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The township of Ahvaz (Persian: اهواز Ahvâz, Arabic pronunciation: Ahwaz) is built on the banks of the Karun River in the middle of the Iranian province of Khuzestan. The newer part of Ahvaz, the administrative and industrial center, has been built on the right bank of the Karun; residential areas are found in the old section of the city, on the left bank. Ahvaz is the largest city of the province. There are some 890,000 inhabitants (2005 estimate).

The origin of the name Ahvaz

Ahvaz was the seat of Khuzestan province in ancient times, having been established by Ardashēr-i Pāpagān, founder of the Sassanid dynasty. The city was referred to as Hūmšēr and Ōhrmazd-Ardašēr in various other texts as well, such as ibn Howqal and is discussed by such respected medieval historians as Tabari, Istakhri, Moqaddasi, Yaghubi, Masudi, and Mostowfi Qazvini.

Various texts clearly point out the origin and roots of the name Ahvaz as a variation of the ancient Persian term for the native Elamite peoples, Hūja (remaining in medieval Xūzig "of the Khuz" and modern Xuzestan "Khuz State"). The direct origin of the name seems to be the Arabic term for the town's marketplace, Sūqu 'l-Ahwaz, which means the "Market of the Hūz".

The authors of Encyclopedia Iranica state that the Persian Hūj-ī-stānwāčār "Market of Khūz State" was translated by Arabs as Sūqu 'l-Ahwaz. According to this source, the ancient city called Ōhrmazd-Ardašēr, the name of which combines the ancient term for God with the name of the Sassanid founder, had two sections. The nobles of the city lived in one part while the other was inhabited by merchants. During the 7th century conquest of Persia by the invading armies of Umar ibn al-Khattab, the part of the city home to the nobility was demolished but the Sūqu 'l-Ahwaz, the merchant area, remained intact.

According to other sources such as Persia: An Archeological Guide by S. Matheson, "Ahwaz takes its name from the Arabic Suq al-Ahwaz ('the market of Ahwaz'), which is a corruption of Khuz; a tribe still occupying the province when the town was captured by the Arabs in 638 CE. Earlier, it had been the capital of a Parthian princely state and during the Sassanid period, after its capture by Ardashir I, it was known as Hormizd Shahr or Hormizd Ardashir". (ISBN 0-571093051, p139).

Yet other authors such as Abu-Mansoor Javalighi of the 12th century writes:

"Ahvaz is the name of an Iranian city which its Persian name has been Arabicized and the Arabs have accepted the Persian dictation of the word."

Furthermore, H. Pir Nia in The History of Persia mentions that the important cities of Elam during the Elamite Empire were "Susa, Madaktu, Khaidalu, and Ahvaz, also written as Uxiens". (ISBN 964-6895-16-6, p33)

The 13th century chronicler, Yaqut al-Hamawi (1179-1229 CE), states that the words Khūz, Hūz, Ahwaz and Huwayza are of the same origin. Ahwaz is derived from the root Awaz- referred to by the Achaemenians as Awāja or Hūja, as can be seen in the Naksh-i Rustam inscriptions seen here and on Darius's epigraph seen here. Many English-language texts give the spelling Khaja, Khooja, or Khavjiaa. These are all foreign interpretations of the same word that appeared in ancient Persian as Hūja.

History

For a more comprehensive historical treatment of the area, see the history section of Khuzestan.

Ancient History

Historians believe that the city of Ahvaz itself was probably built on the site of the old city of Taryana, a notable city under the Persian Achaemenid dynasty. Sassanid King Ardashir I is said to have rebuilt Taryana in 230 CE; he named it after God and himself, Ōhrmazd-Ardašēr. He is said to have constructed a dam and irrigation systems. During his reign and that of his successors, the city prospered, and replaced Susa as the capital of Susiana (Khuzestan). When the Arabs conquered Susiana in 640 CE, Ōhrmazd-Ardašēr was renamed Sūqu' l-Ahwaz.

Medieval History

During the Ummayad and Abbasid eras, Ahvaz flourished as a center for the cultivation of sugar-cane and as the home of many well-known scholars. Nearby stood the Academy of Gundishapur (also Jondishapour, Jondishapur), where the modern day teaching hospital is said to have been first established.

Ahvaz was devastated in the bloody Mongol invasions of the 13th and 14th centuries CE. Ahvaz subsequently declined into a mere village. The dam and irrigation channels, no longer maintained, eroded and finally collapsed early in the 19th century. During this time Ahvaz was primarily inhabited by Arabs and a small number of Sabeans. Some minor cultivation continued, while all evidence of sugarcane plantations had vanished, although ruins of sugarcane mills from the medieval era remained in existence. (X. de Planhol, Encyclopedia Iranica).

Modern History of Ahvaz

In the 1880s the Karun River was dredged and re-opened to commerce. A newly-built railway crossed the Karun at Ahvaz. The city again became a commercial crossroads, linking river and rail traffic. The construction of the Suez Canal further stimulated trade. During this period (the Qajar era) the town was called Bandar-e-Naseri.

Oil was found near Ahvaz in the early 20th century, and the city once again grew and prospered as a result of this newfound wealth. From 1897-1925, Sheikh Khaz'al controlled this area and the name was changed to Naseriyeh. Afterwards, during the Pahlavi period, it resumed its old name, Ahvaz.

Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein attempted to annex Khuzestan and Ahvaz in 1980, resulting in the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). Ahvaz was close to the front lines and suffered badly during the war.

Iraq had pressed its claims to Khuzestan in part because many of the inhabitants of the area spoke Arabic rather than Persian, the dominant language in Iran. Iraq had hoped to exacerbate ethnic tensions and win over popular support for the invaders. Most accounts say that the Iranian Arab inhabitants resisted the Iraqis rather than welcome them as liberators. However, some Iranian Arabs claim that as a minority they face discrimination from the central government; they agitate for the right to preserve their cultural and linguistic heritage and more provincial autonomy. See Ethnic politics of Khuzestan.

Contemporary Ahvaz

In 1989, the Fulad-e-Ahvaz steel facility was built close to the town. This company is best known for its company-sponsored soccer club, which was the chart-topper for Iran's Premier Football League in 2005. Ahvaz also supports another team, the Esteqlal-e-Ahvaz.

Ahvaz is also known for its universities as well as its role in commerce and industry. Ahvaz institutes of higher learning include:

• Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences
• Petroleum University of Technology
• Shahid Chamran University-Ahvaz
• Islamic Azad University of Ahvaz

Some famous Ahvazis

Many scientists, philosophers, and poets have come from Khuzestan, including:

• Abu Nuwas, a well-known poet
• Majusi the famous physician
• Abdullah-lbn-Meymoon Ahvazi
• Naubakht, an astronomer, and his sons;
• Jorjis, the son of Bakhtshooa Gondishapoori
• Ibn Sakit
• Da'bal-e-Khazai

See also

• Khuzestan
• Jundishapur
• Susa
• Elamite Empire
• Chogha Zanbil

External links

• Union of Iranian Southern Universities
• Fulad Ahvaz Football Club
• Esteqlal Ahvaz Football Club
• Iran Premiere League
• Haft Tappeh Archeological Site, North of Ahvaz
• Ayapir Archeological Site, North of Ahvaz
• Chogha Zanbil Elamite Ziggurat, north of Ahvaz
• Ahvaz Photo Gallery from the Khuzestan Governorship
• The History of Ahvaz and Khuzestan according to Bakhtiari tribes of Khuzestan

• Cities in Iran