Bakhsh
Encyclopedia
A bakhsh is a type of administrative division
of Iran
. While sometimes translated as county, it is more accurately translated as district, as they are similar to a township in the United States
or a district of England.
In Iran, each ostan or province consists of several shahrestan
or county , and each shahrestan has one or more bakhsh or district . A bakhsh usually consists of tens of villages with a central town or city. The official governor of a bakhsh is called bakhshdar which is the head of bakhshdari office.
There are usually a few cities and dehdars (municipalities or rural agglomerations) in each county. Dehdars are a collection of a number of villages and their surrounding lands. One of the cities of the county is appointed as the capital of each county.
To better understand such subdivisions, the following table may be helpful. Assume that province P is divided into two counties: A and B. County A has 3 districts: Central, X, and Y. The Central district is the district that contains City M, the capital of the county. Each district might contain one or more cities and/or one or more RAs (rural agglomerations). In our example, the Central district contains City M, City N, and RA T composed of the villages V1, V2, V3, and V4, in turn; district X contains City O and RA U; and district Y has no cities and one RA V. The minimal county consists of only one city as the only district, named Central, of course. The county B in the following table is of such type, containing only one city Q.
Administrative division
An administrative division, subnational entity, or country subdivision is a portion of a country or other political division, established for the purpose of government. Administrative divisions are each granted a certain degree of autonomy, and are required to manage themselves through their own...
of 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...
. While sometimes translated as county, it is more accurately translated as district, as they are similar to a township in the United States
Township (United States)
A township in the United States is a small geographic area. Townships range in size from 6 to 54 square miles , with being the norm.The term is used in three ways....
or a district of England.
In Iran, each ostan or province consists of several shahrestan
Shahrestan
Shahrestan or Shahristan may refer to:*Counties of Iran*Shahristan District*Shahrestan, Afghanistan...
or county , and each shahrestan has one or more bakhsh or district . A bakhsh usually consists of tens of villages with a central town or city. The official governor of a bakhsh is called bakhshdar which is the head of bakhshdari office.
There are usually a few cities and dehdars (municipalities or rural agglomerations) in each county. Dehdars are a collection of a number of villages and their surrounding lands. One of the cities of the county is appointed as the capital of each county.
To better understand such subdivisions, the following table may be helpful. Assume that province P is divided into two counties: A and B. County A has 3 districts: Central, X, and Y. The Central district is the district that contains City M, the capital of the county. Each district might contain one or more cities and/or one or more RAs (rural agglomerations). In our example, the Central district contains City M, City N, and RA T composed of the villages V1, V2, V3, and V4, in turn; district X contains City O and RA U; and district Y has no cities and one RA V. The minimal county consists of only one city as the only district, named Central, of course. The county B in the following table is of such type, containing only one city Q.
| Province | County | District | City / RA* | Villages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | A | Central | City M (c) | |
| City N | ||||
| RA T | V1, V2, V3, V4 | |||
| X | City O | |||
| RA U | V5, V6 | |||
| Y | RA V | V7, V8, V9 | ||
| B | Central | City Q |