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Sangesar (Persian: مهدیشهر)[a], previously Sangsar, is a city in the Central District of Mehdishahr County, Semnan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.[7]
Mehdishahr (Sangesar)
Persian: مهدیشهر | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Sangesar district of Mehdishahr | |
  Mehdishahr (Sangesar) | |
| Coordinates: 35°42′52″N 53°21′25″E / 35.71444°N 53.35694°E[1] | |
| Country | Iran |
| Province | Semnan |
| County | Mehdishahr |
| District | Central |
| Population (2016)[2] | |
• Total | 24,485 |
| Time zone | UTC+3:30 (IRST) |
| Area code | +98 (232) |
History
edit
Sangsar area has an old history which goes back to 1st millennium BC. First inhabitants of Sangsar used to worship moon and stars. There are some theories about Sangsar name; One of them emphasizes about a Saka origin and suggests the name used to be Sakasar or Saksar which means Saka (scythian) settlement.
Demographics
editReligion
edit
The primary religious belief in the area now is Shi‘ite Islam. Sangesar was a Zoroastrian stronghold after the invasion of Islam. The Zoroastrians were prosecuted and forced to convert, but much of Sangesari customs have roots in Zoroastrian traditions. Before the Islamic Revolution, a major segment of the population became followers of the Baháʼí Faith in Sangsar. The Bahais migrated from Sangesar to Tehran after the revolution, due to a wide range of persecutions. As for other towns of Iran, the name has thus been changed by the Islamic Republic authorities into Mehdishahr to punish the locals and to signal its imposed pure Muslim identity. Since Bahais believed that the savior, Bab (Mehdi) had appeared, the Islamic Republic renamed Sangesar to Mehdishahr. Mehdi is the Shia Muslim hidden Imam / Savior and Shahr means town in Persian, so Mehdishahr literally means the town reclaimed by Mehdi. Sangesar population who are ancient Persians and proud of their heritage have resisted this change and continue calling their city Sangesar and they continue speaking the ancient Sangesari language.
Population
editAt the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 20,581 in 5,473 households,[8] when it was capital of the former Mehdishahr District of Semnan County.[9] The following census in 2011 counted 19,854 people in 5,705 households,[10] by which time the district had been separated from the county in the establishment of Mehdishahr County. Mehdishahr was transferred to the new Central District as the county's capital.[7] The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 24,485 people in 7,679 households.[2]
Geography
editMehdishahr is on the southern slopes of the Alborz mountains. Here, the chain of Alborz mountains is very close to the desert of Dasht-e Kavir. Sangsar, specially the northern part of it, is completely mountainous with cold winters, heavy snowfalls but with mild summers. The distance between Sangsar city and Semnan city is 20 kilometers. The altitude is about 1630 meters above sea level.
Transportation
editThe most important network of roads consists of Semnan to Sangsar to Shahmirzad to Fooladmahale axis which connects these places with the city of Sari. This road connects the two provinces of Mazandaran and Semnan.
Notable people
edit- Majid Derakhshani, musician and composer
- Parviz Sabeti, deputy of SAVAK
Sister cities
editSangesar has signed the treaty of city twinning with the following cities:
See also
edit
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ OpenStreetMap contributors (7 January 2025). "Mehdishahr, Mehdishahr County" (Map). OpenStreetMap (in Persian). Retrieved 7 January 2025.
- ^ a b Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1395 (2016): Semnan Province. amar.org.ir (Report) (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. Archived from the original (Excel) on 17 November 2020. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
- ^ "Mehdīshahr: Iran". Geographical Names. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
- ^ "سَنگِ سَر: Iran". Geographical Names. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
- ^ "Sang-i-Sar: Iran". Geographical Names. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
- ^ Sangsar can be found at GEOnet Names Server, at this link, by opening the Advanced Search box, entering "10601188" in the "Unique Feature Id" form, and clicking on "Search Database".
- ^ a b Davodi, Parviz (c. 2024) [Approved 29 July 1386]. Approval letter regarding the reforms of national divisions in Semnan province. lamtakam.com (Report) (in Persian). Ministry of the Interior, Political-Defense Commission of the Government Board. Proposal 93023/42/1/4/1; Letter 58538/T26118H; Notification 160036/T38028K. Archived from the original on 2 January 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2024 – via Lam ta Kam.
- ^ Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1385 (2006): Semnan Province. amar.org.ir (Report) (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. Archived from the original (Excel) on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
- ^ Habibi, Hassan (c. 2024) [Approved 21 June 1369]. Approval of the organization and chain of citizenship of the elements and units of the national divisions of Semnan province, centered in Semnan city. lamtakam.com (Report) (in Persian). Ministry of the Interior, Defense Political Commission of the Government Council. Proposal 3233.1.5.53; Letter 93808-907; Notification 82836/T140K. Archived from the original on 2 January 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2024 – via Lam ta Kam.
- ^ Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1390 (2011): Semnan Province. irandataportal.syr.edu (Report) (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. Archived from the original (Excel) on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2022 – via Iran Data Portal, Syracuse University.