Ahvaz

The city known today as Ahvaz was first recognized as an urban settlement in ancient times under the name Taryana. This name clearly reflects “Dāryāna” derived from “Dāryān” the legendary name of Darius, and also refers to a powerful dynasty of Persian kings that ruled after the Achaemenid period. Taryana was located along a section of the Royal Road that stretched from Persepolis to Sardis, with part of the royal route crossing the Karun River in Taryana (present-day Ahvaz). Later, during the reign of Ardashir I (Ardashir Babakan), Taryana expanded and was renamed “Hormazd-Ardeshir” (Persian: هُرمَزد اردشیر) in New Persian, being reestablished on both sides of the river. The first part of the name honored "God," while the second part was named after the king himself. The name was later abbreviated to “Darawashir”, but it is unclear if this change was made by Ardashir I in 230 (cf. …

In the 19th century, "Ahvaz was no more than a small borough inhabited mainly by Sabeans (1500 to 2000 inhabitants according to Ainsworth in 1835; 700 according to Curzon in 1890)." In the 1880s, in late Qajar Iran, the Karun was dredged and reopened to commerce. A newly built railway crossed the Karun at Ahvaz. The city again became a commercial crossroads, linking river and rail traffic. The construction of the Suez Canal further stimulated trade. A port city was built near the old village of Ahvaz and named Bandar-e-Naseri in honour of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar. Oil was found near Ahvaz in the early 20th century, and the city once again grew and prospered as a result of this newfound wealth. From 1897 to 1925, the city of Ahvaz was under the control of a Qajar prince, who served as governor, and Reza-Gholi Khan Sarhang, the commander of the Khuzestan army. …

Ahvaz lies on the Khuzestan plain at 31°30′ north latitude and 48°40′ east longitude, at an elevation of 12 m (39 ft) above sea level. Much of Khuzestan province consists of such plains. The city has a hot desert climate (Köppen climate classification: BWh), with long, hot summers and short, mild winters. Summer temperatures regularly reach at least 45 °C (113 °F) and sometimes exceed 50 °C (122 °F), and sandstorms and duststorms are common. The highest reading on record, 53.7 °C (128.7 °F), was set on 29 June 2017; the dew point that day peaked at 23 °C (73 °F), unusually humid for the city's typically dry heat. In July 2022, NASA listed Ahvaz among the hottest cities in the world. Winter minima fall to around 5 °C (41 °F), though frost has been recorded in every winter month as well as in early spring and late autumn. The record low of −7.0 °C (19. …

Ahvaz, the largest city in the province, is composed of two distinct districts. The newer district, which functions as the administrative and industrial centre, is situated on the right bank of the Karun River, while residential areas are located in the older section of the city, which is positioned on the left bank. The city can be accessed via the following routes, in addition to the single-runway airport: Ahvaz-Abadan expressway (145 km) Ahvaz-Andimeshk (152 km) expressway Ahvaz-Bandar Imam Khomeini freeway (175 km) Tehran-Khorramshahr national railway Ahvaz International Airport (IATA: AWZ, ICAO: OIAW) (Persian: فرودگاه بین‌المللی اهواز) is an airport serving the city of Ahvaz, Iran. In 2016, 23,731 aircraft took off and landed at this airport, and 20,586,215 kg of cargo and 2,671,622 passengers were moved through it. …

It is common to encounter people from various ethnic groups while strolling through Ahvaz's streets and markets. Persian serves as the official language and is widely spoken across Ahvaz. Many Ahvazis are bilingual, speaking both Persian and one of the following languages/dialects. The Arabic spoken in Ahvaz is a variety of Khuzestani Arabic. Another part of Ahvazis speak the Bakhtiari dialect. Neo-Mandaic, one of the Neo-Aramaic languages, is also spoken among the Mandaeans of Ahvaz. It is a descendant of the Mandaic language partially influenced by Khuzestani Persian.