KAZVIN

also spelled Qazvin, city, Markazi (Tehran) ostan (province), north central Iran, in a wide, fertile plain at the southern foot of the Elburz Mountains. Originally called Shad Shahpur, it was founded by the Sasanian king Shapur I c. AD 250. It flourished in early Muslim times (7th century), serving as a base for Islamization, and was surrounded by strong fortifications by Harun ar-Rashid. Genghis Khan laid waste the city; however, it revived under the Safavids when Shah Tahmasp I (ruled 15241576) moved the capital from Tabriz to Kazvin. The city lost its eminence once again when 'Abbas I the Great (ruled 15881629) transferred the government to Isfahan in 1598. Nader Shah assumed the crown in Kazvin shortly after his return from invading India in 1739 and before returning to Meshed, then capital of Iran. Agha Mohammed Khan of the Qajar dynasty reestablished Kazvin about 1796 as a major base for foreign trade with the Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Asia Minor. Interference by Russia and Britain in the internal politics of Iran in the 19th century and the autocratic rule of the country resulted in unrest and the growth of a nationalist movement. The city fell to a nationalist force from Rasht in 1909. The British established a military headquarters in Kazvin in the 1920s; a coup d'tat was launched from Kazvin in 1921 that led to Iran's consolidation under Reza Shah Pahlavi. There were riots and fighting between the local people and the Iranian Army during the Iranian Revolution in 197879. Kazvin is a regional communications centre, connected by road and rail with Tehran and Tabriz and by road with the Caspian Sea and Hamadan. Industries include cloth weaving, cotton ginning, wool carding, flour milling, food processing, and electrical equipment manufacturing. There is also a thermoelectric plant, and a modern poultry-raising complex was developed with the help of the former Agricultural Development Bank of Iran. Buildings dating from the time of the Seljuq sultans include the Masjid-e Jom'eh (Friday Mosque); the Madrasah Haidariye, a square hall surmounted by a cupola; the tomb of Mostowfi, the Persian traveller; and the mosque of the Shah. In the mountains about 37 mi (60 km) northeast of Kazvin are the remains of a castle of the Assassins. Pop. (1976) 138,527.