Shiraz

Shiraz (ʃiːˈrɑːz; شیراز, Šīrāz, ʃiːˈrɒːz, ) is the sixth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars Province (Old Persian as Pârsâ). At the 2011 census, the population of the city was 1,700,665 and its built-up area with Shahr-e Jadid-e Sadra (Sadra New Town) was home to 1,500,644 inhabitants. Shiraz is located in the southwest of Iran on the Roodkhaneye Khoshk (The Dry River) seasonal river. It has a moderate climate and has been a regional trade center for over a thousand years. Shiraz is one of the oldest cities of ancient Persia.The earliest reference to the city, as Tiraziš, is on Elamite clay tablets dated to 2000 BC. In the 13th century, Shiraz became a leading center of the arts and letters, due to the encouragement of its ruler and the presence of many Persian scholars and artists. It was the capital of Persia during the Zand dynasty from 1750 until 1800. Two famous poets of Iran, Hafez and Saadi, are from Shiraz, whose tombs are on the north side of the current city boundaries.Shiraz is known as the city of poets, literature, wine (despite Iran being an Islamic republic), and flowers. It is also considered by many Iranians to be the city of gardens, due to the many gardens and fruit trees that can be seen in the city, for example Eram Garden. Shiraz has had major Jewish and Christian communities. The crafts of Shiraz consist of inlaid mosaic work of triangular design; silver-ware; pile carpet-weaving and weaving of kilim, called gilim and jajim in the villages and among the tribes. In Shiraz industries such as cement production, sugar, fertilizers, textile products, wood products, metalwork and rugs dominate. Shirāz also has a major oil refinery and is also a major center for Irans electronic industries: 53% of Irans electronic investment has been centered in Shiraz. Shiraz is home to Irans first solar power plant. Recently the citys first wind turbine has been installed above Babakoohi mountain near the city.

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