Zanjan city in brief

Zanjan (Azerbaijani: زنجان; Persian: زنجان) is a province located in the North-West Iran with the Zanjan city being its center. Zanjan province with an area of 36,400 km² has a mostly rural, population of 1.7 million. The province lies 330 km northwest of Tehran, connected to it via a freeway. Zanjan also has an incredible cave called katale khor. It is near the Sultaniyeh.

Agriculture is the principal occupation, and crops include rice, corn (maize), oilseeds, fruits, and potatoes. Poultry, cattle, and sheep are raised In the region Zanjan is also famous for its seedless grapes. Manufactures include bricks, cement, milled rice, and carpets. Chromium, lead, and copper are mined. In the scientific world the Zanjan name is famous for IASBS, one of the most productive research centers of the country.
Zanjan is also known for its beautiful handcrafts such as knives, traditional sandals called charoogh and malileh. Malileh is a handcraft made with silver wires. Zanjanian artists make many things like various decorative dishes and their special covers as well as silver jewelry. In ancient times, Zanjan was known for its stainless and sharp knives. But this tradition is gradually becoming extinct by introduction of Chinese knives to the market which are cheaper and better made than these primitive industries. Many villagers today are traditional carpet weavers. This is perhaps Zanjan's most popular handcraft.

Zanjan has an area of 22,164 km², occupying 1.34% of the Iranian territory. The average population density in Zanjan is 4 1/4 people per km. Located north west of Iran, Zanjan covers joint borders with seven provinces- East Azarbaijan, Western Azarbaijan, Hamadan, Kordestan, Gilan, Ghazvin and Ardabil. Shahrestan, or counties, in Zanjan Province are:
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Abhar County

Eejrud County

Khodabandeh County

Khorramdarreh County

Zanjan County

Tarom County

Mahneshan County

Zanjan has a highland climate characterized by cold snowy weather in the mountains and moderate climate in the plains in wintertime. In the summers, the weather is warm. The average maximum temperature of Zanjan is around 27 °C, whereas the average minimum temperature stands at -19 °C. Meanwhile, the temperature rises to 32 °C on hot days, whereas it drops to -27 °C below zero on icy days. The average annual rainfall in the first month of spring stands at 72 millimetres, while in the second month of summer, it slips to a meagre 3.6 mm. The rate of humidity in the morning stands by average at 74% and at noon at 43%. The Zanjān River is the only major river in the region.

The history of Zanjan has close connections to that of Azarbaijan. Zanjan was always one of the important city in Azarbaijan. The name of Azerbaijan derives from Atropates, a Iranian satrap of Media under the Achaemenid empire, who later was reinstated as the satrap of Media under Alexander of Macedonia. The original etymology of this name is thought to have its roots in the ancient Zoroastrianism, namely, in Avestan Frawardin Yasht ("Hymn to the Guardian Angels"), there is a mentioning of: âterepâtahe ashaonô fravashîm ýazamaide, which literally translates from Old Persian as "we worship the Fravashi of the holy Atare-pata". Atropates ruled over the region of present-day Iranian Azerbaijan.
In Ptolemy's Geography, the city is referred to as Aganzana. It is said that the Sassanid king Ardashir I of Persia, reconstructed the city and called it Shahin but later it was renamed to Zangan, of which the present name is the arabicized form of.
In past times Zanjan's name was Khamseh, which means "province with five tribes".

Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences IASBS, in Zanjan city, is one of Iran's most distinguished upper level education and research centers in the pure sciences. Zanjan is also home to the Zanjan University, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, and Islamic Azad University of Zanjan.