-leuven.be.
  18. Web site: On the Antiquity of the Yurt: Evidence from Arjan and Elsewhere . 2024-06-01 . www.silkroadfoundation.org.
  19. Web site: محمد . آزغ . ارجان شهری متعلق به دوره ی ساسانی یا عیلامی . fa . اولین کنفرانس سالانه پژوهش های معماری، شهرسازی و مدیریت شهری.
  20. Book: Wicks, Yasmina . The Encyclopedia of Ancient History . John Wiley & Sons Inc . 1119399912 . Potts . D.T. . United States . 1–5.
  21. Web site: در مورد ارجان در ویکی تابناک بیشتر بخوانید . 2024-05-31 . www.tabnak.ir.
  22. Web site: admina . 2023-07-29 . حلقه‌‌ قدرت، شاهکار زرّین هنر ایرانی . 2024-05-31 . مدار گشت زمین . fa-IR.
  23. Vatandust . R. . A Preliminary Report on the Conservation and Technical Studies of Some of the Arjan Material . Asar . fa . 1988 . 16 . 72–116.
  24. Web site: زارع . بابک . 2021-07-30 . گنجینه ارجان . 2024-05-31 . تاریخ ما . fa-IR.
  25. Web site: 2020-12-12 . داستانِ اشتباهی که در هدیه‌ی تاریخی بهبهانی‌ها به المپیک توکیو رخ داد . 2024-05-31 . ایسنا . fa.
  26. Alvarez-Mon . Javier . 2022 . Between Picasso and Piradi On tour with Saltimbanques and Musicians from ancient Iran (ca. 600 BC) . Journal of Iran National Museum . 2 . 1 . 129–140.
  27. Web site: ایران . عصر . داستان حلقه رازآمیز پادشاه / تابوتی که همه را شگفت‌زده کرد (فیلم) . 2024-05-31 . fa . fa.
  28. Book: Alvarez-Mon, Javier . The Arjan Tomb: At the Crossroads of the Elamite and the Persian Empires . Peeters . 2010 . 9789042922006 . en.
  29. Tyler-Smith . Susan . The Kavād Hoard . The Numismatic Chronicle . 164 . 308–312.
  30. Web site: Kavadh I Sasanian Dynasty, Zoroastrianism & Revolt . 2024-06-01 . www.britannica.com . en.
  31. Web site: Kavad I - Livius . 2024-06-01 . www.livius.org.
  32. News: profilbaru.com . Amida (Mesopotamia) . 2024-06-01 . en.
  33. Book: Kavir, Mahmood . The Phoenix Millennium: from the Sassanid to the Samanid . H & S Media . 2017 . London . 2017 . fa.
  34. Web site: Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1385 (2006) . 06 . fa . The Statistical Center of Iran . AMAR . 25 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110920093911/http://www.amar.org.ir/DesktopModules/FTPManager/upload/upload2360/newjkh/newjkh/06.xls . Excel . 20 September 2011.
  35. Web site: Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1390 (2011) . 06 . fa . The Statistical Center of Iran . Syracuse University . https://web.archive.org/web/20230118191739/https://irandataportal.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/Khuzestan.xls . 18 January 2023 . 19 December 2022 . Excel.
  36. Web site: Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1395 (2016) . 06 . fa . The Statistical Center of Iran . AMAR . 19 December 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201021081917/https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/census/1395/results/abadi/CN95_HouseholdPopulationVillage_06.xlsx . Excel . 21 October 2020.

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