Marand

Marand () is a city in the Central District of Marand County, East Azerbaijan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.

Marand is among the major cities of East Azerbaijan province. It is in the northwest of the capital of the province, Tabriz. Marand has been known by various names in history, such as Maryana, Mandagarana, and Maranda.

Etymology

Moritz von Kotzebue and August von Haxthausen both described local legends that placed the burial spot of Noah's wife at Marand. Both authors contended that the name of the city means "the mother lies here," referring to Noah's wife. According to Kotzebue:

History

The history of the town goes back to the pre-Islamic era. Between 815 till 850, Marand was primarily controlled by Mohammad ibn Ba'ith who was Iranicized to a considerable extent.Minorsky, “Marand” in ''Encyclopaedia of Islam''. P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs (eds.). Vol. 6, (1991): p. 504 "According to one of al-Tabari's authorities (iii, 1388), the shaykhs of Maragha who praised the bravery and literary ability (adab) of Ibn Bai'th also quoted his Persian verses (bi'l-fdrisiyya). This important passage, already quoted by Barthold, BSOS, ii (1923), 836–8, is evidence of the existence of the cultivation of poetry in Persian in north-western Persia at the beginning of the 9th century. Ibn Bai’th must have been Iranicised to a considerable extent, and, as has been mentioned, he relied for support on the non-Arab elements in his Rustakhs (‘Uludj Rasatikhi’)” The elders of Maragha who quoted his Persian poetry also praised his bravery and his literary ability. He was Iranicized to considerable extent and the statement of Tabari on him is evidence of the existence of the cultivation of poetry in Persian in northwest Persia at the beginning of the 9th century.

Demographics

Population

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 114,165 in 29,755 households. The following census in 2011 counted 124,323 people in 35,805 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 130,825 people in 40,275 households.

Climate

Notable people

''For a complete list see: :People from Marand''
* Ganjali Sabahi (1909–1990) - Writer
* Aboutaleb Talebi (born 1945) - wrestler
* Musa Kalantari (1949–1981) - politician
* Jalil Farjad (born 1951) - Theatre and film actor
* Gholamreza Shafeei (born 1951) - politician
* Isa Kalantari (born 1952) - politician
* Mohammad-Taghi Pourmohammadi (born 1956) - cleric
* Shirin Bina (born 1964) - Theatre and film actor
* Meysam Naghizadeh (born 1986) - football player
* Mohsen Delir (born 1988) - football player

See also

* Marand Khanate

Notes

References

{{Marand County, state=collapsed

Cities in East Azerbaijan province
Populated places in Marand County