Rasht

For the administrative division of Gilan province, see Rasht County. For the valley in Tajikistan, see Rasht Valley.

Rasht
City
Municipal hall at night, Mirza Koch tomb, Saint Mesrop Church, Kolah Farangi mansion, Gilan Rural Heritage Museum, Gulzar bath, National library.
Nicknames: 
Rain City, Rasht-Heaven
Rasht is located in Iran
Rasht
Rasht
Coordinates: 37°16′28″N 49°35′20″E / 37.27444°N 49.58889°E / 37.27444; 49.58889[1]
CountryIran
ProvinceGilan
CountyRasht
DistrictCentral
Government
 • MayorRahim Shoghi [2]
 • City Council ChairmanMohammad Hossein Vasegh Kargarnia
Area
 • Total
95 km2 (37 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)[3]
679,995
 • Population Rank in Iran
11th
Time zoneUTC+3:30 (IRST)
Area code013
Websiterasht.ir

Rasht (Persian: رشت; [ɾæʃt] ⓘ)[a] is a city in the Central District of Rasht County, Gilan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district.[5] The city is also known as the "City of Rain" (شهر باران, Šahr-e Bārān) and, with a population of 679,995 in 2016,[3] is the most populous city of northern Iran.

Rasht is the largest city on Iran's Caspian Sea coast. Due to being between the coast and the mountains, the local environment is rainy with a humid subtropical climate. It also has temperate rainforest to its south, contrasting to the mostly arid Iran.

It is a major trade center between Caucasia, Russia, and Iran, using the port of Bandar-e Anzali. Rasht is also a major tourist center with the resort of Masouleh in the adjacent mountains and the beaches of Caspian as some of the major attractions.

Historically, Rasht was a major transport and business center which connected Iran to Russia and the rest of Europe, and because of this was known as the "Gate of Europe". The city has a history that goes back to the 13th century but its modern history dates back to the Safavid era during which Rasht was a major silk trade center with numerous textile workshops. In 2015, this city joined the network of creative cities of the world as a creative gastronomy city under the supervision of UNESCO.

Some of the famous neighbourhoods of Rasht include Golsar, Safsar, Kordmahaleh and Khamiran.[6]

  1. ^ OpenStreetMap contributors (14 October 2024). "Rasht, Rasht County" (Map). OpenStreetMap (in Persian). Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  2. ^ "خبرگزاری فارس - رحیم شوقی رسماً شهردار رشت شد". خبرگزاری فارس. 4 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference 2016 Gilan Province was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Rasht can be found at GEOnet Names Server, at this link, by opening the Advanced Search box, entering "-3080876" in the "Unique Feature Id" form, and clicking on "Search Database".
  5. ^ Habibi, Hassan (21 October 2015) [Approved 21 June 1369]. Approval of the organization and chain of citizenship of the elements and units of the national divisions of Gilan province centered on the city of Rasht. rc.majlis.ir (Report) (in Persian). Ministry of the Interior, Defense Political Commission of the Government Board. Proposal 3233.1.5.53; Notification 82846/T135K. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2023 – via Islamic Parliament Research Center.
  6. ^ "- نام ها و مؤقعیت محلات قدیم و جدید در رشت".


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