Rasht (Persian: رشت, Gilaki: Resht)

is the capital of Gilan province in northwestern Iran and the largest city along the Caspian sea coast. 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 adjacent mountains and the beaches of Caspian the major attractions. Rasht had an estimated population of 560,123 in 2005.[1] Historically, Rasht was a major transportation field that connected Iran to the abroad and that was why the city was entitiled as the "Gate of Europe" meaning that Rasht is a path for travel and business toward the European countries. It is said that the islamic prophet Muhammad once traveled to Iran after being appointed as the prophet and then came to Rasht for being acquainted with the cultural and religious capacities of this ancient city, but there is no recorded document in this matter. Rasht is well-known globally[citation needed] because of its famous martyr of freedom, Mīrzā Kūchak Khān who dedicated all of his age to fight against the occupation of Guilan by the Russian and British troops during the chaotic periods of World War I. The people of Rash played a very important role in the Constitutional Revolution. Russian and British army as well as local rebels attacked Rasht City during the World War I (1914-1918). In 1920, Rasht became the arena of revolutionary movements again. When the Red Army conquered Baku in 1918, the navy of White Army took asylum in the Anzali Port, which was under control of British army. The commander of the Red Navy chased them and conquered the Anzali Port and as the result the British Army retreated. This event encouraged revolutionaries of Gilan to establish an anti-British government under the leadership of Mīrzā Kūchak Khān. British forces evacuated the city and went to Baghdad. Finally, Iranian army defeated the movement and a treaty was signed with Russia after which they evacuated the city.

Language

Gileki is spoken by more than 3 million people. The vast majority of the speakers live in the Gilan Province of Iran. Gileki belongs to the northwestern branch of the Iranian languages. The Iranian languages form a top-level constituent of the Indo-European language family. It is closely related to Mazanderani and is subdivided into two main dialects: Bie-pas and Bie-pish. Bie-pas dialect is mainly spoken in west of Sefidrud including Rasht and Fuman while Bie-pish dialect belongs to eastern part of Gilan including Lahijan and Langrud. Gileki is an oral dialect and has no official status in Iran.

International airport

The Rasht International airport is the only airport in the small province of Guilan and was established in 1969 with an approximate area of 220 hectares. At first, the airport just handled domestic flights to Tehran and Mashhad but after renaming to the Sardar Jangal International airport in 2007 which was committed in honor of Mirza Kuchak Khan, some air routes to the following countries have been established:
* Saudi Arabia
* Azerbaijan Republic
* Syria
* Lebanon
* United Arab Emirates
The airport is a in close affiliation with hundreds of national and international airlines including Mahan Air, EaseOn Air, Iran Aseman Airlines and Kish Air and receives more than 2000 flights annually.
The Rasht International airport also has direct flights to PSEEZ which is the largest gas field of the world along the seashores of Persian Gulf.

People and culture

The first national library of Iran was established in Rasht under the Qajar dynasty. Furthermore, Nasime Shomal as the first modern newspaper of Iran after the constitutional revolution has been published in Rasht, but later moved its headquarters to Qazvin.
Due to the special climate and high measure of humidity in Rasht which is mostly being accompanied by heavy rains, the people are truely calm and tranquil with peaceful approach toward complexities and controversies. They are well-known internationally for their exclusive manner of hospitiality and reception of guests with delicious local foods and cuisines.
The people of Rasht speak Gileki as the maternal language and Persian as the national language. In some rural areas near the Rasht, school teachers give their courses in Gileki rather than Persian.

Colleges and universities

1. University of Gilan[4] (دانشگاه گيلان)
2. Islamic Azad University of Rasht
3. Gilan University of Medical Sciences
4. Institute of Higher Education for Academic Jihad of Rasht (موسسه آموزش عالي غيرانتفاعي جهاد دانشگاهي رشت)
5. Guilan Technical & Vocational Training Organization [5] اداره کل آموزش فنی و حرفه ای استان گیلان

History

For a more comprehensive treatment of the region, see the history section of Gilan.
Rasht was first mentioned in historical documents in 682 CE, but it is certainly older than this. It has seen the Sassanid era, the armies of Peter the Great and later Russian rulers, and British colonialism. The people of Rasht also played a major role in the Constitutional Revolution of Iran.

Timeline

* 682: Rasht is first mentioned in historical documents.
* 1669: Stenka Razin, a Cossack warlord, plundered the city.
* 1714: Rasht destroyed by earthquake.
* 1722 - 1734: Occupied by Peter the Great during the Russo-Persian War, 1722-1723.
* 1901: A major epidemic plague devastates the city.
* 1907: First Municipality Council of Rasht.
* 1917 - 1920: The Russian and British armed forces fight in the port city of Bandar-e Anzali and Rasht. The British retreat and the Russians occupy the area. In 1920 Bolshevik Russians set a great fire in the bazaar, causing many citizens to go into temporary exile.
* 1920 - 1921 - short-living Persian Soviet Socialist Republic was established with its capital in Rasht
* 1937: A revolt, sparked by the desire to collect a "road tax" from the Russians, was suppressed.
* 1974: First university established in Rasht.