Siahkal () is a city in the Central District of

Siahkal County Siahkal County () is in Gilan 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, ...

Gilan Gilan Province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, in the northwest of the country and southwest of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is the city of Rasht. The province lies along the Caspian Sea, in Iran's Region 3, west of the province of ...

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. As of 2016, the city had a population of 19,924.

History

Siahkal was the scene of the 1971 Marxist Siahkal uprising.

The Jewish community

There used to be a sizeable Jewish community in Siahkal with synagogue(s) and neighborhoods. The written historical sources on this community are limited, and mostly lost to history limited, as the Gilan province was largely isolated, and mostly ignored in history, but they might have been present since antiquity given speaking the Judeo-Siahkali dialect, as opposed to other Jewish communities of Gilan and surrounding provinces. The community married among themselves and had a long tradition that they were descendants of

King David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Damas ...

. Some were descendants of Jews of Dilaman, who were ordered by

Nadir Shah Afshar Nader Shah Afshar (; 6 August 1698 or 22 October 1688 – 20 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian history, ruling as shah of Iran (Persia) from 1736 to 1747, when he was a ...

in the year 1746 to relocate to

Mashhad Mashhad ( ; ), historically also known as Mashad, Meshhed, or Meshed in English, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. ...

. The community faced one or several pogroms and mass conversions in recent history based on their collective memory. Possibly, around 1880, there was a pogrom in Siyāhkal in which many Jews were killed, many were subjected to forceful conversion to Islam, and others left the city to live in Rasht (Netzer, Siyāhkal). In the following years, Many of the remaining members of this isolated community converted to

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

, or joined the Marxist movement. Others gradually left the town, commenced by events of the pogrom of 1880, the Marxist insurrection of 1921, the Soviet Occupation, and then as well as the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, which prompted immigration of the remaining practicing Jews to either

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

Rasht Rasht (; ) is a city in the Central District (Rasht County), Central District of Rasht County, Gilan province, Gilan province, Iran, serving as the capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is also known as the "City of ...

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

, or

the United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

;.L. Rabino, Les provinces caspiennes de la Perse (1917)

Demographics

Language and ethnicity

Siahkal's population is Gilak and the city's main language is

Gilaki language Gilaki ( ) is an Iranian language belonging to the Caspian subgroup of the Northwestern branch, spoken in south of Caspian Sea by Gilak people. Gilaki is closely related to Mazandarani. The two languages of Gilaki and Mazandarani have s ...

Population

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 15,274 in 4,343 households. The following census in 2011 counted 18,176 people in 5,645 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 19,924 people in 6,796 households.

Tourist attractions

*Lonak Waterfall *Baba Vali Waterfall *Larikhani Forest and Spring *Dorfak Mountain *Ti Ti Caravanserai *Garmavar Castle *Kutul Shah Castle *Siahkal-Deylaman Road and Forest *Pashuran Park and Pool *Rice Farms *Gilarkesh Rock Shelter *Azodi House *Mineral Water Springs *Siahkal's Weekly Market *Shrine of Qader the Prophet *Shrine of Baba Vali *Shrine of Saleh and Sultain Hussein *Imamzadeh Mustafa

Education

* Sama Vocational Academy *

Islamic Azad University The Islamic Azad University (IAU; , ''Dāneshgāh-e Āzād-e Eslāmi'') is a Private university, private university system Headquarters, headquartered in Tehran, Iran. It is one of the largest comprehensive systems of university, universities in ...

has a campus in Siahkal. *

Payame Noor University Payame Noor University (PNU; Persian language, Persian: Dāneŝgāhe Payāme Nur) is an Open university (concept), open university in Iran, with its headquarters in Tehran. Established in 1988, it is a legal institution under the supervision of t ...

has a campus in Siahkal.

Gallery

Gilan - Siyahkal - panoramio (1).jpg Gilan - Siyahkal - panoramio.jpg Gilan - Siyahkal - panoramio (2).jpg Gilan - Deylaman - panoramio (3).jpg Siyahkal - Pashouran lake - panoramio.jpg Siyahkal - Deylaman Road - panoramio.jpg Gilan - Siyahkal - Pashouran Lake - panoramio.jpg Gilan - Siyahkal - Lounak Waterfall - panoramio.jpg Siyahkal - Deylaman Caravanserai - Titi - panoramio.jpg Gilan - Deylaman Forest - panoramio.jpg Deylaman - Gheshlagh - Dorfak view - panoramio.jpg Siyahkal - Deylaman - Lunak Waterfall - panoramio.jpg Siyahkal - Deylaman Caravanserai - Titi - panoramio (2).jpg Siyahkal - Deylaman Caravanserai - Titi - panoramio (1).jpg Siyahkal - Deylaman Road - Loonak Waterfall - panoramio.jpg Deylaman - Espeyli - panoramio.jpg Gilan - Deylaman - Espeyli - panoramio.jpg

Notes

References

Populated places in Siahkal County Historic Jewish communities Cities in Gilan province Crypto-Jews {{Siahkal-geo-stub