CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html> <html id="top" lang="en-US" itemscope itemtype="http://schema.org/WebPage">   <head> <title>BĀBOL i. The Town – Encyclopaedia Iranica</title> <meta charset="utf-8" /> <meta name="description" content="The Encyclopaedia Iranica is a comprehensive research tool dedicated to the study of Iranian civilization in the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent"> <meta name="keywords" content="iran, persia iran history, persia history, persian language, afghanistan, central asia, zoroastrianism, shi’ism" /> <meta name="author" content="Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation" /> <meta name="thumbnail" content="https://iranicaonline.org/webroot/uploads/images/og/vol-16.jpg"> <link rel="alternate" href="" title="RSS Feed" type="application/rss+xml" />  <link rel="stylesheet" href="https://iranicaonline.org/app/webroot/css/global.css" />  <meta property="og:title" content="Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica" /> <meta property="og:description" content="The Encyclopaedia Iranica is a comprehensive research tool dedicated to the study of Iranian civilization in the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent" /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://iranicaonline.org/webroot/uploads/images/og/vol-16.jpg" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://iranicaonline.org" /> <meta property="og:type" content="article" />  <meta name="twitter:card" content="summary_large_image" /> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica" /> <meta name="twitter:description" content="The Encyclopaedia Iranica is a comprehensive research tool dedicated to the study of Iranian civilization in the Middle East, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent" /> <meta name="twitter:image:src" content="https://iranicaonline.org/webroot/uploads/images/og/vol-16.jpg" /> <meta name="twitter:creator" content="Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation" /> <meta name="twitter:site" content="https://iranicaonline.org" /> <meta name="twitter:domain" content="iranicaonline.org" />  <link rel="shortcut icon" href="https://iranicaonline.org/favicon.ico" /> <link rel="icon" href="https://iranicaonline.org/favicon.ico" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" href="https://iranicaonline.org/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png" />  <script src="/js/jquery-1.3.2.min.js" type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"></script> <script src="/js/jquery-ui-1.7.2.custom.min.js" type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"></script> <script src="/js/global.js" type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"></script>  <script type="text/javascript" src="/js/jquery.prettyPhoto.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="/js/article_view.js?v=4"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="/js/soundmanager2-jsmin.js?v=1"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="/js/mp3-player-button.js?v=1"></script> </head> <body> <div id="ornament"> <div id="wrap"> <div id="navigation-sidebar">  <div style="width: 93px; height: 142px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 12px;" alt="Iranica Logo" border="0" /><a href="/"> <svg enable-background="new 0 0 93 142" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 93 142" xml:space="preserve" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"> <style type="text/css">.st0{fill:#4A5C6B;}.st1{fill:#B7D1E3;}</style> <path class="st0" d="m46.5 142c-0.8 0-1.6-0.4-2-1.1v-0.1c-0.3-0.5-0.9-1.5-1.1-3.4v-0.4c-0.1-2.5-0.3-4-0.5-4.7 0-0.1-0.1-0.2-0.2-0.3-0.2-0.3-0.5-0.7-0.7-1l-0.1-0.1c-0.7-0.9-1.4-1.9-1.9-3.2-0.1-0.3-0.4-0.6-0.7-0.8-0.2-0.2-0.6-0.4-0.8-0.5h-0.1c-0.5-0.3-1.2-0.7-1.8-1.2-2.6-1.9-4.8-7-4.9-8.9v-0.1c0-0.2 0-0.4 0.1-0.6 0-0.1 0.1-0.3 0.2-0.5 0.2-0.5 0.2-1-0.1-1.5-0.2-0.5-0.7-0.8-1.2-0.9-5.4-1.2-9.2-4-11.5-8.3-1.7-3.2-1.9-7.4-0.5-11.3 0.2-0.7 0-1.4-0.5-1.8-0.3-0.3-0.7-0.4-1.1-0.4-0.3 0-0.5 0.1-0.8 0.2-1.1 0.5-2.2 0.8-3.2 0.8-2.1 0-4.1-1.2-5.3-3.2 0 0 0-0.1-0.1-0.1-0.1-0.1-0.1-0.1-0.1-0.2v-0.1c-0.6-1.7-0.4-3.4 0.6-4.9 0.6-0.9 1.6-1.7 2.7-2.3 0.6-0.3 1-1 0.9-1.7s-0.6-1.3-1.3-1.4h-0.1c-0.3-0.1-0.6-0.2-1-0.2-0.5 0-0.9 0.1-1.6 0.4l-0.3 0.1c-0.9 0.3-2 0.7-3.5 0.7-0.6 0-1.3-0.1-1.9-0.2-0.1 0-0.2-0.1-0.4-0.1-1-0.6-1.7-1.6-1.7-2.7 0-1.4 1.2-2.5 2.3-3 0.1-0.1 0.3-0.1 0.4-0.2 0.4-0.3 1.4-1.4 1.7-3.9 0.1-1.3 0.2-2.3 0.3-3.3v-0.2c0.3-2.8 0.5-5.5 1.7-8.7 1.6-4.3 5.4-10.3 8-12.7 0.8-0.7 1-1 1.3-1.7v-0.1-0.1c0.2-0.5 0.6-1.5 1.7-3.1 3-4.4 7.1-6 13.1-7.3 0.7-0.1 1.2-0.7 1.3-1.4s-0.2-1.4-0.8-1.8c-0.1-0.1-0.3-0.2-0.5-0.4-0.5-0.5-0.8-1.3-0.7-2.1 0.2-1.8 3.5-5.6 6.5-8.3 0.2-0.2 0.4-0.5 0.5-0.7 0.8-2.3 2-4.7 3.4-6.6 0.1-0.2 0.3-0.3 0.4-0.5 0.1-0.1 0.2-0.2 0.3-0.4 1-1.2 1.5-1.9 1.7-3.1 0.3-0.5 0.4-0.9 0.4-1.3 0-0.3 0.1-0.5 0.1-0.7v-0.2c0.1-1.1 0.2-1.4 0.3-1.8 0.3-0.8 0.9-1.6 1.6-2 0.5-0.3 1-0.4 1.4-0.4h0.1c0.5 0 1 0.2 1.4 0.4h0.1c0.7 0.4 1.2 1.1 1.5 1.9 0.1 0.4 0.2 0.9 0.4 2 0 0.2 0.1 0.4 0.1 0.6 0 0.5 0 0.9 0.1 1.5 0.2 1.2 0.8 2 1.7 3.2l0.3 0.3c0.2 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.4 0.5 1.4 1.9 2.6 4.3 3.4 6.6 0.1 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.5 0.7 3.1 2.7 6.3 6.5 6.5 8.3 0.1 0.8-0.2 1.6-0.7 2.1-0.2 0.1-0.3 0.3-0.4 0.4-0.6 0.4-0.9 1.1-0.8 1.8s0.7 1.2 1.3 1.4c8 1.7 10.9 3.9 13.1 7.3 0.9 1.3 1.3 2.3 1.6 2.9l0.1 0.2c0.3 0.9 0.6 1.1 1.4 1.9 2.6 2.5 6.4 8.4 8 12.7 1.2 3.2 1.4 5.7 1.7 8.7v0.1c0 0.4 0.1 0.8 0.1 1.2 0.1 0.7 0.1 1.3 0.2 2.1 0.3 2.3 1.1 3.3 1.4 3.6 0.2 0.2 0.4 0.4 0.7 0.5 0.9 0.4 2.3 1.5 2.3 3 0 1.1-0.7 2.1-1.8 2.5-0.1 0-0.3 0.1-0.3 0.1-0.7 0.1-1.3 0.2-2 0.2-1.5 0-2.6-0.4-3.6-0.7l-0.1-0.1c-0.6-0.2-1-0.4-1.6-0.4-0.4 0-0.9 0.1-1.3 0.2-0.6 0.2-1.1 0.8-1.1 1.5-0.1 0.7 0.3 1.3 0.9 1.6 1.1 0.6 2.1 1.5 2.7 2.4 1 1.4 1.2 3.2 0.6 4.9v0.1c0 0.1-0.1 0.2-0.1 0.2s0 0.1-0.1 0.1c-1.2 2.1-3.1 3.2-5.3 3.2-1 0-2.1-0.3-3.2-0.8-0.2-0.1-0.5-0.2-0.8-0.2-0.4 0-0.8 0.1-1.1 0.4-0.5 0.5-0.7 1.2-0.5 1.8 1.3 3.9 1.1 8-0.5 11.3-2.2 4.3-6.1 7.1-11.5 8.3-0.5 0.1-0.9 0.4-1.2 0.9-0.2 0.5-0.3 1 0 1.5 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.4 0.2 0.5 0.1 0.2 0.1 0.4 0 0.6v0.1c-0.1 1.9-2.3 7.1-4.9 8.9l-1.8 1.2c-0.3 0.2-0.7 0.4-1 0.7-0.3 0.2-0.5 0.5-0.6 0.7-0.5 1.3-1.2 2.3-1.9 3.3-0.2 0.3-0.6 0.7-0.7 1-0.1 0.1-0.1 0.2-0.2 0.3-0.2 0.6-0.4 2.2-0.5 4.7v0.3 0.1c0 0.1-0.2 2.1-1.1 3.4 0 0 0 0.1-0.1 0.1-0.3 0.8-1 1.2-1.9 1.2z"/> <path class="st1" d="m89.8 75.1c-0.3-0.1-3-1.3-3.5-6.1s-0.4-7.7-1.9-11.6-5-9.6-7.4-11.8-1.3-2.3-3.4-5.4-4.6-5.2-14.9-6.9c-4.2-0.7-5.2-0.6-4.7-2.1s2.8-5.2 4.1-5.3 2 1 2.4 0.4c0.5-0.5-4.3-6.1-6.5-7.6-0.6-2.4-2-5.2-3.3-7s-2.6-3-2.9-5.2-0.4-3.3-0.6-3.6c-0.1-0.3-0.4-0.6-0.7-0.7-0.3 0.1-0.6 0.4-0.7 0.7s-0.2 1.4-0.6 3.6c-0.3 2.2-1.5 3.4-2.9 5.2s-2.8 4.5-3.3 7c-2.2 1.4-7.1 7.1-6.5 7.6 0.5 0.5 1.1-0.5 2.4-0.4s3.6 3.8 4.1 5.3-0.4 1.4-4.7 2.1c-10.2 1.6-12.8 3.8-14.9 6.9s-1 3.2-3.4 5.4-5.9 7.9-7.4 11.8-1.3 6.8-1.9 11.6-3.2 6-3.5 6.1-1.2 0.8-0.6 1.1c4.1 0.8 4.7-1.9 8.6-0.7 3.9 1.1 4.4 5.1 4.3 6.5-2.1 0-6.9 2.1-5.6 5.4 1.9 3.2 5.1 2.2 7.4 0 2.2-2.2 0.6-7-0.5-10.4s-1.7-6.9-1.3-10.4 3.5-8.1 5.7-12.9 0.6-7.8 0.4-8c-0.1-0.3-1.2-1.3 1.2-4.6 5.4-5.4 15.3-5.6 15.9-5.6s1.5 0.4 0.9 1.7c-2.8 4.2-7.4 4.4-8.4 4.5-1 0.2-0.8 0.7-0.7 2.3 0.1 1.7-1.3 4.7-3.6 7.2s-6.6 10.3-7.3 14.4 0.8 13.1 1.4 13.1 0.5-2.1 0.6-2.9 0.8-7.2 2.9-7.8 2.6 0.1 4.5 1.7c2.8 2 5.6 0.2 6.1-0.1 0.4-0.3 2.9-0.7 3.2-0.5s1.3 0.7 1.5 0.8 0.3 0.5 0.1 0.8c-0.4 0.4-3 2.7-3.6 4.2-3.2 0.1-5 1.4-6 3.7-4.6 1.3-4.3 5.8-4.2 8.4-5 2.7-7.8 10.4-4.9 16.1s8.6 6.9 10.3 7.2c1.4 0.3 2.4-0.2 3.5 0.5 1.6 1.4 5.7 2.1 7.8 2 0.3 2.1 1.2 2.8 1.6 3.1 0.3 0.3 0.2 1-0.3 1-0.4 0.1-1.6 1.1-1.7 1.3s0.1 0.4-1.7 0.6c-3.6 0.3-5.6-2.1-5.9-2.4s-0.6-1-0.7-0.5c0.1 1.3 2 5.8 3.9 7.1s3.6 2 4.1 3.3c0.6 2 2.2 3.4 2.8 4.7s0.8 4.8 0.8 6.1c0 0.8 0.4 2 0.8 2.3h0.1s0 0 0.1 0c0.3-0.2 0.7-1.5 0.8-2.3 0.1-1.3 0.2-4.8 0.8-6.1s2.2-2.7 2.8-4.7c0.4-1.3 2.2-1.9 4.1-3.3s3.9-5.8 3.9-7.1c-0.1-0.4-0.4 0.2-0.7 0.5s-2.3 2.7-5.9 2.4c-1.8-0.2-1.6-0.3-1.7-0.6s-1.3-1.3-1.7-1.3c-0.4-0.1-0.6-0.7-0.3-1s1.2-1 1.5-3.1c2.1 0.1 6.2-0.6 7.8-2 1.1-0.7 2.1-0.2 3.5-0.5 1.7-0.3 7.4-1.5 10.3-7.2s0.1-13.3-4.9-16.1c0.1-2.6 0.4-7.1-4.2-8.4-1-2.3-2.8-3.6-6-3.7-0.7-1.4-3.2-3.7-3.6-4.2-0.3-0.3-0.2-0.7 0.1-0.8s1.2-0.7 1.5-0.8c0.3-0.2 2.8 0.3 3.2 0.5 0.4 0.3 3.3 2.1 6.1 0.1 1.9-1.6 2.4-2.2 4.5-1.7s2.9 6.9 2.9 7.8c0.1 0.8 0 2.9 0.6 2.9s2-9 1.4-13.1-5-11.9-7.3-14.4-3.7-5.6-3.6-7.2c0.1-1.7 0.3-2.2-0.7-2.3-1-0.2-5.6-0.3-8.4-4.5-0.7-1.3 0.3-1.7 0.9-1.7s10.6 0.2 15.9 5.6c2.4 3.3 1.3 4.3 1.2 4.6s-1.7 3.2 0.4 8 5.3 9.4 5.7 12.9-0.2 7-1.3 10.4-2.8 8.2-0.5 10.4c2.2 2.2 5.5 3.2 7.4 0 1.2-3.3-3.6-5.4-5.6-5.4-0.1-1.4 0.4-5.4 4.3-6.5s4.5 1.5 8.6 0.7c0.5-0.2-0.4-1-0.7-1.1m-50.7-10.8c-1-3.1-5.5-5.5-6.1-6s0.6-2 1-3.3c0.4-1.4 1.3-6.6 1.2-8.3-0.1-1 1-1.4 1.9-1.9 0.8-0.4 4.6-3.8 5.4-6.8 0.1-0.5 0.5-0.3 1.2 0.5s1.9 2.3 1.2 3.7c-0.4 0.9-2 1.6-4.2 3-2.3 1.3-5.1 4.2-3.2 9.5 2 5.4 5.4 8 6.1 9.3s1.6 3.3 0.3 4.1-1.6 0.8-1.8 0.7c-0.7-0.2-2.1-1.4-3-4.5m7.5-33.8c0.3 0.2 1.7 1.2 1.7 2.4 0 1.5-1.3 2.4-1.7 2.7-0.3-0.2-1.7-1.2-1.7-2.7 0-1.2 1.3-2.2 1.7-2.4m0 30.1c-0.1 0-0.3-0.1-0.4-0.2-0.2-0.2-0.4-0.6-1.8-2.3s-2.2-3.7-1.9-5 1.8-1.7 2.6-1.4c0.7 0.2 1.2 1 1.4 1.2v0.1-0.1c0.2-0.2 0.7-1 1.4-1.2 0.9-0.3 2.4 0.1 2.6 1.4 0.3 1.3-0.6 3.3-1.9 5-1.4 1.7-1.6 2.1-1.8 2.3 0 0.1-0.1 0.2-0.2 0.2m-1.4 49.2c-0.3 0.4-3.2 1.2-7.1-0.4-3.9-1.7-8.1-5.4-8.1-6.8-0.1-1.3 1.3-2.2 2.5-2.2s4.7 2.8 5.5 3.7 4.6 3.7 5.6 4.4c1.2 0.7 1.9 0.9 1.6 1.3m17.9-7.2c-0.1 1.3-4.2 5.1-8.1 6.8s-6.8 0.8-7.1 0.4 0.4-0.6 1.5-1.3 4.8-3.5 5.6-4.4 4.3-3.7 5.5-3.7c1.3 0.1 2.7 0.9 2.6 2.2m-4.6-17.8c1.9 3.5 1.8 7.7 0.3 9.6s-3.5 2.4-5.9 3c0.4 4.7-1.3 6.2-3.2 8.6-1.5 1.9-2.6 1.9-3.1 1.8h-0.1-0.1c-0.4 0.1-1.5 0-3.1-1.8-2-2.3-3.7-3.8-3.2-8.6-2.3-0.5-4.4-1.1-5.9-3s-1.5-6.1 0.3-9.6c1.9-3.5 4.9-6.6 5.9-6.8 0-1.7 0.1-5.1 1.9-5.4 0.8-0.1 1.7 0.7 2.1 3.5 0.4 2.7 0.4 4.7-0.7 5.8-1.2 1.1-1.7 1.3-2.6 1.1-0.3 1-1.2 3-3.8 3.1 0 1.8-0.3 5.9 4.3 6.9 0.2 1.3 0.6 3.6 1.9 6.2 1.2 2.5 1.9 5 3 5.2h0.1s0 0 0.1 0c1.2-0.2 1.8-2.6 3-5.2 1.3-2.7 1.6-5 1.9-6.2 4.6-1 4.3-5.1 4.2-6.8-2.6-0.2-3.5-2.1-3.8-3.1-0.9 0.2-1.4 0-2.6-1.1s-1.2-3.1-0.7-5.8c0.4-2.7 1.3-3.5 2.1-3.5 1.9 0.2 1.9 3.7 1.9 5.4 0.9 0.2 4 3.2 5.8 6.7m-2.4-40.1c0.8 0.4 1.9 0.9 1.9 1.9-0.1 1.7 0.7 6.9 1.2 8.3 0.4 1.4 1.5 2.8 1 3.3-0.6 0.5-5.1 2.9-6.1 6s-2.3 4.4-2.9 4.5c-0.2 0.1-0.4 0.1-1.8-0.7-1.3-0.8-0.4-2.8 0.3-4.1s4.1-3.9 6.1-9.3-0.9-8.2-3.2-9.5-3.8-2.1-4.2-3c-0.7-1.3 0.6-2.8 1.2-3.7 0.7-0.8 1.1-1.1 1.2-0.5 0.7 3 4.5 6.4 5.3 6.8m-3.9-13.7c-0.6 0.1-1.1-2.2-1.2-2.6s-1.2-2.7-2-3.5-1.6-1-2.3-1.1c-0.8 0-1.6 0.3-2.3 1.1-0.8 0.8-1.9 3.1-2 3.5s-0.6 2.7-1.2 2.6-1.9-2.3-2.1-3.6c-0.3-1.3-1.3-2.1-1.4-2.7-0.2-0.5 0.1-0.7 2.9-2.2 2.8-1.4 3.8-4.1 4-4.6s1.5-1.7 2.4-1.8c0.9 0.1 2.2 1.3 2.4 1.8s1.2 3.2 4 4.6 3 1.6 2.9 2.2c-0.2 0.5-1.2 1.4-1.4 2.7-0.9 1.3-2.1 3.5-2.7 3.6"/> </svg> </a></div> <img src="/img/article-table-of-contents.gif" width="120" height="68" alt="table of contents" border="0" class="table-of-contents" /> <ul class="clearfix"> <li class=""><a href="/articles/index/Ab">Ab</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/articles/index/Ac">Ac</a></li> <li class="end "><a href="/articles/index/Am">Am</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/articles/index/As">As</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/articles/index/B">B</a></li> <li class="end "><a href="/articles/index/C">C</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/articles/index/D">D</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/articles/index/E">E</a></li> <li class="end "><a href="/articles/index/F">F</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/articles/index/G">G</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/articles/index/H">H</a></li> <li class="end "><a href="/articles/index/I">I</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/articles/index/J">J</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/articles/index/K">K</a></li> <li class="end "><a href="/articles/index/L">L</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/articles/index/M">M</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/articles/index/N">N</a></li> <li class="end "><a href="/articles/index/O">O</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/articles/index/P">P</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/articles/index/Q">Q</a></li> <li class="end "><a href="/articles/index/R">R</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/articles/index/S">S</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/articles/index/T">T</a></li> <li class="end "><a href="/articles/index/U">U</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/articles/index/V">V</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/articles/index/W">W</a></li> <li class="end "><a href="/articles/index/X">X</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/articles/index/Y">Y</a></li> <li class=""><a href="/articles/index/Z">Z</a></li> <li class="blank end"> </li> </ul> <div id="additional-links"> <a href="/pages/resources"><img src="/img/navigation-sidebar-resources.gif" width="120" height="33" alt="Chronology" border="0" /></a> <a href="/pages/citing-iranica"><img src="/img/navigation-sidebar-citing-iranica.gif" width="120" height="30" alt="Citing Iranica" border="0" /></a> <a href="/pages/authors"><img src="/img/navigation-sidebar-authors.gif" width="120" height="30" alt="Authors" border="0" class="authors" /></a> <a href="/events/"><img src="/img/navigation-sidebar-events.gif" width="120" height="64" alt="" border="0" /></a> </div> </div> <div id="main"> <div id="header">  <div style="width: 100%; height: auto; background-color: none; margin: 30px 0 15px; padding: 0; float: left; display: block;"><div style="width: 50%;"><a href="/"> <svg version="1.1" id="Layer_1" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" x="0" y="0" viewBox="0 0 300 29.8" xml:space="preserve"><style>.st0{fill:#122634}</style><g id="Mrs_Eaves_XL"><path class="st0" d="M0 21.8c3 0 3.4-.6 3.4-4.2V5.8C3.4 2.2 3 1.6 0 1.6V.9h16.5l.3 4.8H16l-.1-.7c-.5-1.8-.9-2.7-4.2-2.7H6.5v8.1h1.7c3.6 0 4.2-.4 4.2-3.4h.8v8.2h-.8c0-3-.6-3.4-4.2-3.4H6.5V17c0 3.6.4 4.1 3.4 4.1h3c3.3 0 3.7-.9 4.2-2.8l.2-.7h.7l-.3 4.9H0v-.7zM30.2 22.6v-.7c2.4 0 2.9-.6 2.9-4.2v-4.9c0-3.1-1.5-4.5-3.8-4.5-2.2 0-5 2.1-5 4.9v4.4c0 3.6.5 4.2 2.9 4.2v.7h-8.6v-.7c2.4 0 2.9-.6 2.9-4.2v-5.4c0-3.6-.4-4.2-2.9-4.2v-.7l5-.8c.2.5.7 2.2.7 3.4 1.1-1.6 3.5-3.3 6-3.3 3.6 0 5.6 2.4 5.6 6.2v4.9c0 3.6.5 4.2 2.9 4.2v.7h-8.6zM46.3 23c-5 0-7.5-3.5-7.5-7.9 0-5.2 3.9-8.6 7.7-8.6 3.5 0 5.4 1.6 5.4 3.1 0 .6-.4 1.7-1.7 1.7-.8 0-1.5-.7-1.5-1.6 0-1.3-1.2-2-2.2-2-2.7 0-4.6 3.2-4.6 7.4 0 3.6 1.6 6.3 5.4 6.3 1.4 0 3.2-.8 4.6-2.1l.8.9C51.1 22 48.8 23 46.3 23z"/><path class="st0" d="M66.5 10.1l-7.2 17c-1 2.3-2 2.7-2.9 2.7-.6 0-1.3-.4-1.3-1.4 0-.6.5-1.1 1.1-1.4 1.2-.5 2.3-1.3 3-3.2l.6-1.5L54.3 10c-.8-1.9-1.7-2.4-3.2-2.4v-.7H59v.7c-1.8 0-2.5.5-1.7 2.4l3.8 8.8 3.8-8.8c.8-1.9.1-2.4-1.6-2.4v-.7h6.4v.7c-1.1.1-2.4.5-3.2 2.5zM76 23c-5 0-7.5-3.5-7.5-7.9 0-5.2 3.9-8.6 7.7-8.6 3.5 0 5.4 1.6 5.4 3.1 0 .6-.4 1.7-1.7 1.7-.8 0-1.5-.7-1.5-1.6 0-1.3-1.2-2-2.2-2-2.7 0-4.6 3.2-4.6 7.4 0 3.6 1.6 6.3 5.4 6.3 1.4 0 3.2-.8 4.6-2.1l.8.9C80.8 22 78.4 23 76 23zM82.5 22.6v-.7c2.2 0 2.8-.6 2.8-4.2V5.8c0-3.6-.4-4.2-2.9-4.2V.9l5.7-.9v17.6c0 3.6.5 4.2 2.8 4.2v.7l-8.4.1zM99.7 23.2c-4.8 0-8.5-3.8-8.5-8.4s3.7-8.4 8.5-8.4 8.5 3.8 8.5 8.4-3.8 8.4-8.5 8.4zm0-15.5c-3.6 0-5.4 3.2-5.4 7.1s1.8 7.1 5.4 7.1 5.4-3.1 5.4-7.1c0-3.9-1.8-7.1-5.4-7.1zM119.5 23c-2.1 0-4-1-5.3-2.9v4.4c0 3.6.5 4.2 2.9 4.2v.7h-8.7v-.7c2.4 0 2.9-.6 2.9-4.2V12.3c0-3.6-.4-4.2-2.9-4.2v-.8l5-.8c.2.4.7 2 .7 2.8 1.4-1.8 3.3-2.8 5.3-2.8 4.4 0 7.5 3.6 7.5 8.3 0 4.5-3.1 8.2-7.4 8.2zm-.7-15c-1.8 0-3.9 1.4-4.7 3.6v6.2c.8 2.2 2.9 3.6 4.7 3.6 3.4 0 5-3.1 5-6.7s-1.6-6.7-5-6.7zM145.6 6.5c3.7 0 6.5 2.5 6.5 5.7 0 .6-.1.9-.2 1.4H141c0 .3-.1.6-.1 1 0 3.3 1.2 6.7 5.8 6.7 2 0 3.9-1 5.1-2.1l.7.9c-1.4 1.5-3.9 2.8-6.9 2.8-2.8 0-5-1.3-6.4-3.4-1.9 1.7-4.1 3.3-6.9 3.3-2.6 0-4.1-1.6-4.1-3.8 0-3.5 4.4-5.4 9.7-6.2v-1.1c0-2.6-.7-4.1-3-4.1-1.4 0-3 .8-3 2.1 0 .8-.6 1.4-1.3 1.4-.8 0-1.4-.6-1.4-1.4 0-1.8 3-3.4 5.9-3.4 2.8 0 4.3.9 5 2.4 1.5-1.3 3.5-2.2 5.5-2.2zm-14.4 12.3c0 1.5.8 2.4 2.3 2.4.8 0 2.7-.2 5.2-2.7-.5-1.1-.8-2.4-.8-3.8V14c-4.4.9-6.7 2.6-6.7 4.8zM145.6 8c-2 0-3.8 1.4-4.5 4.3h8c0-.3.1-.6.1-1 .1-1.9-1.4-3.3-3.6-3.3zM167.3 22.9c-.2-.4-.6-1.8-.7-2.7-1.4 1.8-3.3 2.8-5.4 2.8-4.4 0-7.5-3.6-7.5-8.3 0-4.6 3.1-8.3 7.5-8.3 2.1 0 4 1 5.4 2.9V5.8c0-3.6-.4-4.2-2.9-4.2V.9l5.7-.9v17.1c0 3.6.4 4.2 2.9 4.2v.7l-5 .9zm-.8-11.2c-.8-2.2-2.8-3.6-4.7-3.6-3.4 0-5 3.1-5 6.7s1.6 6.7 5 6.7c1.9 0 3.9-1.4 4.7-3.6v-6.2zM172.3 22.6v-.7c2.4 0 2.9-.6 2.9-4.2v-5.4c0-3.6-.4-4.2-2.9-4.2v-.8l5.8-.8v11.1c0 3.6.5 4.2 2.9 4.2v.7l-8.7.1zm5.8-20.3c0 .9-.8 1.7-1.7 1.7s-1.7-.8-1.7-1.7.8-1.7 1.7-1.7 1.7.8 1.7 1.7zM193.7 22.8c-1.7 0-2.3-1-2.5-2.4-2 1.8-3.9 2.5-5.6 2.5-2.6 0-4.1-1.6-4.1-3.8 0-3.5 4.4-5.4 9.7-6.2v-1.1c0-2.6-.7-4.1-3-4.1-1.4 0-3 .8-3 2.1 0 .8-.6 1.4-1.3 1.4-.8 0-1.4-.6-1.4-1.4 0-1.8 3-3.4 5.9-3.4 4.3 0 5.6 2.2 5.6 5.3v8c0 1 .3 1.6.9 1.6.4 0 .9-.3 1.2-.6l.5.7c-.8 1.1-1.9 1.4-2.9 1.4zm-2.6-8.8c-4.4.9-6.7 2.6-6.7 4.8 0 1.5.8 2.4 2.3 2.4.9 0 2.5-.3 4.4-2V14zM202.3 21.8c3 0 3.4-.6 3.4-4.2V5.8c0-3.6-.4-4.2-3.4-4.2V.9h9.9v.8c-3 0-3.4.6-3.4 4.2v11.8c0 3.6.4 4.2 3.4 4.2v.8h-9.9v-.9zM224.5 11c-.8 0-1.3-.6-1.3-1.4 0-.8-.4-1.5-1.5-1.5s-3.5 2-3.5 5.4v4.2c0 3.6.5 4.2 2.9 4.2v.7h-8.7v-.7c2.4 0 2.9-.6 2.9-4.2v-5.4c0-3.6-.4-4.2-2.9-4.2v-.8l5-.8c.2.4.7 2.1.7 3.4.8-1.9 2.8-3.3 4.6-3.3 2.5 0 3.3 1.7 3.3 2.7.1.8-.3 1.7-1.5 1.7zM238.4 22.8c-1.7 0-2.3-1-2.5-2.4-2 1.8-3.9 2.5-5.6 2.5-2.6 0-4.1-1.6-4.1-3.8 0-3.5 4.4-5.4 9.7-6.2v-1.1c0-2.6-.7-4.1-3-4.1-1.4 0-3 .8-3 2.1 0 .8-.6 1.4-1.3 1.4-.8 0-1.4-.6-1.4-1.4 0-1.8 3-3.4 5.9-3.4 4.3 0 5.6 2.2 5.6 5.3v8c0 1 .3 1.6.9 1.6.4 0 .9-.3 1.2-.6l.6.7c-.9 1.1-2 1.4-3 1.4zm-2.6-8.8c-4.4.9-6.7 2.6-6.7 4.8 0 1.5.8 2.4 2.3 2.4.9 0 2.5-.3 4.4-2V14z"/><path class="st0" d="M252.9 22.6v-.7c2.4 0 2.9-.6 2.9-4.2v-4.9c0-3.1-1.4-4.5-3.8-4.5-2.2 0-5 2.1-5 4.9v4.4c0 3.6.5 4.2 2.9 4.2v.7h-8.6v-.7c2.4 0 2.9-.6 2.9-4.2v-5.4c0-3.6-.4-4.2-2.9-4.2v-.7l5-.8c.3.5.7 2.2.7 3.4 1.1-1.6 3.5-3.3 6-3.3 3.7 0 5.6 2.4 5.6 6.2v4.9c0 3.6.5 4.2 2.9 4.2v.7h-8.6z"/><path class="st0" d="M261.2 22.6v-.7c2.4 0 2.9-.6 2.9-4.2v-5.4c0-3.6-.4-4.2-2.9-4.2v-.8l5.8-.8v11.1c0 3.6.5 4.2 2.9 4.2v.7l-8.7.1zM267 2.3c0 .9-.8 1.7-1.7 1.7s-1.7-.8-1.7-1.7.8-1.7 1.7-1.7c1 0 1.7.8 1.7 1.7zM277.7 23c-5 0-7.5-3.5-7.5-7.9 0-5.2 4-8.6 7.7-8.6 3.5 0 5.4 1.6 5.4 3.1 0 .6-.4 1.7-1.7 1.7-.8 0-1.5-.7-1.5-1.6 0-1.3-1.2-2-2.2-2-2.7 0-4.6 3.2-4.6 7.4 0 3.6 1.5 6.3 5.4 6.3 1.4 0 3.2-.8 4.6-2.1l.8.9c-1.6 1.8-4 2.8-6.4 2.8zM297.1 22.8c-1.7 0-2.3-1-2.5-2.4-2 1.8-3.9 2.5-5.6 2.5-2.6 0-4.1-1.6-4.1-3.8 0-3.5 4.4-5.4 9.7-6.2v-1.1c0-2.6-.7-4.1-3-4.1-1.5 0-3 .8-3 2.1 0 .8-.6 1.4-1.3 1.4-.8 0-1.4-.6-1.4-1.4 0-1.8 3-3.4 5.9-3.4 4.3 0 5.6 2.2 5.6 5.3v8c0 1 .3 1.6.9 1.6.4 0 .9-.3 1.2-.6l.5.7c-.8 1.1-1.9 1.4-2.9 1.4zm-2.6-8.8c-4.4.9-6.7 2.6-6.7 4.8 0 1.5.8 2.4 2.3 2.4.9 0 2.5-.3 4.4-2V14z"/></g></svg> </a></div></div> <div id="search-bar">  <script type="text/javascript" src="/js/jquery.autocomplete.m2.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="/js/autocompleteAction.js"></script><link rel="stylesheet" href="/css/jquery.autocomplete.css" type="text/css" media="screen" charset="utf-8" />  <form name="search-form" id="search-form" action="/articles/searchRedirect" method="post"> <input type="text" name="data[Search][s]" id="search" value="Search Iranica"> <input type="image" src="/img/bttn-search.gif" name="go" id="autoComplete" value="search" /> <input type="hidden" name="is_advanced" id="is_advanced" value="0" class="styled" /> <a href="#" id="advanced-search-link">Advanced Search</a> </form> <ul> <li><a href="/pages/about/">About</a></li> <li><a href="/pages/support-and-donations/">Support & Donations</a></li> <li><a href="/pages/printed-volumes/">Printed Volumes</a></li> <li><a href="/pages/about/contact-us/">Contact</a></li> </ul> <div id="advanced-search" style="display:none;"> <h3 class="advanced-search-title"> Advanced Search </h3> <div class="button" id="advanced-search-cancel-button"> <a href="#">CANCEL</a> </div> <form name="advanced-search-form" id="advanced-search-form" action="/articles/searchRedirect" method="post" enctype="multipart/form-data"> <div class="row"> <label>Keywords</label> <div class="element"> <input type="text" name="data[Search][keywords]" id="adv-keywords" value="" class="rounded" /> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <label>Title</label> <div class="element"> <input type="text" name="data[Search][title]" id="adv-title" value="" class="rounded" /> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <label>Author</label> <div class="element"> <input type="text" name="data[Search][author]" id="adv-author" value="" class="rounded" /> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <label>Topic</label> <div class="element"> <select id="adv-topic" name="data[Search][topic]" size="1" class="styled"> <option value="">select a topic...</option> <option value="17">Archaeology </option> <option value="18">Architecture </option> <option value="19">Arts and Crafts </option> <option value="20">Biographies </option> <option value="21">Central Asia </option> <option value="22">Caucasus </option> <option value="23">Education </option> <option value="24">Ethnic Groups </option> <option value="25">Flora and Fauna </option> <option value="26">Folklore </option> <option value="27">Foreign Relations </option> <option value="28">Geography </option> <option value="29">History, Pre-Islamic </option> <option value="30">History, Medieval </option> <option value="31">History, Safavid </option> <option value="32">History, Qajar </option> <option value="33">History, Modern </option> <option value="34">Indian Subcontinent </option> <option value="35">Journalism </option> <option value="36">Linguistics </option> <option value="37">Literature, Pre-Islamic </option> <option value="38">Literature, Pre-Modern </option> <option value="39">Literature, Modern </option> <option value="40">Material Culture </option> <option value="41">Music </option> <option value="42">Religion-Pre-Islam </option> <option value="43">Religion-Islam </option> <option value="44">Religion-Other </option> <option value="45">Sciences </option> <option value="46">Social Sciences </option> <option value="16">Afghanistan </option> </select> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <label>Tags</label> <div class="element"> <input type="text" name="data[Search][tags]" id="adv-tags" value="" class="rounded" /> </div> </div> <div class="row submit"> <input type="image" src="/img/bttn-adv-search.gif" name="submit" value="1" /> </div> <input type="hidden" name="is_advanced" id="is_advanced" value="1" class="styled" /> </form> </div> </div> </div> <div id="content-wrap" class="clearfix">  <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/css/prettyPhoto.css"/><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/css/prettyPhoto-updates.css"/><script type="text/javascript"> $(function() { soundManager.setup({ // required: path to directory containing SM2 SWF files url: '/swf/', onready: function() { // Ready to use; soundManager.createSound() etc. can now be called. } }); }); </script> <div style="float: right"> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://w.sharethis.com/button/sharethis.js#publisher=7b2c5372-ba2b-4618-8dab-36cde9c995a9&type=website&post_services=email%2Cfacebook%2Ctwitter%2Cmyspace%2Cdigg%2Csms%2Cdelicious%2Cstumbleupon%2Creddit%2Cgoogle_bmarks%2Clinkedin%2Cblogger%2Cyahoo_bmarks%2Cwordpress"></script> </div> <div id="article-overview"> <h1>BĀBOL i. The Town</h1>  </div> <div class="divider-fancy"> </div> <div id="content" class="clearfix article"> <p><strong>BĀBOL, </strong></p> <p>i. The Town</p> <p>town in Māzandarān, formerly Bārforū&scaron;; Bābol lies near the Bābol river, occupying a central position in the coastal plain. It was at first a small, local market-place, as indicated by the name Bārforū&scaron; (lit. [place where] loads are sold) which it bore until 1927. The settlement developed in early Safavid times on the site of the old town of Māmṭīr, and was favored by Shah ʿAbbās who built a garden there, Bāḡ-e &Scaron;āh or Bāḡ-e Eram. It nevertheless remained little more than a village till the beginning of the Qajar period. Pietro della Valle, writing in 1627, mentions it only as a village. Its growth began in the eighteenth century as a result of population increase in the Caspian plain and gained strength, particularly in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, from the rise of Russian trade with the Caspian coastlands (by the late nineteenth century Russia had a resident commercial consul there). In 1822 J. B. Fraser found Bārforū&scaron; very active and comparable in size to Isfahan, with a population which he estimated at 70,000. Thanks to its centrality on the plain and, above all, to its accessibility from the sea (the Bābol river being navigable by small craft), Bārforū&scaron; grew rapidly in the nineteenth century, thus becoming the chief commercial center of Māzandarān, exporting rice, cotton, silk, and timber, importing factory-made goods, and acting as the hub of modernization in the province. For several short spells it was also the seat of the provincial administration. After a sharp drop in the 1830s due to plague, the population recovered to 30-40,000 in the rest of the nineteenth century and the first quarter of the twentieth century, making it Māzandarān’s biggest town in that period. Its links with the outside world may perhaps explain why the population at the start of the twentieth century included a relatively large number of Bahais and approximately 750 Jews.</p> <p>During the Pahlavi period the town, renamed Bābol, grew much more slowly than the other towns in the region. It did not lie on the Trans-Iranian railroad, did not benefit much from Reżā Shah’s promotion of modern industries, and had gradually lost its role in long-distance trade. Since then its commercial radius has been limited to the regional market. It was still the biggest town in the eastern part of the Caspian lowland at the time of the 1956 census, when it had 36,000 inhabitants, but in 1976 it was surpassed by Gorgān, Sārī, and Āmol, and ten years later probably also by &Scaron;āhī (new Qāʾem&scaron;ahr). The censuses show that Bābol’s population grew from 49,973 in 1966 to 69,790 in 1976, i.e., at an annual rate of 3.1 percent which barely exceeded the natural demographic increase; also that the proportion of its inhabitants born in other provinces was the smallest of any town of the Caspian region. This relative stagnation might have been remedied if the revolution of 1979 had not put an end to the project for a university of Māzandarān at Bābol. The town has kept a traditional appearance, particularly evident in the bazaar with its many intact warehouses (<em>ḵān</em>s) of the Qajar period and fine vaulted section not to be found elsewhere in the region.</p> <p> </p> <p><em>Bibliography</em>:</p> <p>G. N. Curzon, <em>Persia and the Persian Question </em> I, London, 1892, pp. 379-81.</p> <p>E. G. Browne, <em>Material for the Study of the Bábi Religion</em>, Cambridge, 1918, pp. 199, 208-11, 238-39, 241-43.</p> <p>H. L. Rabino, <em>Mázandarán and Astarábád</em>, London, 1945, pp. 151, 512-13.</p> <p>Razmārā, <em>Farhang </em> III, pp. 36-38.</p> <p>H. Kopp, <em>Städte im östlichen iranischen Kaspitiefland. Ein Beitrag zur Kenntnis der jüngeren Entwicklung orientalischer Mittel- und Kleinstädte</em>, Erlanger geographische Arbeiten 33, Mitt. d. Frankischen geographischen Ges. 20, 1973, Erlangen, 1973, pp. 33-197.</p> <p>L. Adamec, <em>Historical Gazetteer of Iran</em> I: <em>Tehran and Northwest Iran</em>, Graz, 1976, pp. 76-77, 91-92. </p> <p>(X. de Planhol)</p> <p>Originally Published: December 15, 1988</p> <p>Last Updated: August 19, 2011</p> <p>This article is available in print.<br/>Vol. III, Fasc. 3, pp. 317-319</p> <strong>Cite this entry:</strong> <p>X. de Planhol, "BĀBOL i. The Town," <em><em><em>Encyclopædia Iranica</em>, III/3, pp. 317-319, </em></em>available edition at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/babol-town (accessed on 19 September 2016).</p> </div> <div id="sidebar"> <div id="scroll-with-me"> <div id="article-comments"> <h2>BĀBOL i. The Town</h2> <a href="#" id="article-view-comments"><span>0</span> COMMENTS</a> <a href="#article-comments-overlay" id="article-add-comment">ADD COMMENT</a> </div> <div id="article-tags-overview"> <a href="#article-tags-overlay" class="show-tags"><span>2</span> TAGS</a> <a href="#article-tags-overlay" id="article-add-tag" class="show-tags">ADD A TAG</a> </div> <div id="article-sections"> <h2 class="expand-toggle">Sections in this entry</h2> <div class="wrap-hidden"> <ol> <li ><a href="/articles/babol-parent">BĀBOL</a></li> <li class='here'><a href="/articles/babol-town">BĀBOL i. The Town</a></li> <li ><a href="/articles/babol-03-population">BĀBOL iii. Population, 1956-2011</a></li> <li ><a href="/articles/babol-02">BĀBOL ii. Islamic Monuments</a></li> </ol>  </div> </div> <div id="article-images" class="clearfix"> <h2 class="expand-toggle">IMAGES / TABLES</h2> <div class="wrap-hidden"> <ul> </ul> <div> </div>  </div> </div> <div id="article-tags"> <h2 class="expand-toggle">TAGS</h2> <div class="wrap-hidden"> <ul> <li>babol</li> <li>coastal plain</li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="footer"> <div class="copy">©2024 Encyclopædia Iranica Foundation, Inc. All Rights Reserved.</div> <div class="issn">ISSN 2330-4804</div> </div> </div> </div> </div>  <div id="overlay_background" style="display:none;"></div> <div id="article-comments-overlay" class="overlay-box" style="display:none;"> <div class="overlay-content"> <div class="inner"> <div class="close-overlay"><img src="/img/close-icon.png" alt="close" title="close" /></div> <h2>0 COMMENTS<span> on BĀBOL I. THE TOWN</span></h2> <ul class="comments"> </ul> <div class="comments-form comment-odd"> <form action="/comments/add" id="CommentAddForm" method="post" accept-charset="utf-8"><div style="display:none;"><input type="hidden" name="_method" value="POST"/></div> <input type="hidden" name="data[Comment][article_id]" value="6268" id="CommentArticleId"/> <div class="input text required"><label for="CommentName">Name</label><input name="data[Comment][name]" maxlength="255" type="text" id="CommentName" required="required"/></div> <div class="input email required"><label for="CommentEmail">Email</label><input name="data[Comment][email]" maxlength="255" type="email" id="CommentEmail" required="required"/></div> <div class="input textarea required"><label for="CommentContent">Content</label><textarea name="data[Comment][content]" cols="30" rows="6" id="CommentContent" required="required"></textarea></div> <div class="add-comment-button"> <a href="#" class="privacy-policy">Privacy Policy</a> <div class="button"><a id="add_comment_button" href="#">Add Comment</a></div> </div> </form> </div> </div> </div> </div><div id="article-tags-overlay" class="overlay-box" style="display:none;"> <div class="overlay-content"> <div class="inner"> <div class="close-overlay"><img src="/img/close-icon.png" alt="close" title="close" /></div> <h2>TAG THIS ARTICLE</h2> <div class="comments-form comment-odd"> <form action="/tags/add" id="TagAddForm" method="post" accept-charset="utf-8"><div style="display:none;"><input type="hidden" name="_method" value="POST"/></div> <input type="hidden" name="data[Tag][article_id]" value="6268" id="TagArticleId"/> <div class="input text required"><label for="TagName">Suggested Tag</label><input name="data[Tag][name]" maxlength="255" type="text" id="TagName" required="required"/></div> <p class="tag-margin">Submitted tags will be reviewed by site administrator before it is posted online.<br/>If you enter several tags, separate with commas.</p> <div class="input email"><label for="TagEmail">Email</label><input name="data[Tag][email]" maxlength="255" type="email" id="TagEmail"/></div> <p class="tag-margin">(Optional) Enter email address if you would like feedback about your tag.</p> <div class="add-tag-button"> <div class="button"><a id="add_tag_button" href="#">Add Tag</a></div> </div> </form> </div> <ul class="comments"> <li class="comment ">babol</li> <li class="comment comment-odd">coastal plain</li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>  <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-523W72WFKF"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-523W72WFKF'); </script> </body> </html>