Khonj () is a city in the Central District of Khonj County, Fars province,

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, serving as capital of both the county and the district. The city is at an altitude of . Khonj was traditionally part of the region of Irahistan.

Demographics

Ethnicity

The people of Khonj are native Persians of

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, Zoroaster ( ). Among the wo ...

origin who converted to Sunni Islam.

Population

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 19,347 in 3,353 households. The following census in 2011 counted 18,792 people in 3,884 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 19,217 people in 4,665 households.

Overview

Khonj is south of

Shiraz Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...

. Its history goes back to 2,000 years, and Khonjis were known to be followers of

Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism ( ), also called Mazdayasnā () or Beh-dīn (), is an Iranian religions, Iranian religion centred on the Avesta and the teachings of Zoroaster, Zarathushtra Spitama, who is more commonly referred to by the Greek translation, ...

. Khonjis refer to themselves as Khodmooni, a term literally meaning "part of ourselves" but figuratively used to refer to people from Gerash, Lar, Evaz, Khonj and other neighboring cities that share the Achomi language. The ancient names for Khonj were Hong and Konj (corner in Persian) and over time it has changed to Khonj. Its residents are

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

, unlike most of Iran, and are famous as traders. The city has historical significance as it was the home for many

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

scholars and great architects before and after Islam.

Ibn Battuta Ibn Battuta (; 24 February 13041368/1369), was a Maghrebi traveller, explorer and scholar. Over a period of 30 years from 1325 to 1354, he visited much of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Iberian Peninsula. Near the end of his life, Ibn ...

, the great Moroccan explorer, wrote about his travels to Khonj in great detail. The agriculture in Khonj is primarily wheat, oat, and dates. Khonj has the least amount of rainfall than any other part of Fars.

Climate

The city of Khonj is located at 27.890 degrees east latitude and 53.437 degrees north of the Greenwich meridian. It is bounded by Lamerd and Mohr counties from the south, Qir, Kazerun and Jahrom counties from the north, Larestan county from the northeast, and Evaz county from the east. Khonj is located at the beginning of a vast plain in the southern

Zagros mountains The Zagros Mountains are a mountain range in Iran, northern Iraq, and southeastern Turkey. The mountain range has a total length of . The Zagros range begins in northwestern Iran and roughly follows Iran's western border while covering much of s ...

. Its distance to the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

is 90 km and Its height is 1044 meters. Khonj faces hot weather most days of the year. But at the same time, it is one of the rainiest areas of Fars province.

Historical monuments

The city of Khonj is considered one of the most significant historical cities of Fars province with more than 20 historical works from different periods that have been registered in the Iran National Heritage List. The works that have been identified so far include the pottery period of the Neolithic and the first millennium BC (Tel Khandaq, Kurde village, Tell Gap, Baghan village, Tell Korki and the six sites of Garmasht village) until today.

Notes

References

Cities in Fars province Populated places in Khonj County {{Khonj-geo-stub