Ardakan
Encyclopedia
Ardakan is a city in and the capital of Ardakan County, Yazd Province
, Iran
. At the 2006 census, its population was 51,349, in 13,730 families.
Ardakan is the second major city of Yazd Province. It was established in the 12th century in the Zardug region. Ardakan is 60 kilometers away from Yazd
and it has dry weather.
The word Ardakan in Persian
means "holy place" or "clean place" (Modern Persian: ardak+an / Middle Persian
: artak+an) and the city has a lot of historical religious attractions such as the Grand Mosque of Ardakan (Masjed-e Jame’), Zire-deh Mosque, Emam-Zadeh Mir Seyyed Mohammad, and Tekyeh
Bazar, among others.
This region is also one of the Zoroastrian centers of Iran, and there are numerous holy sites for Zoroastrians in Sharif-Abad, a village near Ardakan. Each year in the summer, thousands of Zoroastrians from around the world gather there for pilgrimage.
The most important shrine is Pir-e Sabz Chek Chek. Other shrines are include Pir Shah Eshtad Izad, Pir Shah Tashtar Izad, Pir Shah Mehr Izad, and Pir Shah Morad.
Ardakan is the birthplace of former Iranian president, Mohammad Khatami
.
Ardakan is also a very famous type of carpet found around the world.
Yazd Province
Yazd Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the centre of the country, and its administrative center is the city of Yazd.The province has an area of 131,575 km², and according to the most recent divisions of the country, is divided into eleven counties: Maybod, Mehreez, Taft,...
, 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...
. At the 2006 census, its population was 51,349, in 13,730 families.
Ardakan is the second major city of Yazd Province. It was established in the 12th century in the Zardug region. Ardakan is 60 kilometers away from Yazd
Yazd
Yazd is the capital of Yazd Province in Iran, and a centre of Zoroastrian culture. The city is located some 175 miles southeast of Isfahan. At the 2006 census, the population was 423,006, in 114,716 families....
and it has dry weather.
The word Ardakan in Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
means "holy place" or "clean place" (Modern Persian: ardak+an / Middle Persian
Middle Persian
Middle Persian , indigenously known as "Pârsig" sometimes referred to as Pahlavi or Pehlevi, is the Middle Iranian language/ethnolect of Southwestern Iran that during Sassanid times became a prestige dialect and so came to be spoken in other regions as well. Middle Persian is classified as a...
: artak+an) and the city has a lot of historical religious attractions such as the Grand Mosque of Ardakan (Masjed-e Jame’), Zire-deh Mosque, Emam-Zadeh Mir Seyyed Mohammad, and Tekyeh
Tekyeh
A Tekyeh is a place where Shias gather to mourn the killing of Husayn bin Ali.Such places are particularly found in Iran. They are usually traditionally designed with observable elements of Persian architecture....
Bazar, among others.
This region is also one of the Zoroastrian centers of Iran, and there are numerous holy sites for Zoroastrians in Sharif-Abad, a village near Ardakan. Each year in the summer, thousands of Zoroastrians from around the world gather there for pilgrimage.
The most important shrine is Pir-e Sabz Chek Chek. Other shrines are include Pir Shah Eshtad Izad, Pir Shah Tashtar Izad, Pir Shah Mehr Izad, and Pir Shah Morad.
Ardakan is the birthplace of former Iranian president, Mohammad Khatami
Mohammad Khatami
Sayyid Mohammad Khātamī is an Iranian scholar, philosopher, Shiite theologian and Reformist politician. He served as the fifth President of Iran from August 2, 1997 to August 3, 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture in both the 1980s and 1990s...
.
Ardakan is also a very famous type of carpet found around the world.
External links
- Farshid Sāmāni, Ardakān, In a Thoughtful Mood (Ardakān, Sar dar Garibān), in Persian, Jadid Online, 16 April 2010, http://www.jadidonline.com/story/16042010/frnk/ardakan_travelogue.
Audio slideshow: http://www.jadidonline.com/images/stories/flash_multimedia/Ardakan_travelogue_test/ard_high.html (5 min 31 sec).