Central Iran - Iran - page 379

A city of poets, Shiraz is home to the graves of Hafez and Sa'di, both major pilgrimage
sites for Iranians. It's also home to splendid gardens, exquisite mosques and whispered
echoes of ancient sophistication that reward those who linger longer than it takes to visit
nearby Persepolis ( Click here ) , the area's major tourism drawcard.
There are the usual Iranian traffic issues, but the city's agreeable climate, set as it is in a
fertile valley once famed for its vineyards, makes it a pleasant place to visit (except at the
humid height of summer or the freezing depths of winter).
History
Shiraz is mentioned in Elamite inscriptions from around 2000 BC and was an important
regional centre under the Sassanians. However, it did not become the provincial capital
until about AD 693, following the Arab conquest of Estakhr, the last Sassanian capital
(8km northeast of Persepolis, but now completely destroyed). By 1044 Shiraz was said to
rival Baghdad in importance and it grew further under the Atabaks of Fars in the 12th cen-
tury, when it became an important artistic centre.
The city was spared destruction by the rampaging Mongols and Tamerlane because the
city's rulers wisely decided that paying tribute was preferable to mass slaughter. Having
avoided calamity, Shiraz enjoyed the Mongol and Timurid periods, which became eras of
development. The encouragement of enlightened rulers and the presence of Hafez, Sa'di
and many other brilliant artists and scholars helped make it one of the greatest cities in the
Islamic world throughout the 13th and 14th centuries.
Shiraz remained a provincial capital during the Safavid period, when European traders
settled here to export its famous wine. But by the mid-17th century it had entered a long
period of decline. This was worsened by several earthquakes, the Afghan raids of the
early 18th century, and an uprising led by Shiraz's governor in 1744, which was put down
in typically ruthless fashion after a siege by Nader Shah.
At the time of Nader Shah's murder in 1747, Shiraz was squalid and its population had
fallen to 50,000, a quarter of the number 200 years earlier. But the city soon returned to
prosperity. The enlightened Karim Khan, the first ruler of the short-lived Zand dynasty,
made Shiraz the national capital in 1750. Despite being master of virtually all of Persia,
Karim Khan refused to take any higher title than vakil (regent) - hence the name of many
of the city's monuments. He was determined to build Shiraz into a worthy capital, the
equal of Esfahan under Shah Abbas I.
Karim Khan founded a royal district in the area of the Arg-e Karim Khan and commis-
sioned many fine buildings, including what was the pre-eminent bazaar in Persia. But
after his death, things fell apart. The Qajars, long-time enemies, attacked and destroyed