Meymeh

Meymeh (

At the 2006 census, its population was 5,733 in 1,790 households, when it was in Meymeh District of the former Borkhar and Meymeh County).[5] The following census in 2011 counted 5,449 people in 1,732 households,^[6] by which time the district had been separated from the county in the establishment of Shahin Shahr and Meymeh County.^[4] The latest census in 2016 showed a population of 5,651 people in 1,909 households.^[2]

Administrative history

During the late

In 1990, the county of Borkhar and Meymeh was formed by merging those two districts. The capital of the new county was the new city of Shahin Shahr. Under this new arrangement, Meymeh remained a district with two rural districts, Vandadeh and Zarkan.^[7]

Despite all these changes, the borders of the town of Meymeh itself have remained essentially unchanged since at least the original Pahlavi setup.^[7]

Geography

Meymeh is located on a high plain in the western foothills of the

Clustered around Meymeh are the town of Vazvan and the villages of Ziadabad, Azan, Vandadeh, and Khosrowabad. To the northeast is Chaqadeh. To the northwest, the outlying village of Muteh stands isolated on a rural road leading to Golpayegan.^[7]

Climate

Meymeh has a

History

Meymeh's significance has largely derived from its position on the route between Isfahan and Tehran. The earliest evidence of the trade routes passing through Meymeh is the presence of two Seljuk-era rebats in the area. One is in Meymeh itself, near a later Mongol-era mosque. The other, now known as Rebat-e Tork, lies further north on the road to Delijan. Originally built as a military outpost, Rebat-e Tork was later converted into a caravanserai.^[7]

Textual sources from this time make no mention of Meymeh, but they do appear to mention the nearby town of

Despite the decline of the qanats, Meymeh remained a prosperous town. There was little to no emigration to the growing metropolis of Tehran, especially in contrast to neighboring districts. Meymeh enjoyed a fairly constant water supply and good farmland. It also had vineyards. Surplus crops were stored in an old fort in the town. An important tradition connecting Meymeh with Kashan was the festival of Esbandi, which Lambton observed during her time here,^[7] although celebration of Esbandi declined dramatically in the following decades and was moribund by the end of the 1960s.^[8]

Administrative history

During the late

Despite all these changes, the borders of the town of Meymeh itself have remained essentially unchanged since at least the original Pahlavi setup.[7]

Economy

The economy of Meymeh is primarily rural and agricultural. Irrigation comes from a seasonal river as well as from qanats, although the use of qanats had declined by the 1930s. Major crops at this time included cereals, beans, cotton, fruits, and vegetables. Cultivation of opium was forbidden in 1937. Surplus crops were stored in an old fort. A unique feature of the Meymeh region is the presence of bumkands, which are manmade caverns used to shelter livestock during the harshest part of winter.^[7]

Meymeh has historically been known for its dried fruit, sold in Isfahan and Kashan. They are either sold plain or in jowzeqand form, where the dried fruit skin is stuffed with sugar.^[7]

Modern Meymeh also derives economic significance from its position on the Tehran-Isfahan highway. Much of modern Meymeh's service economy is dedicated to stores and restaurants along the main highway.^[7]

References