DEZFUL

also spelled Dizful city, southwestern Iran. It lies on the high left bank of the Dez River, 469 feet (143 m) in elevation, close to the foothills of the Zagros Mountains. The name, meaning Dez Bridge, is derived from the imposing bridge, 1,345 feet (410 m) long, that spans the river and was allegedly erected by King Shapur II (died 379). The city witnessed riots by the local people in 1978, prior to the Iranian Revolution. Iraqi planes attacked Dezful during the Iran-Iraq War. Dezful is the principal winter market for the Lorestan (Luristan) region's nomadic population; it connects by road with the highland and with Ahvaz. The Trans-Iranian Railway stops on the other side of the river, and there is an airfield. The great Dez Dam, 20 miles (32 km) upstream, was designed to provide abundant power and to increase irrigation. Pop. (1986) 151,420.