Qazvin

Qazvin (käzvēn`), city (1991 278,826), Tehran prov., NW Iran. A road and rail-transport center, the city has textile and flour mills, and wineries. Qazvin was probably founded by Shapur II, king of Persia, in the 4th cent. A.D. It was captured by the Arabs in 644. Hasan-i Sabbah, the founder of the secret Ismaili Assassin order, seized (c.1090) the nearby fortress of Alamut and made it the headquarters of the order. Shah Tahmasp I embellished the city with many fine buildings. It was the capital of Persia from 1548 to 1598. In 1722 the city was temporarily captured by the Afghans. During World War I it was occupied by Russian forces. In 1941 the city was bombed by the Soviet air force and after World War II was a stronghold during the brief Soviet occupation of N Iran. The city is also known as Kazvin and Kasbin.

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Qazvin

 or Kazvin

City (pop., 1996: 291,117), northwestern Iran. Founded as Shad Shahpur in AD 250, it flourished under Muslim rule in the 7th century. Genghis Khan laid waste to the city, but it later revived and was made the capital of Persia (1548–98) under the Safavid dynasty. In the late 18th century it became a base for foreign trade with areas of the Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Anatolia. A coup was launched from Qazvin in 1921 that led to Iran's consolidation under Reza Shah Pahlavi. It is a regional communications centre, with some manufacturing.