Guilan
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Guilan (گیلان in Persian) is one of the 30 provinces of Iran, known during ancient times as part of Hyrcania, with a population of approximately 2 million and an area of 14,700 sq. km. It lies just west of the province of Mazandaran, along the Caspian Sea. The center of the province is the city of Rasht. Other towns in the province include Astara, Astaneh-e Ashrafiyyeh, Rudsar, LangRud, Souma'eh Sara, Talesh, Fuman, Masouleh, and Lahijan.
The main harbor port of the province is Bandar-e Anzali (previously Bandar-e Pahlavi).
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History
Rood-khan.jpg
Archaeological excavations reveal the antiquity of the province to date back to prior to the last Ice Age.
In the 6th century BCE, the inhabitants of Gilan allied with Cyrus the Great and overthrew the Medes. The province then passed from the control of one dynasty to the next.
Gilanis particularly played an important role in the Constitutional Revolution of Iran. Their contribution to the movement of Mirza Kouchak Khan Jangali, known as the Jangalis (Foresters Movement), is glorified in Iranian history.
Geography and Culture
Guilan has a humid temperate climate with plenty of annual rainfall. The Alborz range provides further diversity to the land in addition to the Caspian coasts.
The majority of the population speaks Gilaki, a distinct dialect of Persian, as their first language while many children, particularly in the cities, tend to use standard Persian amongst themselves.
Guilan has an annual average of 2 million tourists, mostly domestic. Although Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization lists 211 sites of historical and cultural significance in the province, the main tourist attraction in Guilan is the small town of Masouleh in the hills south-east of Rasht. The town is built not dissimilar to the pueblo settlements, with the roof of one house being the courtyard of the next house above.
Large parts of the province are mountainous, green and forested. The coastal plain along the Caspian Sea is similar to that of Mazandaran, mainly used for rice paddies.
In May 1990 large parts of the province were destroyed by a huge earthquake, in which about 45,000 people died. Abbas Kiarostami made his famous films "Nothing but Life" and "Through the Olive Trees" based upon this event.
Gilan has a strong culinary tradition, from which several dishes have come to be adopted across Iran. This richness derives in part from the climate, which allows for a wide variety of fruit, vegetables and nuts grown in the province.
Sturgeon, often served as kebab, and caviar are delicacies along the whole Caspian littoral. More specific to Gilan are a distinctive walnut-paste and pomegranate-juice sauce, used as a marinade for 'sour' kebab and as the basis of fesenjun, a rich stew of duck, chicken or lamb.
Mirza Ghasemi is an aubergine and egg dish with a smoky taste that is often served as a side dish or appetizer. Other such dishes include pickled garlic, olives with walnut paste, and smoked fish.
Colleges and Universities
- Gilan University of Mofid
- University of Gilan (http://www.gu.ac.ir/)
- Islamic Azad University of Astara (http://www.iau-astara.ac.ir/)
- Islamic Azad University of Bandar Anzali
- Islamic Azad University of Rasht
- Gilan University of Medical Sciences (http://www.gums.ac.ir/)
External links
- Picture Gallery of Guilan (http://www.gums.ac.ir/guilan%20gallery.htm)
- Guilan University of Medical Sceinces Health Information Center (http://www.hic.gums.ac.ir/)
- Gilan Cultural Heritage Organization (http://www.gilanmiras.ir/) (An excellent source of info in Persian)
- Masouleh Village Official website (http://www.masooleh.ir/)
- Guilan Province Office of Tourism (http://www.guilantourism.org/)
- Guilan Province Department of Education (http://www.guilan.medu.ir/) (in Persian)
| Provinces of Iran | 
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| Ardabil | Bushehr | Chahar Mahaal and Bakhtiari | East Azarbaijan | Isfahan | Fars | Guilan | Golestan | Hamadan | Hormozgan | Ilam | Kerman | Kermanshah | Khuzestan | Kohkiluyeh and Buyer Ahmad | Kurdistan | Lorestan | Markazi | Mazandaran | North Khorasan | Qazvin | Qom | Razavi Khorasan | Semnan | Sistan and Baluchistan | South Khorasan | Tehran | West Azarbaijan | Yazd | Zanjan | |