Tafresh (Persian: تفرش)[a] is a city in the Central District of Tafresh County, Markazi province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.[4] Tafresh is located amidst high mountains 222 kilometres (138 mi) southwest of Tehran.
History
Tafresh is believed to be one of the oldest regions in the present Markazi province and constituted a Zoroastrian stronghold in antiquity. A famous general by the name Delaram of Tafresh fought in the defense of Sasanian Iran during the Islamic conquest and has given name to the village Delaram nearby Tafresh. Today the village is also called Teraran.
There are fifty historical monuments in Tafresh that have been listed as part of Iranian national heritage.[citation needed] These include ruins of Zoroastrian places of worship and burial sites (so-called dakhmas) in and around the town, particularly on the summits of the surrounding mountains and hills. There are also remains of Zoroastrian dakhmas in nearby villages, such as in Kaburan and Khalchal.[5]
Tafresh appears in the Nuzhat al-Qulub of the 14th-century author Hamdallah Mustawfi, who reported that the town encompassed of 13 villages, the largest ones being Fam and Tarkhuran. He further reported that the town was assessed for a tax value of 6000 dinars, and the inhabitants were adherents of Twelver Shi'ism.[6]
Demographics
Population
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 13,914 in 4,254 households.[7] The following census in 2011 counted 16,447 people in 4,928 households.[8] The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 16,493 people in 5,232 households.[2]
Geography
The flight distance between Tehran and Tafresh is 170 km towards southwest. The average altitude of Tafresh is 1912 meters above sea level, with a continental and semi-arid climate with an annual rainfall of 270 mm.
Learning and culture
Tafresh is famous for its artistic metalworkingThe ceiling inside the drinking water reservoir Ab anbar-e Bolur in Tafresh.
Despite its small size, Tafresh is known in Iran for being the cradle of science, literature, culture and art, as well as a land of mountains and plains, springs and waterfalls.[9]
Tafresh has provided Iran with many notable figures such as poets, ministers, statesmen, scientists and calligraphers, especially from Qajar times and onwards. The Qajar statesmen Amir Kabir and Ghasem Magham Farahani hailed from the Tafresh Province. The strong tradition of learning reassured the early establishment of Modern Schools in the early 20th century.
For this reason Tafresh has received the nickname "City of Iran's Fathers" (Shahr-e pedarān-e Irān). The city has preserved its position as an important Iranian scientific and literary center in the 21st century due to its modern universities.
The village of Delaram, with a population today of about 250 people, is famous as the "Village of physicians" (Dehkade-ye pezeshkān) since it has produced more than 175 physicians.[12]
^Tafresh can be found at GEOnet Names Server, at this link, by opening the Advanced Search box, entering "-3086584" in the "Unique Feature Id" form, and clicking on "Search Database".
