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Shams al-Din Ildeniz , Eldigüz or Shamseddin Eldeniz ( Persian : اتابک شمس‌الدین ایلدگز , died c. 1175–1176) was an atabeg of the Seljuq empire and founder of the dynasty of Eldiguzids , atabegs of Azerbaijan, which held sway over Armenia , Iranian Azerbaijan , and most of northwestern Persia from the second half of the 12th century to the early decades of the 13th.

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90-889: A Kipchak by origin, he was formerly a freedman of Kamal al-Din al-Simirumi , the vizier of Seljuq sultan Mahmud II (1118-1131). After Simirumi's murder at the hands of Assassins in 1122, he passed to the hands of sultan, who entrusted his education to certain emir Nasr. According to Minorsky , after Mahmud's death, he attained to the post of governor of Arran and Azerbaijan under sultan Ghiyath ad-Din Mas'ud (1134–1152) in 1137, who also gave late sultan Toghrul II 's widow Momine Khatun and appointed Eldigüz to be atabeg of Arslanshah (son of Toghrul) in 1161. He obtained Iranian Azerbaijan , Arran, Shirvan , Jibal , Hamadan , Gilan , Mazandaran , Isfahan and Rey. The feudal lords of Mosul , Kerman and Persia, Shirvan , Khuzistan , Ahlat , Arzan-ar-Rum and Maragha became his vassals. His rise as

180-698: A Hellenistic dimension within Iranian culture and the political organization introduced by Alexander the Great 's invading armies. Under the Parthians, Arsacid governors administered the provinces of the nation from Isfahan, and the city's urban development accelerated to accommodate the needs of a capital city. The next empire to rule, the Sassanids (224–651 CE), presided over massive changes in their realm, instituting sweeping agricultural reforms and reviving Iranian culture and

270-529: A cold desert climate ( Köppen BWk ). No geological obstacles exist within 90 kilometres (56 miles) north of the city, allowing cool winds to blow from this direction. Despite its altitude, Isfahan remains hot during the summer, with maxima typically around 35 °C (95 °F). However, with low humidity and moderate temperatures at night, the climate is quite pleasant. During the winter, days are cool while nights can be very cold. Snow falls an average of 6.7 days each winter. However, generally Isfahan's climate

360-547: A tram network in the city. The Isfahan Metro was opened on 15 October 2015. It currently consists of one north–south line with a length of 20.2 kilometres (12.6 mi), and two more lines are currently under construction, alongside three suburban rail lines. The city is served by a railway station , with the Islamic Republic of Iran Railways running trains to Bandarabbas and Mashhad . The first high-speed railway in Iran,

450-415: A conclusion when Muhammad II defeated Eldiguz in 1156 and granted Azerbaijan to Arslan Aba. Tides turned when sultan himself died in 1159 and was replaced by Suleiman Shah by Ïnanch Sonqur . He succeeded, in 1160, in deposing and possibly murdering Sulayman Shah and installing his stepson Arslanshah b. Toghrul (1160–1175) as sultan. Conferred with the rank of atabeg, Ildeniz now became a chief protector of

540-509: A hollow tree, their original human ancestress gave birth to her son. Németh points to the Siberian qıpčaq "angry, quick-tempered" attested only in the Siberian Sağay dialect (a dialect of Khakas language ). Klyashtorny links Kipchak to qovı , qovuq "unfortunate, unlucky"; yet Golden sees a better match in qıv "good fortune" and adjectival suffix -čāq . Regardless, Golden notes that

630-707: A part of the ruling strata and elite. Golden identifies the Ölberli with the Qay whom are recorded as the Xi in Chinese sources and Tatabı in Turkic inscriptions, and were of Mongolic or para-Mongolic background - likely stemming from the Xianbei . Chinese histories only mentioned the Kipchaks a few times: for example, Yuan general Tutuha 's origin from Kipchak tribe Ölberli, or some information about

720-478: A sample of the water and soil of Jerusalem. They did not settle until they reached the city of Isfahan, whose soil and water was deemed to resemble that of Jerusalem. Thereupon they settled there, cultivated the soil, raised children and grandchildren, and today the name of this settlement is Yahudia. The Parthians (247 BCE – 224 CE), continued the tradition of tolerance after the fall of the Achaemenids , fostering

810-707: A village named Kipchak in Crimea . Qypshaq, which is a development of "Kipchak" in the Kazakh language , is one of the constituent tribes of the Middle Horde confederation of the Kazakh people. The name Kipchak also occurs as a surname in Kazakhstan . Some of the descendants of the Kipchaks are the Bashkirian clan Qipsaq. Radlov believed that among the current languages Cuman is closest to

900-751: Is explainable by assuming that the historical Kipchaks' modern descendants are Kazakhs , whose men possess a high frequency of haplogroup C2's subclade C2b1b1 (59.7 to 78%). Lee and Kuang also suggest that the high frequency (63.9%) of the Y-DNA haplogroup R-M73 among Karakypshaks (a tribe within the Kipchaks) allows inferrence about the genetics of Karakypshaks' medieval ancestors, thus explaining why some medieval Kipchaks were described as possessing "blue [or green] eyes and red hair. A genetic study published in Nature in May 2018 examined

990-583: Is extremely dry. Its annual precipitation of 125 millimetres (4.9 in) is only about half that of Tehran or Mashhad and only a quarter that of more exposed Kermanshah . The Zayande River starts in the Zagros Mountains, flowing from the west through the heart of the city, then dissipates in the Gavkhouni wetland . Planting olive trees in the city is economically viable because such trees can survive water shortages. The highest recorded temperature

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1080-510: Is likely "early and medieval Turkic peoples themselves did not form a homogeneous entity and that some of them, non-Turkic by origin, had become Turkicised at some point in history." The Yenisei Kirghiz are among those suggested to be of turkicised or part non-Turkic origin. According to Lee & Kuang, who cite Chinese historical descriptions as well as genetic data, the turcophone "Qirghiz" may have been of non-Turkic origin, and were later Turkified through inter-tribal marriage. Gardizi believed

1170-557: Is located just outside the city. Isfahan is also attracting international investment. Isfahan hosted the International Physics Olympiad in 2007. In 2020, the Iran-Qatar Joint Economic Commission met in the city. In 2023 two hundred Azan playing loudspeakers were installed in the city by the government. The Municipality has created a tourism app Isfahanema. The city is located on the plain of

1260-545: Is mentioned as a country ( nāḥiyat ) of the Kīmāk , 'of which inhabitants resemble the Ghūz in some customs'. In the 9th century Ibn Khordadbeh indicated that they held autonomy within the Kimek confederation. They entered the Kimek in the 8th- or beginning of 9th century, and were one of the seven original tribes. In the 10th-century's Hudud al-'Alam it is said that the Kimek appointed

1350-401: Is more often the mismanagement of water. The subsidence rate is dire, and the aquifer level decreases by one meter annually. As of 2020, the city had the worst air quality among major Iranian cities. The Damask rose cultivar Rosa 'Ispahan' is named after the city. Cows endemic to Isfahan became extinct in 2020. Wagtails are often seen in farmlands and parks. The mole cricket

1440-466: Is noted for its production of the Isfahan rug , a type of Persian rug typically made of merino wool and silk . There are nuclear experimental reactors as well as uranium conversion facilities (UCF) for producing nuclear fuel in the environs of the city. Isfahan has one of the largest steel-producing facilities in the region, as well as facilities for producing special alloys. The Mobarakeh Steel Company

1530-727: Is now Turkey ), to protect Byzantine from foreign invasions. When the Ottomans conquered the lands they lived in, these Kipchaks intermixed with the Turkmen and were assimilated among Turks. The Kipchaks who settled in Western Anatolia during the reign of Nicea Emperor III. John Doukas Vatatzes  are the ancestors of a community called Manav living in Northwest Anatolia today. Another Kipchak migration in Anatolia dates back to

1620-500: Is often referred to as the Kipchak branch. The languages in this branch are mostly considered to be descendants of the Kipchak language, and the people who speak them may likewise be referred to as Kipchak peoples. Some of the groups traditionally included are the Manavs , Karachays , Siberian Tatars , Nogays , Bashkirs , Kazakhs , Kyrgyz , Volga Tatars , and Crimean Tatars . There is also

1710-534: Is one of the largest and fairest of cities, but it is now in ruins for the greater part." In 1387, Isfahan surrendered to the warlord Timur . Initially treated with relative mercy, the city revolted against Timur's punitive taxes by killing the tax collectors and some of Timur's soldiers. In retribution, Timur ordered the massacre of the city residents, his soldiers killing a reported 70,000 citizens. An eye-witness counted more than 28 towers, each constructed of about 1,500 heads. Isfahan regained its importance during

1800-432: Is one of the major pests of plants, especially grass roots. Sheep and rams are symbols of Isfahan. By 2023, the city's Green space was dying because of water shortage; where trees need 150 liters, only 0.7 liter of gray recycled water was available. There is a program to plant Celtis australis , oak trees. Situated at 1,590 metres (5,217 ft) above sea level on the eastern side of the Zagros Mountains, Isfahan has

1890-749: Is the Si-o-Seh Pol or bridge of 33 arches. It was built during the reign of Shah Abbas the Great by Sheikh Baha'i and connected Isfahan with the Armenian suburb of New Julfa . It is by far the longest bridge in Isfahan at 295 m (967.85 ft). Another notable bridge is the Marnan Bridge . Snapp! and Tapsi are two of the carpooling apps in the city. The city has built 42 bicycle-sharing stations and 150 kilometres (93 mi) of paved bicycle paths. As part of Iran's religious laws, women are forbidden to use

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1980-483: Is the Arabicized form of Ispahan (unlike Middle Persian , but New Persian does not allow initial consonant clusters such as sp ). The region is denoted by the abbreviation GD (Southern Media ) on Sasanian coins. In Ptolemy's Geographia , it appears as Aspadana ( Ἀσπαδανα ), which translates to "place of gathering for the army". It is believed that Spahān is derived from spādānām "the armies",

2070-469: Is the biggest steel producer in the whole of the Middle East and Northern Africa, and it is the biggest DRI producer in the world. The Isfahan Steel Company was the first manufacturer of constructional steel products in Iran, and it remains the largest such company today. There is a major oil refinery and a large air-force base outside the city. HESA , Iran's most advanced aircraft manufacturing plant,

2160-443: Is the capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is located 440 kilometres (270 miles) south of Tehran . The city has a population of approximately 2,220,000, making it the third-most populous city in Iran, after Tehran and Mashhad , and the second-largest metropolitan area. Isfahan is located at the intersection of the two principal routes that traverse Iran, north–south and east–west. Isfahan flourished between

2250-565: The Zayandeh Rud (Fertile River) and the foothills of the Zagros mountain range. The nearest mountain is Mount Soffeh (Kuh-e Soffeh), just south of the city. As of 2023 several public housing projects have been undertaken. An artificial network of canals, whose components are called madi , were built during the Safavid dynasty for channeling water from Zayandeh Roud river into different parts of

2340-580: The Alans after convincing the Kipchaks to desert them through pointing at their likeness in language and culture. Nonetheless, the Kipchaks were defeated next. Under khan Köten , Kipchaks fled to the Principality of Kiev (the Ruthenians), where the Kipchaks had several marriage relations, one of which was Köten's son-in-law Mstislav Mstislavich of Galicia. The Ruthenians and Kipchaks forged an alliance against

2430-738: The Altai region from where they expanded over the following centuries, first as part of the Kimek–Kipchak confederation and later as part of a confederation with the Cumans . There were groups of Kipchaks in the Pontic–Caspian steppe , China, Syr Darya and Siberia . Cumania was conquered by the Mongol Empire in the early 13th century. The Kipchaks interpreted their name as meaning "hollow tree" (cf. Middle Turkic : kuv ağaç ); according to them, inside

2520-602: The Buyid dynasty , and further under the Seljuk dynasty . With the fall of the Seljuks in 1200 CE, the city temporarily declined but regained its importance during the Safavid era (1501-1736) with the city's golden age under the rule of Abbas the Great who also moved his capital from Qazvin to Isfahan. During his reign, Turkish , Armenian , and Persian craftsmen were forcefully resettled in

2610-627: The Crimea and Kipchak regions in the Isfendiyarids Beylik. The Kipchak–Cuman confederation spoke a Turkic language ( Kipchak languages , Cuman language ) whose most important surviving record is the Codex Cumanicus , a late 13th-century dictionary of words in Kipchak, Cuman, and Latin . The presence in Egypt of Turkic-speaking Mamluks also stimulated the compilation of Kipchak/Cuman-Arabic dictionaries and grammars that are important in

2700-506: The Golden Horde . The confederation or tribal union which Kipchaks entered in the 8th- or beginning of 9th century as one of seven original tribes is known in historiography as that of the Kimek (or Kimäk). Turkic inscriptions do not mention the state with that name. 10th-century Hudud al-'Alam mentions the "country of Kīmāk", ruled by a khagan (king) who has eleven lieutenants that hold hereditary fiefs. Furthermore, Andar Az Khifchāq

2790-642: The Iran–Iraq War . Under Median rule, a commercial entrepôt began to show signs of more sedentary urbanism, steadily growing into a noteworthy regional centre that benefited from the exceptionally fertile soil on the banks of the Zayandehrud River, in a region called Aspandana or Ispandana. When Cyrus the Great unified Persian and Median lands into the Achaemenid Empire , the religiously and ethnically diverse city of Isfahan became an early example of

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2880-613: The Juéyuèshī (厥越失) in Chinese sources; however, Zuev (2002) identified 厥越失 Juéyuèshī (< MC * kiwat-jiwat-siet ) with toponym Kürüshi in the Ezhim river valley (Ch. Ayan < MCh. 阿豔 * a-iam < OTrk. Ayam ) in Tuva Depression . Linguist Bernard Karlgren and some Soviet scholars (e.g. Lev Gumilyov ) attempted to connect the Kipchaks to the Qūshé ~ Qūshí (屈射), a people once conquered by

2970-580: The Kara-Khanid Khanate in 1017–18. It is unknown whether the Cumans conquered the Kipchaks or were simply the leaders of the confederacy of the Kipchak–Turkic tribes. What is certain is that the two peoples gradually mingled politically and that, from the second half of the 12th century onwards, the names Cumans and Kipchaks became interchangeable to refer to the whole confederacy. The Mongols defeated

3060-544: The Kimek confederation , with which they expanded to the Irtysh , Ishim and Tobol rivers. They then appeared in Islamic sources. In the 9th century Ibn Khordadbeh indicated that they held autonomy within the Kimek confederation. They entered the Kimek in the 8th- or beginning of 9th century, and were one of seven original tribes. In the 10th-century Hudud al-'Alam it is said that

3150-903: The Lviv and Kamianets-Podilskyi areas of what is now Ukraine. The literary form of the Cuman language became extinct in the 18th century in the region of Cumania in Hungary . Cuman in Crimea, however, became the ancestor of the central dialect of Crimean Tatar . Mongolian linguistic elements in the Kipchak–Kimek confederation remain "unproven"; though that confederation's constituent Tatar tribe possibly had been Mongolic speakers who later underwent Turkification. The Kipchaks practiced Tengrism . Muslim conversion occurred near Islamic centres. Some Kipchaks and Cumans were known to have converted to Christianity around

3240-753: The Mamluks were in part drawn from Kipchaks and Cumans. In 1239–1240, a large group of Kipchaks fleeing from the Mongols crossed the Danube . This group, which has an estimated population of over 10 thousand, wandered for a long time to find a suitable place to settle in Thrace . John III Doukas Vatatzes , who wanted to prevent Kipchaks invasion of Byzantine lands and to benefit from their military capabilities, invited Kipchaks in Byzantine service. He settled some of them in Anatolia (what

3330-622: The Mishar dialect of the Tatar language . Especially the regional Mishar dialects of Sergachsky district have been named as "faithfully close to original Kipchak". Kipchak confederations Kipchak ancestry ( Tokhara Yabghus , Turk Shahis ) Isfahan (city) Isfahan or Esfahan / Espahan ( Persian : اصفهان ; [esfæˈhɒːn] ) is a major city in the Central District of Isfahan County , Isfahan province, Iran . It

3420-775: The Ruthenian camp was massacred. The nomadic Kipchaks were the main targets of the Mongols when they crossed the Volga in 1236. The defeated Kipchaks mainly entered the Mongol ranks, while others fled westward. Köten led 40,000 families into Hungary, where King Bela IV granted them refuge in return for their Christianization. The refugee Kipchaks fled Hungary after Köten was murdered. After their fall, Kipchaks and Cumans were known to have become mercenaries in Europe and taken as slave warriors. In Egypt ,

3510-524: The Safavid period (1501–1736). The city's golden age began in 1598 when the Safavid ruler Abbas the Great (reigned 1588–1629) made it his capital and rebuilt it into one of the largest and most beautiful cities in the 17th-century world. In 1598, he moved his capital from Qazvin to the more central Isfahan. He introduced policies increasing Iranian involvement in the Silk Road trade. Turkish , Armenian , and Persian craftsmen were forcefully resettled in

3600-633: The Sasanian Empire (3rd–7th century Sassanid era); it was repaired during the Seljuk period. Further upstream is the Khaju Bridge , which Shah Abbas II built in 1650. It is 123 metres (404 feet) long, with 24 arches; and it also serves as a sluice gate. Another bridge is the Choobi (Joui) Bridge , which was originally an aqueduct to supply the palace gardens on the north bank of the river. Further upstream again

3690-423: The Tehran-Qom-Isfahan line is currently being constructed and will connect Isfahan to Tehran and Qom. Isfahan is served by Isfahan International Airport , which in 2019 was the 7th busiest airport in Iran. In 2014, industry, mines, and commerce in Isfahan province accounted for 35% to 50% (almost $ 229 billion) of the Iranian Gross Domestic Product . In 2019, Isfahan province's governorate said that tourism

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3780-423: The Xiongnu ; however, Golden deems this connection unlikely, considering 屈射's Old Chinese pronunciation * khut m-lak and Eastern Han Chinese * kʰut źa ~ kʰut jak/jɑk (as reconstructed by Schuessler, 2009:314,70). The relationship between the Kipchaks and Cumans is unclear. While part of the Turkic Khaganate, they most likely inhabited the Altai region. When the Khaganate collapsed, they became part of

3870-436: The fortress of Gagi , laid waste as far as the region of Gagi and Gegharkunik , seized prisoners and booty, and then moved to Ani capturing and granting it to Shaddadid emir Shahanshah ibn Mahmud . The Muslim rulers were jubilant, and they prepared for a new campaign. However, this time they were forestalled by George III , who marched into Arran at the beginning of 1166, occupied a region extending to Ganja , devastated

3960-399: The 11th century, at the suggestion of the Georgians , as they allied in their conflicts against the Muslims. A great number were baptized at the request of Georgian King David IV , who also married a daughter of Kipchak Khan Otrok . From 1120, there was a Kipchak national Christian church and an important clergy. Following the Mongol conquest, Islam rose in popularity among the Kipchaks of

4050-424: The 8th-century Moyun Chur inscription as Türk-Qïbchaq , mentioned as having been part of the Turkic Khaganate for fifty years; even so, this attestation is uncertain as damages on the inscription leave only -čq (𐰲𐰴) (* -čaq or čiq ) readable. It is unclear if the Kipchaks could be identified with, according to Klyashtorny, the [ Al ] tï Sir in the Orkhon inscriptions (薛延陀; pinyin: Xuè-Yántuó ), or with

4140-427: The 9th and 18th centuries. Under the Safavid Empire , Isfahan became the capital of Iran, for the second time in its history, under Abbas the Great . The city retains much of its history. It is famous for its Persian – Muslim architecture , grand boulevards, covered bridges, palaces, tiled mosques, and minarets. Isfahan also has many historical buildings, monuments, paintings, and artifacts. The fame of Isfahan led to

4230-409: The Arabs captured Isfahan in 642 CE, they made it the capital of al-Jibal ("the Mountains") province, an area that covered much of ancient Media. Isfahan grew prosperous under the Persian Buyid (Buwayhid) dynasty, which rose to power and ruled much of Iran when the temporal authority of the Abbasid leaders waned in the 10th century. The city walls of Isfahan are thought to have been constructed during

4320-431: The Chinese for some other ancient Turkic tribes, such as the Yenisei Kirghiz , while the Tiele (to whom the Qun belonged) were not described as foreign looking, i.e. they were likely East Asian in appearance. It is noted that "Chinese histories also depict the Turkic-speaking peoples as typically possessing East/Inner Asian physiognomy , as well as occasionally having West Eurasian physiognomy." Lee and Kuang believe it

4410-450: The Kimek appointed the Kipchak king. The Kimek confederation, probably spearheaded by the Kipchaks, moved into Oghuz lands, and Sighnaq in Syr Darya became the Kipchak urban centre. Kipchak remnants remained in Siberia , while others pushed westwards in the Qun migration. As a result, three Kipchak groups emerged: The early 11th century saw a massive Turkic nomadic migration towards the Islamic world. The first waves were recorded in

4500-445: The Kipchak king. The looks of a typical Kipchak are a matter of debate. This is because in spite of their Eastern origins, several sources point at them being white, blue-eyed, and blond. It is important to elaborate, however, that the full range of available data sketches a more complex picture. While the written sources often emphasize a fair complexion the craniometric and genetic data, as well as some historical descriptions, support

4590-456: The Kipchaks' homeland, horses, and the Kipchaks' physiognomy and psychology. The Kipchaks were first unambiguously mentioned in Persian geographer ibn Khordadbeh 's Book of Roads and Kingdoms as a northernly Turkic tribe, after Toquz Oghuz , Karluks , Kimeks , Oghuz , J.f.r (either corrupted from Jikil or representing Majfar for Majğar ), Pechenegs , Türgesh , Aðkiš, and before Yenisei Kirghiz . Kipchaks possibly appeared in

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4680-413: The Mongols, and met at the Dnieper to locate them. After an eight-day pursuit, they met at the Kalka River (1223). The Kipchaks, who were horse archers like the Mongols, served as the vanguard and scouts. The Mongols, who appeared to retreat, tricked the Ruthenian–Kipchak force into a trap after suddenly emerging behind the hills and surrounding them. The fleeing Kipchaks were closely pursued, and

4770-414: The Old Persian plural of spāda , from which is derived spāh ( 𐭮𐭯𐭠𐭧 ) 'army' and spahi ( سپاهی , 'soldier', literally 'of the army') in Central Persian. Some of the other ancient names include Gey , Jey (old form Zi), Park, and Judea. Human habitation in the Isfahan region can be traced back to the Palaeolithic period. Archaeologists have recently found artifacts dating back to

4860-437: The Palaeolithic, Mesolithic , Neolithic , Bronze , and Iron ages. During the Median rule, Isfahan became a regional centre especially from the benefits from the Zayandehrud River. It was a religiously and ethnically diverse city during the reign of Cyrus the Great and exhibited religious tolerance. The Arabs captured Isfahan in 642 CE and made it the capital of al-Jibal province. The city further grew prosperous under

4950-411: The Persian proverb Esfahān nesf-e-jahān ast (Isfahan is half (of) the world). Naqsh-e Jahan Square in Isfahan is one of the largest city squares in the world, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site . The name Isfahan is derived from Middle Persian Spahān , which is attested by various Middle Persian seals and inscriptions, including that of the Zoroastrian magi Kartir . The present-day name

5040-456: The Zoroastrian religion. Both the city and region were then called by the name Aspahan or Spahan. The city was governed by a group called the Espoohrans, who descended from seven noble Iranian families. Extant foundations of some Sassanid-era bridges in Isfahan suggest that the Sasanian kings were fond of ambitious urban-planning projects. While Isfahan's political importance declined during this period, many Sassanid princes would study statecraft in

5130-516: The city to ensure its prosperity. Their contributions to the economic vitality of the revitalized city supported the recovery of Safavid glory and prestige, after earlier losses to the Ottomans and Qizilbash tribes, ushering in a golden age for the city, when architecture and Persian culture flourished. As part of Abbas's forced resettlement of peoples from within his empire, as many as 300,000 Armenians (primarily from Jugha ) were resettled in Isfahan during Abbas' reign. ) In Isfahan, he ordered

5220-402: The city to ensure its prosperity. Later, the city also had enclaves for people of Georgian , Circassian , and Daghistani descent. The city once again declined after the Siege of Isfahan by Afghan invaders in 1722. In the 20th century, Isfahan was resettled by many people from southern Iran: especially during the population migrations at the start of the century, and in the 1980s, following

5310-410: The city, and its military role increased. Its strategic location at the intersection of the ancient roads to Susa and Persepolis made it an ideal candidate to house a standing army, which would be ready to march against Constantinople at any moment. The words "Aspahan" and "Spahan" are derived from the Pahlavi or Middle Persian meaning 'the place of the army'. Although many theories have mentioned

5400-560: The city. Designed by Sheikh Bahaï, an engineer of Shah Abbas, this network has 77 madis in the northern course, and 71 in the southern course of the Zayandeh Rud. In 1993, this centuries-old network provided 91% of agricultural water, 4% of industrial needs, and 5% of city needs. 70 emergency wells were dug in 2018 to avoid water shortages. Towns and villages around Isfahan have been hit so hard by drought and water diversion that they have emptied out and people who lived there have moved. An anonymous journalist said that what's called drought

5490-422: The city. The city's prosperity lasted until it was sacked by Afghan invaders in 1722, during a marked decline in Safavid influence. Thereafter, Isfahan experienced a decline in importance, culminating in moving the capital to Mashhad and Shiraz during the Afsharid and Zand periods, respectively, until it was finally moved to Tehran , in 1775, by Agha Mohammad Khan , the founder of the Qajar dynasty. In

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5580-413: The dynastic strife which erupted upon Mas'ud's death in 1152. His power in Azerbaijan grew stronger when Khass Beg ibn Palang-Eri was killed on the orders of sultan Muhammad II in 1153. Eldiguz, in alliance with Ahmadili atabeg Arslan Aba waged a war against sultan and kept this alliance till 1156. Eldiguz also obtained execution of Chaghrishah, son of Mahmud II in 1155, Ganja . Alliance soon came to

5670-423: The early years of the 19th century, efforts were made to preserve some of Isfahan's archeologically important buildings. The work was started by Mohammad Hossein Khan , during the reign of Fath Ali Shah . Download coordinates as: The city has had four master development programs. The first one was created in 1971 by German engineering firm that included checkered streets' design. In the 20th century, Isfahan

5760-447: The establishment of a new quarter for these resettled Armenians from Old Julfa, and thus the Armenian Quarter of Isfahan was named New Julfa (today one of the largest Armenian quarters in the world). Shah Abbas would also oversee a transformation of the urban pattern of Isfahan. The plans included the new, rectangular Shah Square and the linear Chahar Bagh Boulevard . Between these two focal points of Isfahan’s urban revitalization

5850-455: The ethnonym Kipchak . Groups and tribes of possible Mongolic or para-Mongolic extraction were also incorporated into the eastern Kipchak conglomerate. Peter Golden argues that the Ölberli were pushed westwards due to socio-political changes among the para-Mongolic Khitans , such as the collapse of the Liao dynasty and formation of the Qara Khitai, and attached themselves to the eastern Kipchak confederation where they eventually came to form

5940-446: The ethnonym's original form and etymology "remain a matter of contention and speculation". On the Kipchak steppe , a complex ethnic assimilation and consolidation process took place between the 11th and 13th centuries. The western Kipchak tribes absorbed people of Oghuz , Pecheneg , ancient Bashkir , Bulgar and other origin; the eastern Kipchak merged with the Kimek , Karluk , Kara-Khitai and others. They were all identified by

6030-514: The image of a people highly heterogenous in appearance. Skulls with East Asian features are often found in burials associated with the Kipchaks in Central Asia and Europe. An early description of the physical appearance of Kipchaks comes from the Great Ming Code (大明律) Article 122, in which they were described as overall 'vile' and having blonde/red hair and blue/green eyes. Han Chinese were not required to marry with Kipchaks. Fair complexion, e.g. red hair and blue or green eyes, were already noted by

6120-418: The king's fabled religious tolerance. It was Cyrus who, having just taken Babylon , made an edict in 538 BCE declaring that Jews in Babylon could return to Jerusalem. Later, some of the Jewish immigrants settled in Isfahan instead of returning to their homeland. The 10th-century Persian historian Ibn al-Faqih wrote: When the Jews emigrated from Jerusalem, fleeing from Nebuchadnezzar, they carried with them

6210-593: The land and turn back with prisoners and booty. The Shaddadids ruled Ani for about 10 years as vassals of Eldgiz, but in 1174 George III took the Shahanshah as a prisoner and occupied Ani once again, appointing Ivane Orbeli as governor. Back at Hamadan , he had to deal with another invasion – this time by the Khwarezmians who planned to annex Khorasan . Its governor Muayyad Ay-Aba submitted to Eldugiz since 1157, even captured Bistam and Damghan from Khwarazmshah and defeated Shah Ghazi Rustam . However, Muayyad soon switched sides and submitted to Khwarazmshah in 1167. It

6300-574: The most powerful peripheral emirs of the Seljuq empire was aided by the necessity of having a large army against the frequent incursions from the neighboring Kingdom of Georgia . Eldegiz chose Barda as his residence, and attracted the local emirs to his camp. His dynasty's powerbase was centered around Nakhchivan , from where he would direct attention to Georgia . Expanding to Arran, he gained control from Baylaqan to Shamkhor . He made himself virtually independent ruler of Azerbaijan by 1146. His marriage with Mu'mine Khatun afforded him to intervene in

6390-423: The north, and Shiraz, 200 kilometres (120 mi) to the south. Highways also service satellite cities surrounding the metropolitan area. The Isfahan Eastern Bypass Freeway is under construction. In 2021, a new AVL system was deployed in the city. The bridges over the Zayanderud comprise some of the finest architecture in Isfahan. The oldest is the Shahrestan Bridge , whose foundations were built during

6480-422: The nucleus of what was to become the city of Isfahan. The words "Aspadana", "Ispadana", "Spahan", and "Sepahan", all from which the word Isfahan is derived, referred to the region in which the city was located. Isfahan and Gay were supposedly both circular in design, which was characteristic of Parthian and Sasanian cities. However, this reported Sasanian circular city of Isfahan has not yet been uncovered. When

6570-645: The origins of Isfahan, little is known of it before the rule of the Sasanian dynasty. The historical facts suggest that, in the late 4th and early 5th centuries, Queen Shushandukht , the Jewish consort of Yazdegerd I (reigned 399–420), settled a colony of Jewish immigrants in Yahudiyyeh (also spelled Yahudiya), a settlement 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) northwest of the Zoroastrian city of Gabae (its Achaemid and Parthian name; Gabai

6660-771: The period of the Chobanids Beylik , which ruled around Kastamonu (a city in Anatolia). Hüsameddin Emir Çoban, one of the Seljuk emirs, crossed the Black Sea and made an expedition to the Kipchak steppes and returned with countless booty and slaves. As a result of the expedition, a few Kipchak families in Crimea were brought to Sinop by sea via Sudak and settled in the Western Black Sea region . In addition, maritime trade intensified with

6750-469: The public bicycle-sharing network, as decreed by the representative of the Supreme Leader in Isfahan, Ayatollah Yousef Tabatabai Nejad , and General Attorney Ali Esfahani. The Isfahan and Suburbs Bus Company operates transit buses in the city. East-West BRT Bus Rapid Transit Line buses carry up to 120,000 passengers daily. The municipality has signed a memorandum with Khatam-al Anbiya to construct

6840-529: The red hair and white skin of the Kipchaks was explained by mixing with the "Saqlabs" (Slavs), while Lee & Kuang note the non-Turkic components to be better explained by historical Iranian-speaking nomads. Russian anthropologist Oshanin (1964: 24, 32) notes that the ‘Mongoloid’ phenotype, characteristic of modern Kipchak-speaking Kazakhs and Qirghiz, prevails among the skulls of the historical Qipchaq and Pecheneg nomads found across Central Asia and Ukraine; Lee & Kuang (2017) propose that Oshanin's discovery

6930-764: The region's wāli (governor), with his son serving as dāruḡa (prefect) of Isfahan. He was accompanied by a troop of soldiers, some of whom were Georgian Orthodox Christians. The royal court in Isfahan had a great number of Georgian ḡolāms (military servants), as well as Georgian women. Although they spoke both Persian and Turkic, their mother tongue was Georgian. Now the city had enclaves of those of Georgian , Circassian , and Daghistani descent. Engelbert Kaempfer, who dwelt in Safavid Iran in 1684–85, estimated their number at 20,000. During Abbas's reign, Isfahan became famous in Europe, and many European travellers, such as Jean Chardin , gave accounts of their visits to

7020-453: The remains of two Kipchak males buried between c. 1000 AD and 1200 AD. One male was found to be a carrier of the paternal haplogroup C2 and the maternal haplogroup F1b1b , and displayed "increased East Asian ancestry". The other male was found to be a carrier of the maternal haplogroup D4 and displayed "pronounced European ancestry". The modern Northwestern branch of the Turkic languages

7110-526: The south, the Shah Mosque would become the new primary place of worship for city residents. In the 16th and 17th centuries, thousands of deportees and migrants from the Caucasus settled in the city. Following an agreement between Abbas the Great and his Georgian subject Teimuraz I of Kakheti ("Tahmuras Khan"), whereby the latter became Muslim and accepted Safavid rule in exchange for being allowed to rule as

7200-511: The study of several old Turkic languages. When members of the Armenian diaspora moved from the Crimean peninsula to the Polish -Ukrainian borderland, at the end of the 13th century, they brought Kipchak, their adopted Turkic language, with them. During the 16th and the 17th centuries, the Turkic language among the Armenian communities of the Kipchak people was Armeno-Kipchak . They were settled in

7290-769: The sultan's authority. Ildeniz then arranged a marriage between his son Pahlawan and the daughter of Inanch , amir of Rey , in order to secure the allegiance of this powerful dynasty. Arslanshah's reign was not accepted in Maragha and Ray , whose rulers Inanch and Ahmadilis became rivals of Eldeguzids. Inanch marched against Hamadan, in order to place his brother Muhammad on the throne in 3 August 1161 but Arslan and Eldigüz defeated him in battle, forcing Ïnanch to flee. Inanch again marched on Eldugizids in 1165, this time by aid of Bavandid ruler Hasan I (who also became Inanch's son-in-law) and Khwarazmshah Il-Arslan . Eldiguz managed Inanch's assassination in 1169 and capture of Rey, which

7380-588: The tenth century. The Turkish conqueror and founder of the Seljuq dynasty , Toghril Beg , made Isfahan the capital of his domains in the mid-11th century; but it was under his grandson Malik-Shah I (r. 1073–92) that the city grew in size and splendour. After the fall of the Seljuqs ( c.  1200 ), Isfahan temporarily declined and was eclipsed by other Iranian cities, such as Tabriz and Qazvin . During his visit in 1327, Ibn Battuta noted that "The city of Isfahan

7470-432: Was 43 °C (109 °F) on 11 July 2001 and the lowest recorded temperature was −19.4 °C (−3 °F) on 16 January 1996. Over the past decade, Isfahan's internal highway network has been undergoing a major expansion. Much care has been taken to prevent damage to valuable, historical buildings. Modern freeways connect the city to Iran's other major cities, including the capital Tehran, 400 kilometres (250 mi) to

7560-552: Was a large garden, what is today the Hasht Behesht Gardens. The new, geometric, planned portions of Isfahan would stand out against the old city’s complex street layouts, attracting foreign emissaries and wealthy residents along the Chahar Bagh. Shah Square would be adorned by 4 grand monuments on each side. Importantly to the north, a turquoise gate connected the new square to Isfahan’s Grand Bazaar and old square , while to

7650-701: Was granted Borujerd in return. Tabriz was also gained from Ahmadilis in 1174. He restored Arslan Shah II to his rule in Kerman in 1174 who took it from his brother Bahram Shah . Eldiguz consolidated his power to entire Iran with the exception of Mazandaran and Ahmadili controlled Maragheh . Soon he proceeded northward to recover the city of Dvin from the Georgian attack in 1162. A coalition of Muslim rulers - Shah-Armen Seyfettin Beytemür, Ahmadili Arslan-Aba, Arzen emir Fakhr ul-Din and Saltuk II , led by Ildeniz took

7740-568: Was granted to Muhammad Jahan Pahlavan as an iqta . Although never subjugated, Ahmadilis continued rivalry with Eldiguzids until Qizil Arslan 's reign. Ildeniz then marched to Isfahan and forced the Salghurid atabeg of Fars, Zangi b. Mawdud, into submission. He also annexed Ardabil , which was ruled by atabeg Nasir al-Din Aq Qush until his own death on 30 September 1165. His son Jamal ad-Din Muhammad

7830-509: Was its Sasanic name, which was shortened to Gay (Arabic 'Jay') that was located on the northern bank of the Zayanderud River (the colony's establishment was also attributed to Nebuchadrezzar , though that's less likely). The gradual population decrease of Gay (Jay) and the simultaneous population increase of Yahudiyyeh and its suburbs, after the Arab conquest of Iran, resulted in the formation of

7920-618: Was married to Momine Khatun , widow of Toghrul II in 1135. He had two sons and a daughter with her: Kipchak people The Kipchaks or Qipchaqs , also known as Kipchak Turks or Polovtsians , were Turkic nomads and then a confederation that existed in the Middle Ages inhabiting parts of the Eurasian Steppe . First mentioned in the eighth century as part of the Second Turkic Khaganate , they most likely inhabited

8010-625: Was not, however, until the death of the Khwarazmshah Il-Arslan in 1172, when the threats on this sector were finally eliminated. By the time of his death around October–November 1175, Ildeniz was arguably the undisputed de facto master of many parts of the already fragmentized Great Seljuq Empire, centered on Iraq . He was buried at Hamadan, at a madrasa which he had founded. He was succeeded by his sons Muhammad Jahan Pahlavan and Qizil Arslan . The Armenian author Vardan Areveltsi considered him to be benevolent towards Christians . He

8100-508: Was resettled by many people from southern Iran. Many of these migrants came during the population migrations at the start of the century and in the 1980s following the Iran–Iraq War . During the war, 23,000 from Isfahan were killed; and there were 43,000 veterans. In 1921 Telephone office were first created in Shams Abadi street. Today, Isfahan produces fine carpets, textiles, steel, handicrafts, and traditional foods, including sweets. Isfahan

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