Sari, Iran

Sari Persian: ساری Zadracarta
City
Melal Park, Fazeli House, Clock Square, Jameh Mosque of Sari, Resket Tower, Kolbadi House
UTC+3:30 (IRST)
Postal Code	48xxx-xxxxx
Area code	011
Vehicle Plate	IRAN 62
Website	www.sari.ir esarycity.ir www.sarycity.ir

Sari (

. Sari is the largest and most populous city of Mazandaran.

History

Early history

Excavations in the

The Muslim historian

ز دریای گیلان (مازندران) چون ابر سیاه / دمادم به ساری رسید آن سپاه / چو آمد به نزدیک شاه آن سپاه / فریدون پذیره بیامد به راه

the city's name was also Zadracarta in 658 B.C to 225 A.D.

Coming from this and other similar evidence in the

(son of Fereydun), they buried him here. Espahbod Tous-e Nouzar (great-grandson of Fereydun) systematically founded it to remain as family monument.[7] Sari may be synonymous with the city of Zadracarta mentioned by Ancient Greek sources as early as the 6th century BCE (Achaemenid dynasty).^[8] However, other sources suggest that modern Gorgan is located closer to, or on, the site of Zadracarta.

According to

Capital of Tabaristan local rulers

In the seventh century, Farrukhan the Great of the Dabuyid dynasty reconstructed the city, and because his son's name was "Saruyeh", he called it by this name. Sari once again became the capital of Tabaristan during that century (Amol was the capital previously ).

After invasions by the successors of

the city lost its high status and was periodically burnt to ashes.

Safavid-Qajar era

Because

Still many towns, villages and neighbourhoods in Mazandaran bear the name "Gorji" (i.e. Georgian) in them, although most of the Georgians are already assimilated into the mainstream Mazanderanis. After the

Agha Mohammad Khan

to power there, is no evidence of any notable events in Sari.

Early 20th century

Major developments took place after the

Soviet army

occupied the city, but left it after the war.

Geography

The coastline north of Sari fronts onto the

. is to its north-west, and

Semnan

are cities located to the south.

Mazandaran

province

Climate

Sari has a

Mazandaran

cities, shows that Sari has an average climate, but it is somewhat sunnier and has more spring rain. However, recent rainfall in Sari has declined.

Extremes for the Mahdasht Station:

Highest recorded temperature: 44.0 °C (111.2 °F) on 4 June 1980[14]

Lowest recorded temperature: −5.0 °C (23.0 °F) on 17 February 1993^[14]

About Sari

The Clock Tower, in the Clock Square (Meydan-e-Sa'at) located in downtown Sari, attracts visitors and has become a local landmark. Mohammad Ali Hamidi built the clock tower in 1930.^[15] Sari also contains the tombs of the Muslim cleric leaders Yahya and Zayn Al-Abedin, Emamzade-ye Abbas, and Shazdeh Hussein the architecture of which are from the 15th century.^{[citation needed]}

Economy

The economy of Sari is based on food production such as milled rice, dairy products, canned meat and cookies. Sari is a major citrus fruits producer, especially oranges, tangerines and lemons.^[

] The MWPI's major subsidiary is the NEKA CHOUB Co., that is manufacturing plywood and chipboard.

The city is served by Refah Chain Stores Co., Iran Hyper Star, Isfahan City Center, Shahrvand Chain Stores Inc., Ofoq Kourosh chain store.

City districts

Sari's major districts are:
Mirzazamani, Azad Goleh, Bagher Abad, Booali & Posht-e-Hotel (both located in Pasdaran Blvd.), Barbari Mahalleh, Bazaar-e Nargesiyeh, Bazaar-e Rooz, Chenar-Bon, Gol-Afshan, Golma, Kooy-e Azadi, Kooy-e DadGostari, Kooy-e Daneshgah, Kooy-e Djahad, Kooy-e Golha, Kooy-e-Karmandan, Kooy-e Mahyar, Kooy-e MirSarorozeh, Kooy-e Qelich, Lesani, Mehdi-Abad, Na'l-Bandan, No-Tekiyeh, Peyvandi, Pir Tekiyeh, Pol-e Gardan, Posht-e Nim-e Shaban, Posht-e Zendan, Rahband-e Dokhaniyat, Dokhaniyat, Kooy-e Etehad, Rahband-e Sangtarashan, Sang, Sari Kenar, Sarvineh Bagh, Seyyed AlShohada, Shafa, Shahband, Shazdeh Hossein, Shekar Abad, Tabarestan, Tavakkoli, Torki Mahalleh, Torkmen Mahalleh, etc.

Previous districts

Sari's old city structure changed in the first Pahlavi era. New avenues and streets in the city center date from that period. In the Qajar dynasty, Sari's neighborhoods included:
Afghoun Mahalleh, Bahar Abad, Balouchi Kheyl, Balouchi Mahalleh, Birameter (Bahram-Ottor), Chaleh Bagh, Dar Masdjed, Isfahouni Mahalleh, Kohneh Baq Shah, Kurd Mahalleh, Mir Mashad Mahalleh, Mir Sar Rozeh, Na'l Bandan, Naqareh Khaneh, Ossanlou Mahalleh, Paay-e Chenar, QelichLi Mahalleh, Sabzeh Meydan, Shazdeh Hossein, Shepesh Koshan, Shishehgar Mahalleh.

Population

The population density of some neighborhoods in downtown (for example: Mirzazamani, Peyvandi, Sang) is greater than 20,000 per square kilometer. Note that before 1950, the population of the city during the summer was less than in winter. This influenced estimations, such that an estimate done in summer might be inaccurate.

• 1808 = 21,000 est.
• 1827 = 19,000 est.
• 1832 = 20,000 est.
• 1850 = 15,000 est.
• 1856 = 9,000 est.
• 1872 = 15,500 est.
• 1874 = 16,000 est.
• 1883 = 16,100 est.
• 1905 = 25,000 est.
• 1923 = 35,000 est.
• 1956 = 26,278 cen.
• 1966 = 44,547 cen.
• 1976 = 70,753 cen.
• 1986 = 141,020 cen.
• 1996 = 195,882 cen.

At the 2006 National Census, its population was 259,084 in 71,522 households.^[17] The following census in 2011 counted 296,417 people in 90,798 households.^[18] The 2016 census showed a population of 309,820 people in 101,932 households.^[2]

People and culture

Most Sari people speak the

.

Zoroastrians from Sari who fled to

community of India.

Transport

Arriving

By air

Sari is served by Dasht-e Naz International Airport, which is located in the north-eastern part of the city. List of arrival and departure flights can be found in the Airport's website.^[19]

By train

The city is connected to Gorgan and Tehran by the Shomal Railway route. That is a major branch of Iran's Railroad.

By boat

The port of Amir Abad is located on the southern coast of the

.

By car

Local highways have been well developed after the Iran–Iraq War.

By bus

There are five bus terminals, but one, Terminal-e Dowlat, is the most used. The others serve cities that are located within 150 kilometers from Sari: Gorgan, Nowshahr, Chaloos, and Kiyasar are within this range.

	By Train	By Road
Gorgan	153 km*	138 Kilometers	Neka, Behshahr, Gaz, Nokandeh, Gorgan
Bojnourd			Behshahr, Gorgan, Minoodasht, Ashkhaneh, Bojnourd
Mashad	1152 km*	730 Kilometers	Behshahr, Gorgan, Bonjnourd, Quchan, Mashad
Babol		45 Kilometers*	Qa'emshahr, Babol
Nowshahr		170 Kilometers	Jouybar, Babolsar, Fereydoon Kenar, Nour, Royan, Nowshahr
Lahijan			Babolsar, Nour, Nowshahr, Shahsavar, Ramsar, Chaboksar, Lahijan
	By Train	Via Savadkooh Road/	Via Kiasar Road	Via Azadshahr Road	Via Haraz Road
Tehran	354 km*	265 Kilometers*			245 Kilometers
Semnan	354 km*
Shahroud	555 km*

* indicates that destination is actually nearer than the figure shown

Getting around

The layout of the city renders occasional use of taxis. There is a wide choice of taxi systems including limousines, wireless radio taxis, airport or rail station taxis, and telephone taxis. City buses are also common because they connect Sari's suburbs to the center of city, providing a low cost and convenient means of transportation to and from the town for people living in those neighborhoods. Although Sari is considered a safe city for pedestrians even at night, nevertheless care should be taken when walking around.^[citation needed]

Outdoors

Places of interest in the area include:

• Farah Abad Coast
• Gohar Baran Coast
• Dehkadeh Aramesh Tourist Village
• Tajan River Park
• Melal park (It is located on the western side of Tajan River. Melal Park has a Biking track and an Artificial Island)^[21]
• Zare' Forest Park
• Salardareh Forest Park
• Dasht-E-Naaz National Park
• Pol-e-Gardan hiking trail
• Nemashoun Lake
• Lak-Dasht Lake
• Soleyman-Tangeh Lake (A dam lake 45km Southwest of Sari)^[15]
• Bam-e-Shahr Hill (Offers a great panoramic view of the city)
• Qor-Maraz (Natural spa, Neka)
• Jamaloddin kola (Damaneh kohe shahdezh)

Colleges and universities

In the course of history, Sari was once one of the most cultured cities in the history of Iran. The scientific knowledge of Saravis were noted throughout history and recorded by Pietro Della Valle and other visitors. Today, the universities are as follows:

• University of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources
• Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (MazUMS)
• University of
  Natural Science
• Islamic Azad University of Sari
• Imam Mohammad Bagher
  University of Technology
• Sarian University of Art & Architecture
• Payam-e-Noor University
• University of Tech & Engineering (Khalil Moqadam)
• University of Tarbiyat-e Moallem
• Sama Technology Faculty of Azad University
• Rouzbehan University
• Science and Research Branch Islamic azad university
• Hadaf University

Sports facilities

Many sport complexes are in Sari, including:

• Jahan-Pahlavan Takhti Sports Complex, located on Farhang Street;
• Hashemi-Nassab Sports Complex, located on the railway side of the autobahn;
• Montazeri Sports complex, located in Shahband neighborhood.

Sari's Mottaqi football stadium is one of the oldest sports field in the country but nowadays it is seldom used in major soccer matches.

Wrestling

Sari is the birthplace of several wrestlers and athletes. Notable wrestlers from Sari include

. The town was the host and scene of 2006 Wrestling World Cup Competitions.

Cultural attractions

Although Sari is the most important cultural place in the north of Iran, earthquakes and other causes destroyed most of its cultural heritage and ancient monuments. Still, Sari has been described as Safa City (City of Curvet).
Notable are Famous Houses such as Kolbadi House and Amir Divan House (Ramedani House); also the Resket Tower from the House of Karen era and the Farahabad Palace Complex from the Safavid era and historical Sari Central Mosque and tomb tower Imamzadeh Abbas.^[22]

Arts and culture

Khosrow Sinai (born 19 January 1941 in Sari) a renowned film director of the country was the first Iranian film director to win an international prize after the Islamic revolution in Iran. He is also known as an Iranian scholar and has been awarded the prestigious Knight's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.

Music

Seyed

Classical music. He received his vocal training under supervision of renowned and legendary maestros and since his professional debut inاارا 1991, has performed numerous concerts in Iran and abroad, including most European Countries, South East Asia and Northern America "Canada & United States" and produced more than 20 sets of music albums.

Authors and poets

Sari has raised many authors and poets. Mina Assadi is probably the most famous one. She was born and raised in Sari but then moved to Tehran to study journalism and work as a journalist at newspapers like Kayhan. Today Mina Assadi lives in exile in Stockholm, Sweden.

poet and translator.

Religious sites

Mazandaran

.

• Emamzadeh Yahya (son of Imam Moosa-ibn Jafar)
• Emamzadeh Abbas (son of Imam Moosa-ibn Jafar)
• Emamzadeh Abdollah, Koula
• Masjed-e-Jaame' Mosque (constructed before Islam by Zoroastrians, where many important kings and heroes of Persia such as
  Tur, Salm, Fereydun, Sohrab (son of Rostam) that Ferdowsi recalls them in shahnameh
  are buried near this place).
• Emam-Sajjad Mosque (formerly Shah-Qazi, initially was called Marqad-'Ala-Adolleh School but Rostam Shah Qazi reconstructed it in 1169 and renamed it to Shah-Qazi during the Qaznavi era)
• Haaj Mostafa Khan Mosque (Sourteci)
• Reza Khan Mosque (Hozeh Elmiyeh)
• Molla-Majd-Addin Place
• Shazdeh-Hossein Place
• Pahneh-Kalla Place

Notable people

• Mohammad Salih al-Mazandarani (1086) - author
• Ibn Shahr Ashub
  - medieval jurist
• Farrukhan the Great - king
• Ali-Akbar Davar (1867-1937) - politician
• Ehsanollah Khan Dustdar (1884-1939) - politician
• Hossein Ghods-Nakhai (1911-1977) - diplomat
• Ehsan Tabari (1917-1989) - politician
• Al-Marzuban - author
• Javad Saeed (1924-1979) - politician
• Hassan Rahnavardi (b. 1927) - weightlifter and physician
• Khosrow Sinai (b. 1940) - film director
• Mohammad Donyavi (b. 1942) - singer and musician
• Mina Assadi (b. 1943) - poet
• Reza Allamehzadeh (b. 1943) - film director
• Elaheh Koulaei (b. 1956) - politician
• Hossein Mesgar Saravi (b. 1957) - football player
• Maryam Mojtahedzadeh (b. 1957) - nurse educator
• Ali Kordan (1958-2009) - politician
• Askari Mohammadian (b. 1963) - wrestler
• Farshid Moussavi (b. 1965) - architect
• Majid Torkan (b. 1965) - wrestler
• Abdolhossein Mokhtabad (b. 1966) - singer
• Zinat Pirzadeh (b. 1967) - actress, writer, comedian
• Ali Nazari Juybari (b. 1967) - football administrator
• Seyed Abolhassan Mokhtabad (b. 1970) - journalist
• Mohsen Emadi (b. 1976) - poet
• Ebrahim Taghipour (b. 1976) - football player
• Saba Kamali (b. 1976) - actor
• Pedram Roushan (b. 1978) - physicist
• Morad Mohammadi (b. 1980) - wrestler
• Mohammad Taghavi (b. 1980) - football coach
• Behdad Esfahbod (b. 1982) - software engineer
• Sam Dastyari (b. 1983) - Australian politician
• Hossein Rajabian (b. 1984) - Filmmaker- Photographer- Writer
• Rouhollah Arab (b. 1984) - football player
• Sheys Rezaei (b. 1984) - football player
• Mehdi Momeni (b. 1985) - football player
• Abbas Dabbaghi (b. 1987) - wrestler
• Mohammad Reza Barari (b. 1988) - weightlifter
• sports shooter pistol
• Taha Mortazavi (b. 1988) - futsal player
• Mehdi Rajabian (b. 1989) - singer
• Anousha Nazari (b. 1990) - singer
• Mohammad Abbaszadeh (b. 1990) - football player
• Ramin Rezaeian (b. 1991) - football player
• Omid Alishah (b. 1992) - football player
• Mohammad Hossein Mohammadian (b. 1992) - wrestler
• Mohsen Karimi (b. 1994) - football player
• Mohammad Karimi (b.1996) - football player
• Saeid Sadeghi (b.1994)-football player
• Danial Esmaeilifar (b.1993) - football player
• Saman Fallah (b.2001) - football player

Sister cities

• Najaf
• Gomel
• Astrakhan
• Ancona
• Mezdeh
• navsari

See also

• Nav Sari (New Sari), city in Gujarat, India, traditionally named so by Parsis

References

• About Sari, Author: Dr. Hussein Eslami, Year: 1995, Special Municipal Research & Cultural Center for Sari
• Sari, My Lovely City, Author: Ali Hessami, Year: 2006, 23965 Sari Primary Library

External links

• Sārī in Encyclopædia Britannica
• Sari travel guide from Wikivoyage
• "Sāri" . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.