Ardestan
Encyclopedia
Ardestan is a city in and the capital of Ardestan County
, Isfahan Province, Iran
. At the 2006 census, its population was 14,698, in 4,077 families.
Ardestan is located at the southern foothills of the Karkas mountain chain and is 110 km northeast of Isfahan
. It is believed the city has been founded in Sassanian times and was strongly fortified in the 10th century. A Seljuk-era mosque
, a bazaar
, several ab anbar
s, and historical houses of the old town are among the tourist attractions of Ardestan. Mulberry
, pomegranate
and a special kind of fig
are the main orchard products of the town.
It has been said that the Sasanian king of kings Khosrow I
(the Just) was born in this town. Ardestan is also the birthplace of Hassan Modarres
.
Ardestan County
Ardestan County is a county in Isfahan Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Ardestan. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 43,585, in 12,587 families. The county is subdivided into two districts: the Central District and Zavareh District. The county has three cities: Ardestan,...
, Isfahan Province, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. At the 2006 census, its population was 14,698, in 4,077 families.
Ardestan is located at the southern foothills of the Karkas mountain chain and is 110 km northeast of Isfahan
Isfahan (city)
Isfahan , historically also rendered in English as Ispahan, Sepahan or Hispahan, is the capital of Isfahan Province in Iran, located about 340 km south of Tehran. It has a population of 1,583,609, Iran's third largest city after Tehran and Mashhad...
. It is believed the city has been founded in Sassanian times and was strongly fortified in the 10th century. A Seljuk-era mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
, a bazaar
Bazaar
A bazaar , Cypriot Greek: pantopoula) is a permanent merchandising area, marketplace, or street of shops where goods and services are exchanged or sold. The term is sometimes also used to refer to the "network of merchants, bankers and craftsmen" who work that area...
, several ab anbar
Ab Anbar
An āb anbār is a traditional reservoir or cistern of drinking water in Persian antiquity. The Persian phrase literally translates as "water reservoir".-The structure:...
s, and historical houses of the old town are among the tourist attractions of Ardestan. Mulberry
Mulberry
Morus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae. The 10–16 species of deciduous trees it contains are commonly known as Mulberries....
, pomegranate
Pomegranate
The pomegranate , Punica granatum, is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing between five and eight meters tall.Native to the area of modern day Iran, the pomegranate has been cultivated in the Caucasus since ancient times. From there it spread to Asian areas such as the Caucasus as...
and a special kind of fig
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
are the main orchard products of the town.
It has been said that the Sasanian king of kings Khosrow I
Anushirvan
Anushirvan may refer to:* Khosrau I , Khosrau I Anushirvan, Sassanid king* Anushirwan, Ilkhan...
(the Just) was born in this town. Ardestan is also the birthplace of Hassan Modarres
Hassan Modarres
Seyyed Hassan Modarres , was an Iranian Twelver Shi'a cleric and a notable supporter of the Iranian Constitutional Revolution. He was among the founding members, along with Abdolhossein Teymourtash, of the reformist party Hezb-e Eslaah-talab of the time, which was formed during the fourth...
.
Historical sites
- Imamzadeh Husayn: This Seljuk imamzadehImamzadehAn Imāmzādeh is a word found in both the Persian and Urdu languages, that refers to an immediate descendant of a Shi'a Imam.Imamzadeh means “offspring” or descendent of an imam. There are many other different ways of spelling this term. Some of these are imamzada, imamzadah, and emamzadah...
possibly made part of a Seljuk madrasahMadrasahMadrasah is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, whether secular or religious...
. Only little of this structure remains today. A badly damaged portal with the remains of a minaretMinaretA minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....
(originally two) can still be found. - Imamzadeh Ismael
- Friday Mosque: The oldest parts indicate a pre-Seljuk building, and it is well possible the mosque may have been built on the site of a chahar taq. The structure was incorporated in a Seljuk kiosk mosque in the 12th century, and further expanded to the classical four-iwanIwanAn iwan is a rectangular hall or space, usually vaulted, walled on three sides, with one end entirely open. The formal gateway to the iwan is called pishtaq, a Persian term for a portal projecting from the facade of a building, usually decorated with calligraphy bands, glazed tilework, and...
plan. The stuccoStuccoStucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
decoration of the mihrabMihrabA mihrab is semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla; that is, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca and hence the direction that Muslims should face when praying...
was altered during the Il-KhanidIlkhanateThe Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate , was a Mongol khanate established in Azerbaijan and Persia in the 13th century, considered a part of the Mongol Empire...
period.
External links
- Photographs of Ardestan: