CENTER FOR IRANIAN STUDIES NEWSLETTER Vol. 19, No. 1 SIPA-Columbia University-New York Spring 2007 ENCYCLOPÆDIA IRANICA GALA BENEFIT FASCICLE 1 OF VOLUME XIV PUBLISHED DINNER EW ORK ITY Fascicle 1 of Volume XIV features ISLAMIC History; v. LOCAL HISTORIOG- N Y C the remaining sections of the entry RAPHY; vi. MEDIEVAL PERIOD; vii. THE MAY 5, 2007 ISFAHAN, a series of 22 articles that SAFAVID PERIOD; VIII. THE QAJAR began in Fascicle 6 of Volume XIII. PERIOD; ix. THE PAHLAVI PERIOD The city of Isfahan has served as one AND POST-REVOLUTION ERA; x. of the most important urban centers MONUMENTS; xi. ISFAHAN SCHOOL on the Iranian plateau since ancient OF PAINTING AND CALLIGRAPHY; xii. times and has gained, over centuries BAZAAR, PLAN AND FUNCTION; xiii. of urbanization, many significant monu- CRAFTS; xiv. MODERN ECONOMY AND IN- ments. Isfahan is home to a number of DUSTRIES; xv. EDUCATION AND CULTURAL monuments that have been designated AFFAIRS; xvi. ISFAHAN IN THE MIRROR OF by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. It FOLKLORE AND LEGEND; xvii. ARMENIAN is Persiaʼs third largest city, after Tehran COMMUNITY (referred to JULFA); xviii. and Mashad, with a population of over JEWISH COMMUNITY; xix. JEWISH DIA- 1.4 million in 2004. LECTS; xx. GEOGRAPHY OF THE MEDIAN The series explores the following DIALECTS; xxi. PROVINCIAL DIALECTS; Dr. Maryam Safai topics: i. GEOGRAPHY; ii. HISTORICAL XXII. GAZI DIALECT. GEOGRAPHY; iii. POPULATION; iv. PRE- Continued on page 2 The Gala Benefit Dinner for the Encyclopædia Iranica will be held in the Rotunda of Columbia University MAJOR DONORS TO THE on May 5, 2007 from 6:30 PM to 1:30 AM. The Gala has been designed and NEW YORK CITY GALA BENEFIT DINNER directed by Dr. Maryam Safai, Associ- ate Trustee of the Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation, and an Executive Commit- tee that she chairs, consisting of Mrs. Nejla Asaadi, Mrs. Nina Ghavami, Mrs. Mahin Khatamee, Dr. Masood Khatamee, Dr. Houshang Mirlohi, and Dr. Farhad Talebian, and with the assistance of an Advisory Committee consisting of Mrs. Nastaran Akhavan, Mr. Ali Ansari, Ms. Gilda De Bortoli, Mrs. Rona Meyers, Mr. Reza Moini, Ms. Sheila Moore, Mrs. Akhtar Mo- Mr. Khosrow B. Semnani Dr. Akbar Ghahary Dr. Abtin Sassanfar tamedi, Mr. Omid Omidvar, Mrs. Tina Tehranchian, and Mrs. Houra The major sponsors of the New York City Gala Benefit Dinner on May 5th, Yavari. 2007 are Dr. Abtin Sassanfar (Pink Diamond Sponsor), Dr. Akbar Ghahary The Gala will be graced by the (Ruby Sponsor) and Mr. Khosrow B. Semnani (Ruby Sponsor). presence of Her Majesty, Queen Farah Dr. Abtin Sassanfar, a scholar of the Zoroastrian religion and a lawyer by Pahlavi, who has also donated one of profession, was born in 1928 in Tehran, Iran. His early education at the Jamshid-e her evening gowns to the Gala auction, Jam elementary school and Firouz Bahram high school, both founded and operated and will be attended by a number of by the Zoroastrian community, led to his interest in the Zoroastrian faith and its dignitaries, including Governor Jon philosophy, and encouraged him to study of Avesta, the holy book of the Zoroas- Corzine of New Jersey. trians. In his studies, he benefited from the advice and instruction of scholars such A number of supporters of the as Ebrahim Pourdavud, Mohammad Moghadam and Davud Monshizadeh. Encyclopædia Iranica have sponsored After graduating from Tehran Universityʼs Law School and completing a the Gala with donations, including Mr. two-year course in banking, he worked for two years at the National Bank of Iran. Khosrow Semnani, Chairman of the Continued on page 4 Continued on page 4 CIS Newsletter 2 EIR FASCICLE 1 Geography,” de Planhol explores the development of Isfahan city as the pro- Continued from page 1 vincial headquarters and Iranian capital GEOGRAPHY from ancient times to the present. He Three articles explore the ge- shows that it was not until the emer- ography of Isfahan. “Geography of gence of the Saljuqids that geopolitical the Province” by EIr., discusses the conditions aligned for the first time to situation of Isfahan Province in central make Isfahan the capital of the state. Persia between the massive central The stabilization of the western border Zagros mountain range and the grand of the empire, the growing Uzbek men- desert. It examines the topographic ace in the northeast, and the European Shah (Imam) Mosque, from and climatic regions of the province in presence in the Persian Gulf led Shah ISFAHAN X. MONUMENTS three distinct zones: semi-humid and Abbas I to select for his empire a cen- cold areas encompassing western and tral capital which in 1598 he located in of Isfahan City” and “Population of southern valleys; the arid areas along Isfahan; it remained so until its destruc- Isfahan Province,” both by H. Zan- the edge of the central desert; and the tion by the Afghans in 1722. De Planhol jani, discuss the demographic changes semi-arid region of the oasis of Isfahan goes on to discuss the structure and in the population from 1956 to 1996. with Zayanda-rud as a main water re- development of the metropolitan ag- The author notes that reliable modern source, which is marked by a moderate glomeration under Shah Abbas. Finally, demographic data on Isfahanʼs popula- climate and four distinct seasons. he treats Isfahan in contemporary Iran, tion started to become available in 1956, from decline to renewal. In actuality, and has been reported since in regular “Geography of the Oasis” by X. de Planhol points out, it was only in the 10-year-interval census of population de Planhol, takes the exceptional loca- 1920s that the renaissance of the city data, showing a rapid fivefold popula- tion of the Isfahan oasis as the point of really began, with industrialization as tion growth from about 255,000 in 1956 departure for explaining the existence its main driving force (the first phase to 1,266,000 in 1996. of the city as one of the largest “desert dealt with the textile industry and the cities” in the world. Located at the second with the steel industry). PRE-ISLAMIC History center of Iran, the city was an obvious In his PRE-ISLAMIC HISTORY of Isfahan, J. Hansmann and EIr., explore candidate as a major transit mart and POPULATION node of communications and commer- Population of the city and the the available information about Isfahan cial activities. It lies also at the outlet of province is discussed in three sub- in pre-Islamic and Islamic sources. The a major river, the Zayanda-rud, whose entries: “Qajar Period” by H. Walcher authors note that in Middle Persian and water nourishes a huge foothill oasis examines the population estimates of earliest Islamic sources, Isfahan is pri- that has provided the basis for a signifi- a number of western observers who marily the name of a province. Use of cant urban agglomeration since ancient visited Isfahan in the 17th century and the name “Isfahan” for the city has been times. The volume of water available reported that the city was the largest in dated in the Islamic period from the 8th from the Zayanda-rud was substantially all of Safavid Persia and estimated the century onward. The Middle Persian increased with the completion in 1954 population of Isfahan as ranging from geography Shahrestaniha-ye Iran re- of the Kuhrang tunnel, a project dating 200,000 to 500,000. The first official cords that the provincial capital of Jey back to Shah Tahmasp I, to transfer the population census of Isfahan was con- was built by Alexander the Great; and waters of the upper Karun into the river. ducted in 1870, showing a population this opinion is repeated by the early Is- De Planhol also explores the distribu- size of 76,000. A more reliable census lamic writers. In the Persian translation tion of water resources based on rules of Isfahan, carried out during the pe- of the Arabic local history of Isfahan, codified in the Safavid era. riod of 1939-41, revealed a population however, the city was founded before In his overview of “Historical of 204,000 for the city. “Population the period of the legendary Iranian hero Jamshid; it suffered much destruction from Afrasiab, was restored by Queen Khomani (Homay), the daughter of Bahman, son of Esfandiar, and was left unharmed by Alexander. Under the Sasanians the province of Spahan extended from Hamadan to the borders of Kerman and from Ray and Qomes to the borders of Fars and Khuzestan. LOCAL HISTORIOGRAPHY; Noting that Isfahan is exceptional in the number and variety of works of local historiography among Persiaʼs major urban centers, J. Paul exam- ines these works in two periods: the pre-Mongol (and in particular the pre- Aerial view of Meydan-e Naqsh-e Jahan, from Saljuq) period, and the 19th century. ISFAHAN X. MONUMENTS The author classifies the works of local 3 CIS Newsletter historiography about Isfahan into two agenda. distinct literary genres: the biographi- cal dictionary, and the adab-oriented THE PAHLAVI PERIOD AND POST-REVO- local history. LUTION ERA H. Borjian contributes an outline MEDIEVAL PERIOD of the history of Isfahan during the H. Kamaly presents Isfahanʼs pre- Pahlavi period and Post-Revolution Safavid history from the 7th century on Era as well as a survey of “Modern by pointing out alternating phases of Economy and Industries.” He notes that urbanization and de-urbanization. Peri- the Isfahan of the Reza Shah period saw ods of urbanization witnessed the rapid Aliqapu Palace, from the consolidation of central authority rise in construction and settlement, ISFAHAN X. MONUMENTS by constraining two powerful socio- increased volume of trade, and literary a shift in that direction that had begun political forces: the Shiite clergy and activity.