Dezful

For the administrative subdivision, see Dezful County.
Dezful
دزفول
city

Rudband Shrine and the City along the Dez River
Nickname(s): دسفیل', 'دژپل
Dezful
Coordinates: 32°22′57″N 48°24′07″E / 32.38250°N 48.40194°E / 32.38250; 48.40194Coordinates: 32°22′57″N 48°24′07″E / 32.38250°N 48.40194°E / 32.38250; 48.40194
Country  Iran
Province Khuzestan
County Dezful
Bakhsh Central
Elevation 150 m (490 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Total 420,000
Time zone IRST (UTC+3:30)
 • Summer (DST) IRDT (UTC+4:30)
Area code(s) 061

Dezful (Persian: دزفول‎‎, pronounced [dɛzˈfuːl], in local dialect Persian: دسفیل‎‎, also Romanized as Dezfūl and Dezfool; also known as Dīzfūl)[1] is a city in and the capital of Dezful County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. At the 2011 census, its population was 420,000 people in 105,000 families.[2] In 2006, the city had 235,819 inhabitants.[3][4]

Located in an area with a history that extends back to ancient civilization, the city houses a bridge that dates back to 300 BC.[5]

History

The name Dezful has been derived from the two words diz (fortress) + pul (bridge), which in combination could stand for 'the bridge to the fortress' or 'fortified bridge'.[6] The original name of the city was Dizpul, but after the Islamic invasion of Persia, the city was renamed Dezful.[6] The bridge was built during the reign of Shapur I who used Roman prisoners of war to build the bridge.[7]

Dezful Jame' Mosque

The bridge protected the city from military interventions, hence its name. The old part of the city adjacent to the bridge is known as the Qaleh (castle). In the middle of the river, close to the bridge, you can see remains of several water mills built ca. 300 BC. Most of them were actually used up to the beginning of the 20th century. The last one was in use up to 1985.

The Academy of Gundishapur, a teaching hospital that was the intellectual center of the Sassanid empire, was founded near Dezful.

The people of Dezful, known as Dezfuli, Dezfoolians or Dezfulians, speak Dezfuli – a dialect distinct to Dezful – and Shushtar, which is sometimes considered the most archaic of Persian dialects.

Archaeology

North Khuzestan was home to some of the oldest civilizations in the world. The Chogha Mish hills have more than 8,000 years of treasures from different periods, and archaeologists have called on the city of dawn. Susa Zanbil temple symbolizes the people of knowledge in this area over 3000 years ago. Apadana Palace is a symbol of the greatness of the Iranians. Shushtar waterfalls are a symbol of Iranian engineering and technology. Dezful Old Bridge is a symbol of Persian authority. Cole Farah Izeh symbol of nobility of the people. These attractions put Dezful Area in the list of archaeologists' main study areas.

Geography

Dezful sits close to the foothills of the Zagros Mountains on the main north-south highway from Tehran to Ahvaz, the provincial capital of Khuzestan. The main rail line from Tehran to the Persian Gulf is 15 km (9 mi) from Dezful, on the opposite side of the Dez River.

Climate

Dezful has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh) with extremely hot summers and mild winters. Rainfall is higher than most of southern Iran, but is almost exclusively confined to the period from November to April, though on occasions it can exceed 250 millimetres (9.8 in) per month or 600 millimetres (24 in) per year.[8]

Climate data for Dezful
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 28.0
(82.4)		 29.0
(84.2)		 36.0
(96.8)		 40.5
(104.9)		 46.5
(115.7)		 50.0
(122)		 53.6
(128.5)		 52.0
(125.6)		 48.0
(118.4)		 43.0
(109.4)		 35.0
(95)		 29.0
(84.2)		 53.6
(128.5)
Average high °C (°F) 17.2
(63)		 19.6
(67.3)		 24.1
(75.4)		 30.0
(86)		 37.5
(99.5)		 43.7
(110.7)		 46.0
(114.8)		 44.9
(112.8)		 41.7
(107.1)		 34.8
(94.6)		 26.2
(79.2)		 19.3
(66.7)		 32.08
(89.76)
Daily mean °C (°F) 10.8
(51.4)		 13.2
(55.8)		 17.3
(63.1)		 22.8
(73)		 29.9
(85.8)		 35.1
(95.2)		 37.0
(98.6)		 35.8
(96.4)		 32.0
(89.6)		 25.6
(78.1)		 17.9
(64.2)		 12.5
(54.5)		 24.16
(75.48)
Average low °C (°F) 5.3
(41.5)		 6.8
(44.2)		 10.0
(50)		 14.7
(58.5)		 20.5
(68.9)		 23.8
(74.8)		 26.2
(79.2)		 25.5
(77.9)		 21.1
(70)		 16.2
(61.2)		 10.8
(51.4)		 6.8
(44.2)		 15.64
(60.15)
Record low °C (°F) −9
(16)		 −4.0
(24.8)		 −2
(28)		 3.0
(37.4)		 10.0
(50)		 16.0
(60.8)		 19.0
(66.2)		 16.5
(61.7)		 10.0
(50)		 6.0
(42.8)		 1.0
(33.8)		 −2
(28)		 −9
(16)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 100.6
(3.961)		 60.0
(2.362)		 50.2
(1.976)		 34.5
(1.358)		 9.2
(0.362)		 0.0
(0)		 0.2
(0.008)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 7.4
(0.291)		 39.1
(1.539)		 83.2
(3.276)		 384.4
(15.133)
Average rainy days 9.9 8.1 8.1 6.5 3.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 2.1 6.2 8.0 52
Average relative humidity (%) 75 68 59 49 32 22 24 28 29 40 59 73 46.5
Mean monthly sunshine hours 131.6 158.4 192.3 217.7 272.5 325.6 322.7 317.0 291.3 234.8 158.2 121.9 2,744
Source: NOAA (1961-1990) [9]

Economy

Dezfūl is the primary commercial center for northern Khuzestan and one of the main producers of agricultural products in Iran. Dezful is also a market for the agricultural products of Lorestan province. The city also contains a large cotton textile mill and many small- and medium-scale industries. The Dez Dam, 203 m (666 ft) high, completed in 1963, is 32 km (20 mi) upstream from Dezful; the dam provides water and electricity for the city, as well as irrigation for nearby sugarcane farms.

Agriculture

Agriculture around Dezful was modernized in the mid-1960s by an Iranian-American joint venture company. Flowers and citrus fruits from Dezful are held in high regard in the country. Also popular are yogurt and cream from local buffalos. Various vegetables, fruit and grains are grown in Dezful. Meat, poultry and fish are also produced.

Dezful Vahdati Air Force Base and Airport

Dezful Vahdati Air Force Base is the 4th IAF Air Force base and it is operational for F-5A, E, F and B fighters. The base was bombarded by the Iraqi Air Force during the early stages of the Iran–Iraq War. There is an annual air show for the remembrance of war heroes at the beginning of the Iranian New Year (Nowruz). Held from March 21 to April 4, it is the only military air show in Iran.

The Dezful air force base is also used for domestic passenger flights. There have been occasional bans of passenger flights in Dezful air base because of military security matters in the past 20 years, but finally, based on an agreement between military commanders and Dezful civil governors, a regular daily program of flights was settled at the end of 2007 by two domestic airlines, Iran Air Tour and Aseman. There are currently at least one or two flights from this base (which is now called Dezful Airport) to Tehran and back from Tehran every day.

Transportation

There are direct flights from Tehran to Dezful (and reverse) at least twice a day. There are also weekly flights from Dezful to Mashhad (mawhad or mašhad). Dezful can also be reached by the Iranian railways.

Buses are available from almost all Iranian major cities to Dezful or one of its adjacent cities.

Twin towns – Sister cities

See also

References

  1. ↑ Dezful can be found at GEOnet Names Server, at this link, by opening the Advanced Search box, entering "-3061127" in the "Unique Feature Id" form, and clicking on "Search Database".
  2. ↑ "Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1390 (2011)". Islamic Republic of Iran. Archived from the original (Excel) on 2016-10-06.
  3. ↑ Census85 - (Statistical Center of Iran (in Persian))
  4. ↑ Population and Housing Census
  5. ↑ سايت اداره ميراث فرهنگي ، صنايع دستي و گردشگري شهرستان دزفول
  6. 1 2 دزفول شناسی - شهر [[دزفول - آشنايی با دزفول - dezful]
  7. ↑ Hartung, Fritz; Kuros, Gh. R. (1987), "Historische Talsperren im Iran", in Garbrecht, Günther, Historische Talsperren, 1, Stuttgart: Verlag Konrad Wittwer, pp. 221–274 (232), ISBN 3-87919-145-X
  8. ↑ Dezful rainfall
  9. ↑ "Dezful Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  10. ↑ http://www.iribnews.ir/NewsText.aspx?ID=1692228

Sources

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