Climate : Temperate
OldName : Varna
Area : 314042
Population : 2480874
Gilan Province, is one of the 31 provinces of
Iran. The northern part of the province is part of territory of South (Iranian) Talysh. At the center of the province is the main city of
Rasht.
Other towns in the province include
Astara, Astaneh-e Ashrafiyyeh,
Fuman,
...see more Lahijan, Langrud, Masouleh, Manjil, Rudbar, Roudsar, Shaft, Talesh, and Soumahe Sara.
The main harbor port of the province is Bandar-e Anzali (previously Bandar-e Pahlavi).
During ancient Persian era, this area was a province known as Daylam (sometimes Daylaman, Dailam or Delam). It was the place of origin of the Buyid dynasty.
The people of the province had a prominent position during the Sassanid dynasty, their presence extended to Mesopotamia.
Buyids established the most successful of the Deylamite dynasties of Iran.
Before the introduction of silk production to this region (Date unknown, but definitely a pillar of the economy by the 15th century AD), Gilan was a poor province.
This changed, with the introduction of the silk worm in the late Middle Ages.
After World War I, Gilan came to be ruled independently of the central government of Tehran and concern arose that the province might permanently separate at some point.
Prior to the war, Gilanis had played an important role in the Constitutional Revolution of Iran. Sepahdar-e Tonekaboni (Rashti) was a prominent figure in the early years of the revolution and was instrumental in defeating Mohammad Ali Shah Qajar.
In the late 1910s, many Gilakis gathered under the leadership of Mirza Kuchik Khan, who became the most prominent revolutionary leader in northern Iran in this period.
Khan's movement, known as the Jangal movement of Gilan, had sent an armed brigade to Tehran which helped depose the Qajar ruler Mohammad Ali Shah. However, the revolution did not progress the way the constitutionalists had strived for, and Iran came to face much internal unrest and foreign intervention, particularly from the British and Russian Empires.
In February 1921 the Soviets withdrew their support for the Jangali government of Gilan, and signed the Soviet-Iranian Friendship Treaty with the central government of Tehran.
The Jangalis continued to struggle against the central government until their final defeat in September 1921 when control of Gilan returned to Tehran.
Gilan has a humid subtropical climate with by a large margin the heaviest rainfall in Iran: Rasht, the capital of the province, is known internationally as the "City of Silver Rains" and within Iran as the "City of Rain".
Rainfall is heaviest between September and December. The Alborz range provides further diversity to the land in addition to the Caspian coasts.
The coastline is cooler and attracts large numbers of domestic and international tourists. Large parts of the province are mountainous, green and forested.
The coastal plain along the Caspian Sea is similar to that of Mazandaran, mainly used for rice paddies.
In May 1990 large parts of the province were destroyed by a huge earthquake, in which about 45,000 people died. Abbas Kiarostami made his films Life, and Nothing More... and Through the Olive Trees based upon this event.
Gilan's position on the Tehran-Baku trade route has established the cities of Bandar-e Anzali and Rasht as ranking amongst the most important commercial centers in Iran.
As a result, the merchant and middle-classes comprise a significant percentage of the population.
The province has an annual average of 2 million tourists, mostly domestic. Although Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization lists 211 sites of historical and cultural significance in the province, the main tourist attraction in Gilan is the small town of Masouleh in the hills south-east of Rasht.
The town is built ina fashion not dissimilar to the Pueblo settlements, with the roof of one house being the courtyard of the next house above.
Gilan has a strong culinary tradition, from which several dishes have come to be adopted across Iran. This richness derives in part from the climate, which allows for a wide variety of fruit, vegetables and nuts to be grown in the province.
Seafood is a particularly strong component of Gilani (and Mazandarani) cuisine. Sturgeon, often smoked or served as kebab, and caviar are delicacies along the whole Caspian littoral.
Other types of fish such as mahi sefid, kuli, kulmeh, Caspian salmon, mahi kapur and many others are consumed. Fish roe, or ashpal, is widely used in Gileki cuisine.
Traditional Persian stews such as ghalieh mahi (fish stew) and ghalieh maygu (shrimp stew) are also featured and prepared in a uniquely Gilani fashion.
More specific to Gilan are a distinctive walnut-paste and Pomegranate-juice sauce, used as a marinade for 'sour' kebab (Kabab torsh) and as the basis of Fesenjān, a rich stew of duck, chicken or lamb.
Reference: wikipedia.org
