Dezful

For the administrative subdivision, see Dezful County.

Dezful دزفول
—  city  —
Rudband Shrine and the City along the Dez River
Nickname(s): دسبیل', 'دژپل
Dezful
Coordinates: 32°22′57″N 48°24′07″E / 32.3825°N 48.40194°E / 32.3825; 48.40194Coordinates: 32°22′57″N 48°24′07″E / 32.3825°N 48.40194°E / 32.3825; 48.40194
Country	Iran
Province	Khuzestan
County	Dezful
Bakhsh	Central
Elevation	150 m (492 ft)
Population (2006)
– Total	228,507
Time zone	IRST (UTC+3:30)
– Summer (DST)	IRDT (UTC+4:30)
Area code(s)	0641

Dezful (Persian: دزفول, pronounced [dɛzˈfuːl], also Romanized as Dezfūl, Dezfool, and Dīzfūl)^[1] is a city in and the capital of Dezful County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 228,507, in 55,711 families.^[2]

The city houses a bridge that dates back to 300 BC.^[3] In 2006, the city had 235,819 inhabitants.^[4][5]

History

The name Dezful has been derived from the two words dezj (fortress)+ pol (bridge), which in combination could stand for 'the bridge to the fortress' or 'fortified bridge'.^[6] The original name of the city was Dezjpol, but after the Islamic conquest of Persia, the city was renamed Dezful.^[6] The bridge was built during the reign of Shapur I who used Roman prisoners of war to build the bridge.^[7]

Dezful Jame' Mosque

The bridge protected the city from military interventions, whence the name. The old part of the city adjacent to the bridge is known as the Qaleh (castle). In the middle of the river, close to the bridge, you can see remains of several water mills built ca. 300 BC. Most of them were actually used up to the beginning of the 20th century. The last one was in use up to 1985.

The Academy of Gundishapur, a teaching hospital that was the intellectual center of the Sassanid empire, was founded near Dezful.

The people of Dezful, known as Dezfuli, Dezfoolians or Dezfulians, speak Dezfuli - a dialect distinct to Dezful and Shushtar and sometimes considered the most archaic of Persian dialects.

Geography

Dezful sits close to the foothills of the Zagros Mountains on the main north-south highway from Tehran to Ahvaz, the provincial capital of Khuzestan. The main rail line from Tehran to the Persian Gulf is 15 km (9 mi) from Dezful, on the opposite side of the Dez River.

Economy

Dezfūl is the primary commercial center for northern Khuzestan and one of the main producers of agricultural products in Iran. Dezful is also a market for the agricultural products of Lorestan province. The city also contains a large cotton textile mill and many small- and medium-scale industries. The Dez Dam, 203 m (666 ft) high, completed in 1963, is 32 km (20 mi) upstream from Dezful; the dam provides water and electricity for the city, as well as irrigation for nearby sugarcane farms.

Agriculture

Agriculture around Dezful was modernized in the mid-1960s by an Iranian-American joint venture company. Flowers and citrus fruits from Dezful are held in high regard in the country.^{[citation needed]} Also popular are yoghurt and cream from local buffalos. Various vegetables, fruit and grains are grown in Dezful. Meat, poultry and fish are also produced.

Dezful Air Force base and airport

Dezful Vahdati Air Force Base is a 4th IRIAF Air Force base and it is operational for F-5A, E, F and B fighters. The base was bombarded by the Iraqi Air Force during the early stages of the Iran–Iraq War. There is an annual air show for the remembrance of War Heroes at the beginning of the Iranian New Year (Nowruz): hold from March 21 to 4 April, it is the only military Air show in Iran.

The Dezful Air force base is also used for domestic passenger flights. there have been occasional bans of passenger flights in Dezful Air-Base because of military security matters in past 20 years, but at last based on an agreement between Military commanders and Dezful civil governors, a regular daily program of flights settled and obeyed at about end of 2007 by two domestic airlines, Iran Air Tour and Aseman. There are currently at least 1 or 2 flights from this base (which is now called Dezful airport) to Tehran and back from Tehran everyday.

Transportation

There are direct flights from Tehran to Dezful (and reverse) at least once a day. There are also weekly flights from Dezful to Mashhad ( mawhad or mašhad). Dezful can also be reached by the Iranian railways.

Buses are available from almost all Iranian major cities to Dezful or one of its adjacent cities.

References

1. ^ Dezful can be found at GEOnet Names Server, at this link, by opening the Advanced Search box, entering "-3061127" in the "Unique Feature Id" form, and clicking on "Search Database".
2. ^ "Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1385 (2006)" (Excel). Islamic Republic of Iran. http://www.amar.org.ir/DesktopModules/FTPManager/upload/upload2360/newjkh/newjkh/06.xls. 
3. ^ سايت اداره ميراث فرهنگي ، صنايع دستي و گردشگري شهرستان دزفول
4. ^ Census85 - (Statistical Center of Iran (in Persian))
5. ^ Population and Housing Census
6. ^ ^{a b} دزفول شناسی - شهر دزفول - آشنايی با دزفول - dezful
7. ^ Hartung, Fritz; Kuros, Gh. R. (1987), "Historische Talsperren im Iran", in Garbrecht, Günther, Historische Talsperren, 1, Stuttgart: Verlag Konrad Wittwer, pp. 221–274 (232), ISBN 3-87919-145-X 

Sources

• Iran Census organization

External links

• Dezful boys
• Our City Dezful
• Dezful News Network
• Deznava Dezful NGO
• dezfulcity.org , Dezful Magazine
• myDez.com, Dezful Unofficial Website
• Dezful city
• Dezful municipality
• Dezfullogy NGO