Bushehr Province

Bushehr Province استان بوشهر
—  Province  —
Location of Bushehr within Iran
Coordinates: 28°55′06″N 50°50′18″E / 28.9184°N 50.8382°E / 28.9184; 50.8382Coordinates: 28°55′06″N 50°50′18″E / 28.9184°N 50.8382°E / 28.9184; 50.8382
Country	Iran
Capital	Bushehr
Counties	9
Area
– Total	22,743 km2 (8,781.1 sq mi)
Population (2005)[1]
– Total	886,267
– Density	39/km2 (100.9/sq mi)
Time zone	IRST (UTC+03:30)
– Summer (DST)	IRST (UTC+04:30)
Main language(s)	Persian Luri

Bushehr Province (Persian: استان بوشهر, Ostān-e Būshehr ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the south of the country, with a long coastline onto the Persian Gulf. Its center is Bandar-e-Bushehr, the provincial capital. The province has nine counties: Bushehr, Dashtestan, Dashti, Dayyer, Deylam, Jam, Kangan, Ganaveh and Tangestan. In 2005, the province had a population of approximately 816,115 people.

History

The Greeks knew of Bushehr by Mezambria during the battles of Nearchus. A French excavating team however in 1913 determined the origin of Bushehr to date back to the Elamite Empire. A city there, known as Lyan, contained a temple that was designed to protect the compound from naval attacks. Its remains can still be seen today 10 kilometers south of the present city of Bushehr.

Marco Polo describes this region as part of the Persian province of Shabankareh

A key turning point in the history of Bor event of significance is known to have taken place in this region until the arrival of the European colonialists in the 16th century.

The Portuguese, invaded the city of Bushehr in 1506 and remained there until Shah Abbas Safavi successfully defeated and liberated the Persian Gulf region of their presence. By 1734, Bushehr had once again risen to prominence due to Nadir Shah of the Afsharid dynasty, and his military policies in The Persian Gulf.

Bushehr was selected by Nadir to be the central base of Nadir's Naval fleet in the Persian Gulf. He thus changed the name of the city to Bandar e Nadiriyeh (Nadir's Port). He hired an Englishman by the name of John Elton to help build his fleet. Dutch accounts report his naval fleet to have amounted to 8000-10000 personnel as well as several ship construction installations.

After Nadir's death, the Dutch continued to have good commercial relations in Bushehr, until the British made their debut in Bushehr in 1763 by a contract they signed with Karim Khan of the Zand dynasty. By then, the city of Bushehr had become Iran's major port city in the Persian Gulf. By the Qajar era, Britain, Norway, Russia, Italy, France, Germany, and the Ottomans had diplomatic and commercial offices there, with Britain steadily gaining a foothold in the area. Close to 100 British ships are reported to have docked at the port city every year during the Qajar era.

Administrative divisions

Bushehr Province:

Map	Province	capital	County	capital
Khūzestān Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Fars Province Deylam Ganaveh Dashtestan Bushehr Tangestan Dashti Kangan Dayyer Jam Hormozgān Persian Gulf
	Bushehr	Bushehr
			Bushehr	Bushehr
			Dashtestan	Borazjan
			Dashti	Khormoj
			Dayyer	Dayyer
			Deylam	Deylam
			Ganaveh	Ganaveh
			Jam	Jam
			Kangan	Kangan
			Tangestan	Ahram

Bushehr today

The coast in Bushehr by the Persian Gulf.

Aside from the revived port city of Bushehr, which is the second main naval port of Iran after Bandar Abbas, Bushehr also has come back recently in the spotlight for three main reasons:

Kharg Island (Khark Island)

During the Iran-Iraq war, Iran's major petroleum exporting ports in Khuzestan sustained damages so severe that a second port in Kharg Island was selected to carry on the major responsibility of Iran's petroleum exports, though even Kharg was not immune from Iraqi air raids.

Bushehr Nuclear Reactor

Main article: Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant

See also: The Bushehr project of Iran's nuclear program

The Bushehr Light water PWR Nuclear Reactor, designed by Siemens AG, built by the Russians, is Iran's first Nuclear Power Plant reactor.

The industrial corridor of Assalouyeh

As many as 70,000 foreign engineers and technicians are currently working in this industrial zone 270 kilometers south of the provincial capital. This zone is where the nearby famous South Pars Gas field is located, where Iran has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure. The South Pars Gas field is the world's largest natural gas field.

The Assalouyeh industrial zone is deemed so lucrative that even American companies such as American Allied International Corp and Halliburton have bypassed American sanctions to become somehow involved in the zone.[2]

Colleges and universities

• Persian Gulf University
• Bushehr University of Medical Sciences
• Islamic Azad University of Bushehr
• Islamic Azad University of Borazjan
• Islamic Azad University of Shabankare
• Islamic Azad University of Khormuj
• Islamic Azad University of Khark
• Iran Nuclear Energy College
• Payame Noor University of Bushehr

Sports

Football is the most popular sports in Boushehr. Boushehr is home to a famous football team: Shahin-e Boushehr (Pars-e Jonoubi).

Shahin Vs. Perspolis - Result was Shahin 4 - Perspolis 1.

Shahin is one of the oldest soccer team in Iran which has found in 1942. Shahin is one of the most popular teams in current Iranian football league just like Tractor-Sazi from Tabriz.

Shahin Players in current league are: Mojtaba Roshangar (1), Mohsen Hamidi (2), Lec chiera (3), Ahmad Al Neme(4), Reza Bazyari (5), Mehdi Nouri (6), Sattar Zare (7), Sadeq Karami (8), Abdolah Karami (10), Mohsen Iran Nejad (11), Masoud Nazar Zade (12), Hamid Reza Soleimani (14), Bahman Shirvani (15), Mehdi Kiani (16), Abbas Pour Khosravani (17), Amjad Shokomaqam (18), Uche Irome (19), Iman Heydari (20), Ivan Petrovic (21), Majid Gholami (22), Ali Salmani (23), Amir Hosein Mohammadi (24), Aref Zobeidi (26), Mansour Tanhaie (27), Mostafa Rajaie (33), and coaching by Hamid Isteely.

Some attractions of Bushehr

Despite its unique potentials, Bushehr remains to be developed for absorbing tourists and seriously lacks the necessary investment for tourism. The city of Bushehr has 3-star hotels, an airport, and modern amenities. The Cultural heritage Organization of Iran lists up to 45 sites of historical and cultural significance in the province. Some are listed below:

• Persian Gulf Beach(Bushehr)
• Deje Borazjan
• kakhe tauke (borazjan)
• Shahzade Ebrahim (Shazabreim)
• Qal'eh Holandiha (The Dutch Castle)
• Mabad Poseidon, (Poseidon's temple)
• Gurestan Bastani (the ancient cemetery)
• Imamzadeh Mir Mohammed Hanifeh
• Aramgah (tomb of) Haj Mohammed Ibrahim Esfahani
• The Old Church of Kharg Island
• Qavam water reservoir
• Qazi House
• Maqbareh (tomb of) the English General
• Shaykh Sadoon Mosque
• The Holy Christ Church
• House of Raies Ali Delvari
• House of Malik
• The ancient site of Ray-Shahr which is located 8 km south of Bushehr.
• Tomb of Abdul mohaymrn
• House Darya Baygui
• House of Dehdashti
• Castle of Khormuj

Literature

Bushehr has been home to some famous poets. Among them are Faiez Dashti (Dashtestani) (1830-1919) and Manouchehr Atashi. Faiez poems, and dashti(or dashtestani) literature in general, resemble Baba Taher's works. Sadeq Chubak and Najaf Daryabandari are among the most prominent writers in literature of Bushehr.

References

1. ^ [1] National Census 2006

External links

• Bushehr Cultural Heritage Organization
• Iran Oil Terminals Company
• Iran Petrochemical Commercial Company
• Pars Special Economic Energy Zone
• National Iranian Gas Company
• National Petrochemical Company of Iran
• Bushehr Province Department of Education (in Persian)
• Official website of Shahin Club (in Persian)