Shiraz is often called the city of poets, of blooming gardens and singing nightingale. Shiraz is also home to 2 million people. The city is located at 1540 m above sealevel on the banks of a river known as the "Dry River", having little water for most of the year.

History

550 BC
Under the Achaemenid rulers Shiraz is still an insignificant settlement. The Achaemenid's glorious city Persepolis is located some 60 km further to the east.

224 AD - 650 AD
Shiraz still remains in the shadow of another city 50 km to the north-east: Istakhr, capital of the Sasanian rulers.

651 AD
It is only after the Arab conquest that Shiraz becomes for the first time the provincial capital of the province Fars. This leads to a lively construction activity.

12th - 14th century
The city remains intact during the first Mongol invasion and becomes a centre for arts and crafts. Later the city developes into a true literary capital first under the poet Saadi, then under the great Hafez.

16th century
The city experiences its first economic and urban development. Gardens, palaces, mosques and wide, tree-lined avenues are created taking Isfahan as a model. However, earthquakes, devastating floods and, finally, the conquest by the Afghans destroy many parts of the beautiful city, so that around 1744 Shiraz remains almost completely destroyed and depopulated.

18th century
It is due to the prudent and far-sighted regent Karim Khan Zand that Shiraz rises again to become one of the most pleasant and cultured cities in Iran. It is he who temporarily makes Shiraz the capital of the country between 1762 and 1779. The skyline as we know it today goes back to him.
From 1750 on he has a bazaar built, mosques, medreses, gardens, baths and a castle-like citadel. Unfortunately, the Zand dynasty can only hold on to power for a short time. As early as 1794, the last Zand ruler is murdered by the Qajars. They make Tehran their new national capital.

19th century
Shiraz becomes once more a provincial town. Some of the magnificent buildings from the time of the Zand-heyday do not survive the devastating earthquakes and floods of this period. But the bazar, the mosque and citadel are still there and make up part of the charm of what is today perhaps the most beautiful and romantic city in Iran.

20th century
Shiraz still lives mainly on the agricultural products grown in the area such as grapes, citrus fruits, cotton and rice. Industries concentrate on cement, sugar, oil refinery and electronics. The city also houses the largest medical faculty in the country.