FARS

also spelled Fars, also called Farsistan geographic region, south-central Iran. The ancient region, known as Pars, or Persis (q.v.), was the heart of the Achaemenian empire (559330 BC), which was founded by Cyrus the Great and had its capital at Pasargadae. Darius I the Great moved the capital to nearby Persepolis in the late 6th or early 5th century BC. Alexander the Great defeated the Achaemenian army at Arbela in 331 and burned Persepolis. Persis (Fars) became part of the Seleucid kingdom in 312 after Alexander's death. The Parthian empire (247 BCAD 224) of the Arsacids (corresponding roughly to the modern province of Khorasan in Iran) replaced the rule of the Seleucids in Persis during 170138 BC. The Sasanid empire (AD 224651) had its capital at Istkhr. Not until the 18th century, under the Zand dynasty (175079) of southern Iran, did Fars again became the heart of an empire, this time with its capital at Shiraz. In the 20th century the role of Fars in Iran declined considerably with the building of the Trans-Iranian railway outside the region and the discovery of oil in Khuzestan province. The terrain of Fars is composed mostly of ridges that are prolongations of the Zagros Mountains; the ridges run southeastnorthwest and are intersected by plains. Climatically, it divides into two regions: the garmsir and the sardsir. The sparsely settled garmsir (hot climate) region lies at elevations up to 2,500 feet (750 m). It is humid on the coastal plain bordering the Persian Gulf; this area supports the cultivation of fruit, cereals (rice, corn ), vegetables, and tobacco. The plains and plateaus of the sardsir (cold climate) region are other centres of cultivation, being watered by the Kur and other rivers and springs. These plains form closed basins (with salty lakes) that merge into the interior deserts. Most ranges in the sardsir and the transitional zone (elevation, 2,5004,500 feet [7501,400 m]) originally had oak forests, which have largely been cut; summer pastures lie in the higher elevations. The most important ethnic groups in F ars are the Qashqa'i (Kashgai) of Turkic origin and speech, the Khamseh of Arab and Turkic stock, and the Lak, who speak an East Caucasian language. Agriculture and the herding of sheep are important occupations, while carpet weaving still continues. The discovery of oil and natural-gas fields in the region stimulated industrial development. Government-run industries include cold storage, petrochemicals, a telephone-equipment manufacturing plant, and milk pasteurization. Other industries produce processed foods, pharmaceuticals, cement, textiles, sugar, and nonalcoholic beverages. There is a meat-processing complex at Shiraz, the chief city of Fars. Other urban centres are Kazerun, Lar, Jahrom, and Darab in the garmsir and Neyriz, Fasa, Abadeh, Ardakan, and Firuzabad in the sardsir or the transitional zone. Shiraz and Abadeh are on the main road from Bushire to Tehran. Shiraz also has an airport.