Borujerd
Encyclopedia
Borujerd (Recorded name variations: Boroujerd, Borudjerd, Boroojerd, Brujerd, Burujird, Borugerd) is a city in and capital of Borujerd County
Borujerd County
Borujerd County is a county in Lorestan Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Borujerd. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 320,547, in 82,676 families. The county is subdivided into two districts: the Central District and Oshtorinan District...

, Lorestan Province
Lorestan Province
Lorestan Province is a historic territory and province of western Iran, amidst the Zagros Mountains. The population of Lorestan was estimated at 1,716,527 people in 2006.Lorestan covers an area of 28,392 km²...

 in western 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 227,547, in 59,388 families.. Among the existing modern cities in Iran, Borujerd is one of the oldest reported at least since 9th century. In Sasanid era, Borujerd was a small town and region neighboring Nihavand. Gaining more attention during Seljuk
Great Seljuq Empire
The Great Seljuq Empire was a medieval Persianate, Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire, originating from the Qynyq branch of Oghuz Turks. The Seljuq Empire controlled a vast area stretching from the Hindu Kush to eastern Anatolia and from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf...

 era in 9th–10th century, Borujerd stood as an industrial, commercial and geostrategic city in Zagros region until 20th century. In its golden ages, Borujerd was selected as the provincial center of Luristan and Khuzestan regions during Qajar era, 18th–19th century.

Today, Borujerd is the second largest city of Lorestan province; hence, the major industrial, tourist and cultural center of the region. The city has kept its old architecture and lifestyle mostly through mosques, bazaars and houses built in Qajar era.

Geography and climate

Borujerd city is located approximately 1670 meters above sea level and has a moderate climate with cold winters. The highest point is Garrin Mountain
Garrin Mountain
A vast high-elevated mountain in Lorestan Province of Iran. Garrin is limited to Borujerd from E, to Alashtar from W, and to Nahavand from N. It has several peaks 3000+ m above sea level and Velash Peak is the highest with 3630 m....

 3623 m. above sea and the lowest area is Gelerood River in South with 1400 m. elevation. Borujerd Township has 2600 km² area with approximately 400,000 inhabitants distributed in the City, Town of Oshtorinan
Oshtorinan
Oshtorinan is a city in and capital of Oshtorinan District, in Borujerd County, Lorestan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 5,264, in 1,408 families....

 and more than 180 villages.

Borujerd is located on Silakhor plain which is the largest agricultural land of Lorestan. The high-elevated Zagros Mountains
Zagros Mountains
The Zagros Mountains are the largest mountain range in Iran and Iraq. With a total length of 1,500 km , from northwestern Iran, and roughly correlating with Iran's western border, the Zagros range spans the whole length of the western and southwestern Iranian plateau and ends at the Strait of...

 surrounds it from South East to North West and the peaks are covered with snow most of the times. Rural people work in farms or keep their domestic animals. Other people work in governmental offices, armed forces, factories or small local businesses. The feet of Zagros Mountains is a great destination for nomads and many Lurs
Lurs
Lurs are an Iranic people living mainly in south-western Iran. Their population is estimated at above two million. They occupy Lorestan, Bakhtiari, and Kuh-Gilu-Boir Ahmed. "....

 and Bakhtiari nomads move there in summer. The area is paved with highways and is a crossroad between Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...

 and Khuzestan as well as Isfahan and Kermanshahan Provinces.

Borujerd City

The city of Borujerd is one of the oldest cities in Iran which has been populated at least for 20 centuries and has been reported at least from Sassanid era. Since the Islamic conquest of Persia
Islamic conquest of Persia
The Muslim conquest of Persia led to the end of the Sassanid Empire in 644, the fall of Sassanid dynasty in 651 and the eventual decline of the Zoroastrian religion in Persia...

(637-651), Borujerd has been considered as a strategic area and especially in Seljuk and Qajar eras it received significant attention and many mosques, schools, bridges and castles were made or rebuilt by these dynasties.

Borujerd City has 256,962 inhabitants (estimated for 2006) and it is the 31st largest city in Iran and the 2nd largest in Lorestan http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=&men=gpro&lng=en&des=gamelan&dat=200&geo=-1921&srt=pnan&col=aohdqcfbeimg&geo=-106. Borujerd is the industrial point of Lorestan. Its historical and cultural background as well as its remarkable nature, has changed it to a tourist destination. The city is well-structured with live nights and many shops and markets. Borujerdi people are easy going and tolerant and different religious minorities such as Jewish, Sufism
Sufism
Sufism or ' is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam. A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a '...

 and Bahá'í
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....

 have grown there. The city has been named as Dār-Al-Sorūr which means the house of happiness. Today, Borujerd is sometimes referred to as Paris Kūčūlū namely the little Paris.borujerd have a lot of conflict with its neighborhood khorramabad.the people of the borujerd claim that their city include a lot of industries,factories and natural reserves,so their city should be the capital of the province,but with these advantages,the center of the province is khorramabad with its evil people.if you talk with some people all around the country,they will say to you,that BORUJERD should be the capital of the province.these are the opinion of the people in this city.

History

Borujerd area has been populated at least since 3000 BC. Medes
Medes
The MedesThe Medes...

 used its pastures to produce and train thousands of horses each year. Seleucids used Roomian Castle as a strategic military garrison. Sassanid empires promoted Borujerd to a city level and built a fire-temple there. During the Islamic conquest of Persia
Islamic conquest of Persia
The Muslim conquest of Persia led to the end of the Sassanid Empire in 644, the fall of Sassanid dynasty in 651 and the eventual decline of the Zoroastrian religion in Persia...

 (637-651), Borujerd castle was used by Iranian army to support the troops and the final battle occurred in Nihavand, 55 km north West of Borujerd. Yazdgerd III
Yazdgerd III
Yazdegerd III or Yazdgerd III was the twenty-ninth and last king of the Sassanid dynasty of Iran and a grandson of Khosrau II . His father was Shahryar, whose mother was Miriam, the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Maurice...

 escaped to Borujerd castle and his army reunited again there. The Islamic Arab governor, Abudolf ibn Hamulah, rebuilt the city and constructed the Jame Mosque of Borujerd
Jame Mosque of Borujerd
The Jāmeh Mosque of Borujerd is a congregational mosque in Borujerd, in the province of Loristan, western Iran. The mosque is the oldest mosque in the Zagros area and western Iran. It ranks as No. 228 in the Inventory of National Artefacts of Iran....

 on top of a Zoroastrian fire temple.

Seljuk rulers had many travels and battles in Borujerd and Barkiyaruq
Barkiyaruq
Abu al-Muzaffar Rukn ud-Dīn Barkyāruq bin Malikšāh was the sultan of Great Seljuq from 1094-1105.He was a son of Malik Shah I and participated in the succession wars against his three brothers, Mahmud I, Ahmed Sanjar, and Mehmed I....

 the sultan of Great Seljuk from 1094-1105 died in this city. Some references mention that Zavvarian 5 km N of Borujerd City is his tomb, however according to historical books, his body was returned to Isfahan
Isfahan (city)
Isfahan , historically also rendered in English as Ispahan, Sepahan or Hispahan, is the capital of Isfahan Province in Iran, located about 340 km south of Tehran. It has a population of 1,583,609, Iran's third largest city after Tehran and Mashhad...

.

Since approximately 1000 to 1500, Borujerd Was governed by Atabakan-e Lorestan who governed Lur-e-Kuchak. Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....

 and Mongolians attacked the Lur-e-Kuchak and ruined Borujerd and Khorram Abad. Timur
Timur
Timur , historically known as Tamerlane in English , was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until...

 attacked Borujerd two times and destroyed this city but Timurids used Borujerd Castle and Roomian Castle for military purposes.

In Safavid era (1500-1700) Borujerd was governed as a separate state including Japlaq or Gapleh, and was neighbor of Golpayegan. Zand
Zand
Zand may refer to:* Zand tribe* the Lur Zand dynasty * Zand District, an administrative subdivision of Iran-See also:* Zend-Avesta or Zand-Avesta: the commentaries on primary sacred texts of Zoroastrianism...

 kings were lurs and originally from somewhere between Malayer
Malayer
Malayer , also Romanized as Dowlatābād and Daūlatābād) is a city in and capital of Malayer County, Hamadan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 153,748, in 40,750 families....

 and Borujerd. They paid attention to Borujerd for its brave soldiers (known as Silakhori) which were already used by Safavids. Several battles occurred there.

In Qajar era Borujerd was a small state at first but changed to the centre of Borujerd, Lorestan and Khuzestan states later and the city developed rapidly. The Soltani Mosque of Borujerd
Soltani Mosque of Borujerd
The Soltani Mosque of Borujerd is a large mosque in the centre of Borujerd, in the province of Lorestan, western Iran.The edifice was built in the Qajar period atop the ruins of an older mosque, which had been probably built in 10th century AD...

, the Great Bazaar of Borujerd
Bazaar of Borujerd
Great Bazaar of Borujerd is located in the centre of the city and consists of many Rasteh Bazaars and Caravanserais. A Rasteh Bazaar is a lane with covered roof usually with shops and workshops of a particular profession...

 and many schools and gardens were built and the city castle was rebuilt.

Reza Shah Pahlavi quit insurgencies of Lorestan and established army, railway, roads, hospitals and modern schools in Borujerd. In his time, Borujerd State was eliminated and according to new political dividing, Borujerd was attached to Lorestan Province.

After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, and during the Iran–Iraq War, Borujerd accepted many casualties and migrants from Khuzestan Province and was bombed many times. Sixty-five children were killed during bombings in an elementary school in Borujerd alone. In recent years, Borujerd has developed in population and construction and now it is struggling with social problems such as unemployment and drug abuse. Borujerd earthquake, March 2006
Borujerd earthquake, March 2006
The 2006 Borujerd earthquake occurred in the early morning of March 31, 2006 in the South of Borujerd with massive destruction in Borujerd, Silakhor and Dorood areas of the Loristan Province in Western Iran...

 killed 66 people and injured 1400 people.

Language

main article: Borujerdi Dialect
Borujerdi dialect
The Borujerdi dialect is a Luri dialect spoken in Borujerd city and its surrounding areas in the province of Loristan in Iran. Borujerdi is more similar to Persian than the Luri of Khurramabad, spoken in other parts of Loristan, being in some aspects is completely different.Borujerdi dialect is...


Borujerdi people mostly speak in Borujerdi Dialect
Borujerdi dialect
The Borujerdi dialect is a Luri dialect spoken in Borujerd city and its surrounding areas in the province of Loristan in Iran. Borujerdi is more similar to Persian than the Luri of Khurramabad, spoken in other parts of Loristan, being in some aspects is completely different.Borujerdi dialect is...

 which is a special dialect between Luri and Persian. Other dialect such as Luri, Laki
Laki language
Laki is a Northwestern Iranian language. Although it is usually grouped with Southern Kurdish dialects, Ethnologue classifies it as a fourth subgroup of Kurdish....

 and local Jewish could be heard here and there.

Historical attractions

  • Jame Mosque of Borujerd
    Jame Mosque of Borujerd
    The Jāmeh Mosque of Borujerd is a congregational mosque in Borujerd, in the province of Loristan, western Iran. The mosque is the oldest mosque in the Zagros area and western Iran. It ranks as No. 228 in the Inventory of National Artefacts of Iran....

  • Soltani Mosque of Borujerd
    Soltani Mosque of Borujerd
    The Soltani Mosque of Borujerd is a large mosque in the centre of Borujerd, in the province of Lorestan, western Iran.The edifice was built in the Qajar period atop the ruins of an older mosque, which had been probably built in 10th century AD...

  • Imamzadeh Ja'far, Borujerd
    Imamzadeh Ja'far, Borujerd
    Imāmzādeh Ja‘far is a historical mausoleum in Borujerd, western Iran. The tomb contains the remains of Abulqāsim Ja’far ibn al-Husayn, grandson of the Shī‘ah Imam Ali ibn Hussayn.-History:...

  • Imamzadeh Ghasem, Borujerd
  • Imamzadeh Ibrahim, Borujerd
  • Imamzadeh Shahzadeh Abol-Hasan, Borujerd
  • Imamzadeh Vallian, Borujerd
  • Imamzadeh Ghasem, Borujerd
  • Zavvarian Tomb of Borujerd
  • Ghaleh Hatam Bridge, Borujerd
  • Chalanchulan Bridge, Borujerd
  • Ghorogh Hill, Borujerd
  • Roomian Hill, Borujerd
  • Bazaar of Borujerd
    Bazaar of Borujerd
    Great Bazaar of Borujerd is located in the centre of the city and consists of many Rasteh Bazaars and Caravanserais. A Rasteh Bazaar is a lane with covered roof usually with shops and workshops of a particular profession...


Parks and natural attractions

  • Goldasht Valley, Borujerd
  • Vennaii Village, Borujerd
  • Chogha Hill of Borujerd
  • Bishe Dalan Pound, Borujerd
  • Oshtorankuh, Dorood
  • Women's Park
    Women's Park of Borujerd
    The Women's Park of Borujerd is an urban park in the city of Borujerd, in the province of Lorestan, western Iran...


Famous people

  • Grand Ayatollah Borujerdi, Religious leader
  • Manteghi Boroujerdi, Religious scholar, Poet, Writer
  • Abdolhossein Zarinkoob
    Abdolhossein Zarinkoob
    Abdolhossein Zarinkoob was a prominent scholar of Iranian literature, history of literature, Persian culture and history....

    , Writer, historian
  • Loris Tjeknavorian
    Loris Tjeknavorian
    Loris Tjeknavorian is a contemporary Iranian-Armenian composer and conductor...

    , Musician
  • Zahra Rahnavard
    Zahra Rahnavard
    Zahra Rahnavard is an Iranian artist and politician.-Early life:Rahnavard was born in Borujerd, Iran. Her father Haj-Fathali was a Fundamentalist Sh'ia and anti-Communist. After hearing of a gathering of Sh'ia clerics in Iran, Haj-Fathali emigrated to Khomein, Markazi Province where Zahra was born...

  • Ja'far Shahidi, Historian, Bibliographer
  • Abdolmohammad Ayati Poet, writer
  • Mehrdad Avesta, Poet, 20th c.
  • Allameh Bahr-Al-Olum, Religious scholar 19th c.
  • Samet Borujerdi, Poet, 19-20th c.
  • Ehsan Mohajer Shojaei
    Ehsan Mohajer Shojaei
    Ehsan Mohajer Shojaei is an Iranian middle distance runner who specializes in the 800 metres.- External links :...

    , athlete
  • Ali Mohammad Behtash, Public Relations Founder

Gallery





See also

  • 1909 Silakhor earthquake
    1909 Silakhor earthquake
    The 1909 Silakhor earthquake occurred in Silakhor plain , Persia on January 23, 1909. Around 8,000 fatalities were caused directly from the magnitude 7.3 earthquake. An indefinite number of aftershocks continued for six months after the main shock...

  • Borujerd earthquake, March 2006
    Borujerd earthquake, March 2006
    The 2006 Borujerd earthquake occurred in the early morning of March 31, 2006 in the South of Borujerd with massive destruction in Borujerd, Silakhor and Dorood areas of the Loristan Province in Western Iran...

  • Borujerdi Dialect
    Borujerdi dialect
    The Borujerdi dialect is a Luri dialect spoken in Borujerd city and its surrounding areas in the province of Loristan in Iran. Borujerdi is more similar to Persian than the Luri of Khurramabad, spoken in other parts of Loristan, being in some aspects is completely different.Borujerdi dialect is...


External links

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