| Native Name Lang: | mzn |
| Other Name: | Ashraf or Ashraf-ol-Belād[1] |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Pushpin Map: | Iran |
| Coordinates Footnotes: | [2] |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Iran |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Mazandaran |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Behshahr |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Central |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | 1906 |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Yaser Ahmadi [3] |
| Leader Title1: | City Council |
| Leader Name1: | Chairman: Abbas Asgaria |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Population As Of: | 2016 |
| Population Total: | 94702 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | IRST |
| Utc Offset: | +3:30 |
| Official Name: | Behshahr |
Behshahr (Persian: بِهْشَهْر) is a city in the Central District of Behshahr County, Mazandaran province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.[4] It is located at the foot of the Alborz mountains, approximately 40km (30miles) east of Sari and 80km (50miles) west of Gorgan.
In 17th century AD, Ashraf became a site for the Safavid shah, Abbas the Great to build palaces and gardens, because of his devotion to his mother, who was born in Ashraf.[5] [6] The palace was named DiwanKhaneh mansion (fa:) and was visited by Pietro Della Valle. In his travelogue he wrote:
" This garden, which is called Bagh-e Shah or Diwankhaneh, includes a square located at the end of the plain and at the foot of the hills full of trees and behind the palace. It is on the top of these hills that the king ordered to build many houses which are considered as garden mansions. Diwankhaneh is located in the middle of the garden and its length is three times its width. The front of this building is completely open, but at the back and on the sides has a wall covered with many windows. The floor of the building is two steps above the ground level, and the open part of the building faces north, that is, the back to the entrance door. There is a long paved street in front of the building, in the middle of which there is a stream, and water is constantly flowing towards this stream from the pond built in front of Diwankhanah."[6]
Several other mansions and gardens were built on the outskirts of the Bagh-e Shah during the Safavid era such as Baghtappeh (tappeh garden), Cheshme Garden, Shamal Garden, Sahib Al-Zaman Garden, Haramsara Garden, and Khalut Garden, of which only Cheshme garden and parts of Baghtappeh have remained.[7]
In 1832 David Brewster wrote in The Edinburgh Encyclopædia that "Ashraff is celebrated as the favourite residence of Shah Abbas, and enjoys the only good harbour on the southern side of the Caspian".
Prior to the arrival of Shah Abbas I Ashraf was a village of no distinction. The location took the fancy of Abbas I who made it an imperial residence in 1613 and he commissioned the construction of a palace and gardens. The heyday of the town was from that time until the middle of the 18th century. At the time that Sir Thomas Herbert visited the palace in 1628 there were about 2,000 families living in the town that at that time contained at least 300 public bath houses. However the town was the scene of both internal disorder and external threats (it was repeatedly sacked by Turkomans), so although it was still a significant town in 1727 when the peace of concluded the Ottoman–Persian War (1722–1727), the town was gradually abandoned. Jonas Hanway visited the town in 1744 when it was in a state of decay, and by 1812 when Sir William Ouseley visited there the palace was in ruins. By 1860 Ashraf was no more than a large village of 845 houses with between eight and ten thousand inhabitants.
In 1938, Behshahr's Chitsazi company was founded as a part of Mazandaran textile industry. After the Iranian Revolution, it was transferred to the national industries organization and in 1994 it was transferred to the Private sector.
According to Deputy minister of Labor during Mohammad Khatami's presidency, the factory had been in crisis since 1998 and from this year onwards, its workers' salaries were not paid for several months. Due to unhealthy management, the problems of this unit have not been solved in the years after being transferred to the private sector.[8] Obsolescence and worn-out machinery was also a problem which caused a decrease in the quality of manufactured goods and a decrease in customers.[9] The factory was closed in October 2000 and again on 24 October 2001 following workers' protests to receive arrears payment.[10] [11]
On 15 April 2006, one of the shareholders declared the bankruptcy of the factory, causing workers to protest. On 7 December of the same year, the head of Behshahr's Justice Department said that the court issued the preliminary verdict of bankruptcy.[12] [13]
A worker stated: "With its bankruptcy under the pretext of the debts of the public and private sectors and its wrong handing over to the private sector, more than two thousand households became unemployed." After the implementation of the failed privatization and transfer plan, the lands of Chitsazi factory went to auction, and the lands and properties and waste of the factory were divided between creditor workers, social security, taxes and other public and private creditors. The political and security deputy of Mazandaran governor at the time of the factory's bankruptcy said that the bankruptcy of the factory caused irreparable damage to the economy of the region and the province, which cannot be compensated soon.[14]
In October 2012, heavy rain in Behshahr caused damaging floods in the city. 132mm of rain fell in one hour. Several houses and schools were damaged by the floods, leading to school closures. 6 people died in the food event. Crisis staff was formed right after the floods in the Rescue Organization of Red Crescent society.[15] [16]
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 83,537 in 22,034 households.[17] The following census in 2011 counted 89,251 people in 26,406 households.[18] The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 94,702 people in 31,022 households.[19]
The name Behshahr literally means "fine city". It includes many historical sites such as Behshahr the home of Abbas the Great, Cheshmeh Emarat Palace, Baghe Shah Gardens and the Chit Sazi weaving factor Abbas Abbad which is famous for its greenery and beauty and also its historic significance is a major tourism attraction. There is a road which leads up to a mountain through the jungle. In the touristic Abbas Abbad, the jungle surrounds a lake with a semi-destroyed castle in the middle. The castle once belonged to the Shah Abbas.
Behshahr is home to many famous Iranian figures ranging from actors to political figures. One of the more famous political figures from Behshahr is Ahmad Tavakkoli who once was a presidential candidate. Every year, famous members of the Iranian entertainment industry gather in Behshahr in a ceremony rewarding entertainers. More recently, such members included Parviz Parastui.
The city of Behshahr is an industrial city which produces Tokhme, vegetable oil, and a dish-soap known as Rika. Rika is the local term for son. Behshahr is home to Behshahr Industrial Company which is the biggest producer of vegetable oil in Iran since 1951.[20] Recently, after scavenging near the suburbs of Behshahr, an ancient town was discovered which included nearly a thousand corpses of children to middle-aged men. The corpses had heights above the modern typical heights. In the area, gold and jars were found.
Bagh-e Shah (باغ شاه), also known as Mellat Park, is a garden founded in 1021 AH (1612 AD) during the reign of Abbas the Great. It is located in downtown and is the seat of Behshahr city's municipality.[21]
Huto and Kamarband Caves, located west of the city and east of Shahidabad village, these caves were the habitats of Neanderthal humans. Excavations and explorations were made by Carleton S. Coon in 1951.[22] The caves are notable for the human skeletons discovered there, dating to approximately 9000 years B.C. Other finds included flint blades, walrus and deer bones, giving valuable information about human development from the ice age in the Mazandaran area.
Cheshmeh Emarat (چشمه عمارت) meaning "Manor fountain". The reason for such naming is a spring that boils from the ground on the ground floor of the building. There are four ponds around the building, and the water flows from the central pond of the building to the four ponds by two streams from both sides. This structure was also built and started working in the Safavid period and was registered in the list of national monuments in 1973.[23]
The building has a water supply system that brings water up from the spring without a pump and leaves the water in a river.[24] The art and technique of the porcelain layer can be seen in this building as well as in other buildings of the Safavid period and can be found in abundance in Safavid mansions such as Chehel Sotoun or Ali Qapu. However, the climate of the region and the destruction and inattention over the years did not allow the art to be restored and displayed.[24]
Located in the southeast of Behshahr in the midst of the Jungle and on the slopes of the Alborz mountain range, Abbasabad complex marks Iran's most prominent non-desert garden which comprises a lake, a palace, towers as well as bathhouse and a brick mansion in the middle of the lake.[25] The complex was built by the order of Shah Abbas I with the use of a royal resort. With the passage of time and the fall of the Safavid dynasty, the garden was forgotten and buried in the heart of dense forests until, a part of the site and its artifacts were pulled out through continuous excavations by archaeologists over the years.[25]
The dam lake covers an area of more than 10 hectares with brick mansion at the center which goes underwater when the dam is filled and only its upper surface is out of the water like an island. The lack of brick stairs in the building and around it has led to the assumption that the mentioned building was first built to strengthen the dam, and then it was given recreational use due to the dam's drainage.[25]
The unique natural and architectural features of the garden and the location of a significant number of infrastructures in one complex placed this garden along with eight other Iranian gardens as a collection of Iranian gardens in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2011 and Abbas Abad became the first globally registered site of Mazandaran.[25]
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