{{Short description|Province of Iran}} {{for|other uses of a similar name|Fars (disambiguation){{!}}Fars}} {{Lead too short|date=December 2024}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Fars | native_name = {{native name|fa| {{Nastaliq|استان فارس}}}} | settlement_type = Province | image_skyline = {{multiple image | border = infobox | total_width = 300 | perrow = 1/1/2/2/2 | image1 = Persepolis Panorama 360 Virtual Reality Tachar castle.jpg | alt1 = Persepolis | image2 = Tomb of Cyrus the Great (cropped 4-3).jpg | alt2 = Tomb of Cyrus the Great | image3 = Sa'adi Shrine 04.jpg | alt3 = Sa'adi Shrine | image4 = Shiraz.jpg | alt4 = Hafeziyeh | image5 = Arg of Karim Khan 015.jpg | alt5 = Arg of Karim Khan | image6 = Madreseh Khan.JPG | alt6 = Madreseh Khan | image7 = Bishapur-Iran-ninara01.jpg | alt7 = Bishapur | image8 = Iran - Pars Province - Sadeh - Tang Boragh - panoramio (1).jpg | alt8 = Tang Boragh }} | image_map = IranFars-SVG.svg | mapsize = 250px | map_alt = | map_caption = Location of Fars Province within Iran | coordinates = {{coord|29|25|N|53|14|E|dim:240km|display=inline, title}} | coor_pinpoint = | coordinates_footnotes = <ref>{{Cite map |author=((OpenStreetMap contributors)) |url=https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=29.416667&mlon=53.233333&zoom=8#map=8/29.417/53.233|website=OpenStreetMap |title=Fars Province|date=29 September 2024|access-date=29 September 2024|lang=fa}}</ref> | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Iran | subdivision_type1 = Region | subdivision_name1 = Region 2 | established_title = Parsa | seat_type = Capital | seat = Shiraz | parts_type = Counties | parts_style = para | p1 = 37 | leader_party = Independent | leader_title = Governor-general | leader_name = Hossein-Ali Amiri | leader_title2 = | unit_pref = Metric | area_total_km2 = 122608 | elevation_footnotes = | elevation_m = | population_footnotes = <ref name="2016 Fars Province"/> | population_total = 4851274 | population_as_of = 2016 |population_rank=4th | population_density_km2 = auto | timezone1 = IRST | utc_offset1 = +03:30 | postal_code_type = | postal_code = | area_code_type = | area_code = 071 | iso_code = IR-07 | blank_name_sec1 = Main language(s) | blank_info_sec1 = {{Plain list| * Persian * Qashqai * Luri<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ichto.ir:80/Default.aspx?tabid=464|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111112450/http://www.ichto.ir/Default.aspx?tabid=464|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 January 2012|title=پرتال سازمان ميراث فرهنگي، صنایع دستی و گردشگري > استانها > فارس > آداب و رسوم|date=11 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sil.org/iso639-3/documentation.asp?id=luz|title = Luz | ISO 639-3}}</ref> * Dialects of Fars }} | website = | official_name = | population_est = 5051000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amar.org.ir/%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%AF%D9%87%D9%87%D8%A7-%D9%88-%D8%A7%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A2%D9%85%D8%A7%D8%B1%DB%8C/%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%B9%DB%8C%D8%AA-%D9%88-%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%B1%D9%88%DB%8C-%DA%A9%D8%A7%D8%B1/%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%B9%DB%8C%D8%AA#5581721--|title=توجه: تفاوت در سرجمع به دليل گرد شدن ارقام به رقم هزار مي باشد. (in Persian)|author=Amar|access-date=September 29, 2020}}</ref> | pop_est_as_of = 2020 }}
{{Historical populations | title = Fars province historical population | type = Iran | align = right | width = | state = | shading = | percentages = |2006|4220721 |2011|4596658 |2016|4851274 }}
'''Fars Province''',{{efn|{{langx|fa|استان فارس|Ostâne Fârs}}, {{IPA|fa|osˈt̪ʰɒːne fɒː(ɹ)s|pron}}}} historically known as '''Pars''', '''Farsistan''', and '''Persis''',<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Fars | title=Fārs | Geography, History & Culture of Iran | Britannica }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ekoFAAAAYAAJ&dq=farsistan&pg=PA348 | title=The History of the World: Comprising a General History, Both Ancient and Modern, of All the Principal Nations of the Globe, Their Rise, Progress, and Present Condition: Embracing a Brief Account of the Late Russian and Italian Wars, and a Complete History of the United States to the Present Time, Including the War of the Revolution [etc.] | date=28 May 1860 | publisher=Henry Bill }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UmIBAAAAQAAJ&dq=farsistan&pg=PA94 | title=Lectures on ancient history, from the earliest times to the taking of Alexandria by Octavianus, tr. From the Germ. Ed. Of M. Niebuhr, by L. Schmitz, with additions and corrections from his own MS. Notes | date=28 May 2024 | publisher=Taylor, Walton and Maberly }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z2QDAAAAQAAJ&dq=farsistan&pg=PA307 | title=Universal geography, or a description of all the parts of the world | date=28 May 2024 | last1=Bruun | first1=Malthe Conrad }}</ref><ref name=Sykes>{{cite book |last=Sykes |first=Percy |title=A History of Persia |year=1921 |publisher=Macmillan and Company |location=London |page=5 |url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdclccn.24005676v1/?sp=43}}</ref> is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Shiraz.<ref name="Fars Province Structure">{{cite report|title=Approval of the organization and chain of citizenship of the elements and units of the national divisions of Fars province, centered in Shiraz|language=fa|website=lamtakam.com|via=Lam ta Kam|url=https://lamtakam.com/law/council_of_ministers/113032|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207211349/https://lamtakam.com/law/council_of_ministers/113032|publisher=Ministry of the Interior, Council of Ministers|last=Habibi|first=Hassan|orig-date=Approved 21 June 1369|date=c. 2023|archive-date=7 December 2023|access-date=7 December 2023|id=Notification 82840/T128K}}</ref>
Fars province has an area of 122,400 km<sup>2</sup> and is located in Iran's southwest, in Region 2.<ref>{{cite news |date=22 June 2014 |title=استانهای کشور به ۵ منطقه تقسیم شدند |trans-title=The Provinces of the Country Were Divided Into 5 Regions |language=fa |newspaper=Hamshahri Online |url=http://www.hamshahrionline.ir/details/263382/Iran/-provinces |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140623191332/http://www.hamshahrionline.ir/details/263382/Iran/-provinces |archive-date=23 June 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> It neighbours the provinces of Bushehr to the west, Hormozgan to the south, Kerman and Yazd to the east, Isfahan to the north, and Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad to the northwest.
==Etymology== The Persian word ''Fârs'' ({{lang|fa|فارس}}), derived from the earlier form ''Pârs'' ({{lang|fa|پارس}}), which is in turn derived from ''{{transliteration|peo|Pârsâ}}'' ({{lang|peo|𐎱𐎠𐎼𐎿}}), the native Old Persian name for the region and the source of the Ancient Greek word ''Persis''. The English word ''Persia'' also originates from this region, ultimately through the Ancient Greek ''Persis''.<ref>Zangiabadi, A., and M. Akbari. "Assessment and Analysis of Development Indicator in Township of Fars Province." (2011): 113–122.</ref>
Pars is the historical homeland of the Persian people.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q3tAqIU0dPsC&q=original+homeland+of+the+Persians.&pg=PA140 |title=One Thousand Languages: Living, Endangered, and Lost |first=Peter |last=Austin |date=1 January 2008 |publisher=University of California Press |via=Google Books|isbn=9780520255609 }}</ref><ref name="Iranica: Fars">{{cite encyclopedia |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Iranica |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/fars-i |title=FĀRS i. Geography |volume=IX |pages=?–336 |date=24 January 2012 |author=Xavier de Planhol |quote=The name of Fārs is undoubtedly attested in Assyrian sources since the third millennium B.C.E. under the form Parahše. Originally, it was the "land of horses" of the Sumerians (Herzfeld, pp. 181-82, 184-86). The name was adopted by Iranian tribes which established themselves there in the 9th century B.C.E. in the west and southwest of Urmia lake. The Parsua (Pārsa) are mentioned there for the first time in 843 B.C.E., during the reign of Salmanassar III, and then, after they migrated to the southeast (Boehmer, pp. 193-97), the name was transferred, between 690 and 640, to a region previously called Anšan (q.v.) in Elamite sources (Herzfeld, pp. 169-71, 178-79, 186). From that moment the name acquired the connotation of an ethnic region, the land of the Persians, and the Persians soon thereafter founded the vast Achaemenid empire. A never-ending confusion thus set in between a narrow, limited, geographical usage of the term—Persia in the sense of the land where the aforesaid Persian tribes had shaped the core of their power—and a broader, more general usage of the term to designate the much larger area affected by the political and cultural radiance of the Achaemenids. The confusion between the two senses of the word was continuous, fueled by the Greeks who used the name Persai to designate the entire empire. It lasted through the centuries of Arab domination, as Fārs, the term used by Muslims, was merely the Arabicized version of the initial name.}}</ref> It was the homeland of the Achaemenid and Sasanian Persian dynasties of Iran, who reigned on the throne by the time of the ancient Persian Empires. The ruins of the Achaemenid capitals Pasargadae and Persepolis, among others, demonstrate the ancient history of the region. Due to the historical importance of this region, the entire country has historically been also referred to as ''Persia'' in the West.<ref name="Iranica: Fars"/><ref>{{cite book |title=A Political History of the Achaemenid Empire |author=M. A. Dandamaev |publisher=BRILL |year=1989 |pages=4–6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ms30qA6nyMsC&q=Fars+or+Persis&pg=PA4|isbn=9004091726 }}</ref> Prior to caliphate rule, this region was known as ''Pars''.<ref>Zargaran, Arman. "The City of Shiraz and Fars Province, the root of medical sciences in the history." (2012): 103–104.</ref>
==History== ===Persis=== {{main|Persis|Pars (Sasanian province)}}
[[File:Takht-jamshid.jpg|thumb|left|The ruins of Persepolis]] [[File:Bas relief nagsh-e-rostam couronnement.jpg|thumb|left|A Sassanid relief showing the investiture of Ardashir I]] [[File:00SarvestanQ80034.jpg|thumb|left|Sarvestan Palace in Sarvestan]]
The ancient Persians were present in the region from about the 10th century BC, and became the rulers of the largest empire the world had yet seen under the Achaemenid dynasty which was established in the mid 6th century BC, at its peak stretching from Thrace-Macedonia, Bulgaria-Paeonia and Eastern Europe proper in the west, to the Indus Valley in its far east.<ref name=book>{{cite book| first1 = David | last1 = Sacks |first2=Oswyn |last2=Murray |first3=Lisa R. |last3=Brody | title = Encyclopedia of the ancient Greek world| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=gsGmuQAACAAJ| year = 2005| publisher = Infobase Publishing| isbn = 978-0-8160-5722-1| pages = 256 (at the right portion of the page) }}</ref> The ruins of Persepolis and Pasargadae, two of the four capitals of the Achaemenid Empire, are located in Pars.
The Achaemenid Empire was defeated by Alexander the Great in 333 BC, incorporating most of their vast empire. Shortly after this the Seleucid Empire was established. However, it never extended its power in Pars beyond the main trade routes, and by the reign of Antiochus I or possibly later Persis emerged as an independent state that minted its own coins.<ref>''The Cambridge History of Iran'', Vol. 3 (1), p. 299</ref>
The Seleucid Empire was subsequently defeated by the Parthians in 238 BC, but by 205 BC, the Seleucid king Antiochus III had extended his authority into Persis and it ceased to be an independent state.<ref>''The Cambridge History of Iran'', Vol. 3 (1), p. 302</ref>
Babak was the ruler of a small town called Kheir. Babak's efforts in gaining local power at the time escaped the attention of Artabanus IV, the Parthian Arsacid Emperor of the time. Babak and his eldest son Shapur I managed to expand their power over all of Persis.
The subsequent events are unclear. Following the death of Babak around 220, Ardashir who at the time was the governor of Darabgird, got involved in a power struggle of his own with his elder brother Shapur. The sources tell us that in 222, Shapur was killed when the roof of a building collapsed on him.{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
At this point, Ardashir moved his capital further to the south of Persis and founded a capital at Ardashir-Khwarrah (formerly Gur, modern day Firouzabad).<ref>{{cite book|title= Shadows in the Desert: Ancient Persia at War|first=Kaveh|last=Farrokh|publisher=Osprey Publishing|year=2007|pages=176–9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p7kltwf9yrwC&q=ardashir+II+persis&pg=PA178|isbn=9781846031083}}</ref> After establishing his rule over Persis, Ardashir I rapidly extended the territory of his Sassanid Persian Empire, demanding fealty from the local princes of Pars, and gaining control over the neighboring provinces of Kerman, Isfahan, Susiana, and Mesene.
Artabanus marched a second time against Ardashir I in 224. Their armies clashed at Hormizdegan, where Artabanus IV was killed. Ardashir was crowned in 226 at Ctesiphon as the sole ruler of Persia, bringing the 400-year-old Parthian Empire to an end, and starting the virtually equally long rule of the Sassanian Empire, over an even larger territory, once again making Persia a leading power in the known world, only this time along with its arch-rival and successor to Persia's earlier opponents (the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire); the Byzantine Empire.
The Sassanids ruled for 425 years, until the Muslim armies conquered the empire. Afterwards, the Persians started to convert to Islam, this making it much easier for the new Muslim empire to continue the expansion of Islam.
Persis then passed hand to hand through numerous dynasties, leaving behind numerous historical and ancient monuments; each of which has its own values as a world heritage, reflecting the history of the province, Iran, and West Asia. The ruins of Bishapur, Persepolis, and Firouzabad are all reminders of this. The Arab invaders brought about an end to centuries of Zoroastrian political and cultural dominance over the region; supplanted as the faith of the ruling class in the 7th century by Islam, which and over the next 200 years gradually expanded to include a majority of the population.
==Demographics== ===Language and ethnicity=== The main ethnic group in the province consists of indigenous Persians (including Larestani people and the Basseri), while Qashqai, Lurs, Arabs, Kurds, Georgians, and Circassians constitute minorities.
thumb|Majority Ethnic groups in fars province
Due to the geographical characteristics of Fars and its proximity to the Persian Gulf, Fars has long been a residing area for various peoples and rulers of Iran. However, the tribes of Fars including, Mamasani Lurs, Khamseh and Kohkiluyeh have kept their native and unique cultures and lifestyles which constitute part of the cultural heritage of Iran attracting many tourists. Kurdish tribes include Uriad, Zangana, Chegini, Kordshuli and Kuruni.<ref name="iranicaonline.org">P. Oberling, "FĀRS vii. Ethnography", Encyclopaedia Iranica>{{cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/fars-vii|title=FĀRS vii. Ethnography|date=31 May 2014}}</ref>
Among the hundreds of thousands of Georgians and Circassians that were transplanted to Persia under Shah Abbas I, his predecessors, and successors, a certain amount of them were to guard the main caravan routes; many were settled around Āspās and other villages along the old Isfahan-Shiraz road. By now the vast majority Caucasians that were settled in Pars have lost their cultural, linguistic, and religious identity, having mostly been assimilated into the population.<ref name="iranicaonline.org"/>
===Population=== At the time of the 2006 National Census, the province's population was 4,220,721 people in 1,014,690 households.<ref name="2006 Fars Province">{{cite report|title=Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1385 (2006): Fars Province|language=fa|publisher=The Statistical Center of Iran|website=amar.org.ir|url=http://www.amar.org.ir/DesktopModules/FTPManager/upload/upload2360/newjkh/newjkh/07.xls|access-date=25 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920091830/http://www.amar.org.ir/DesktopModules/FTPManager/upload/upload2360/newjkh/newjkh/07.xls|format=Excel|archive-date=20 September 2011}}</ref> The following census in 2011 counted 4,596,658 people in 1,250,135 households, of whom 67.6% were registered as urban dwellers (urban/suburbs), 32.1% villagers (small town/rural), and 0.3% nomad tribes.<ref name="2011 Fars Province">{{cite report|title=Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1390 (2011): Fars Province|language=fa|publisher=The Statistical Center of Iran|website=irandataportal.syr.edu|via=Iran Data Portal, Syracuse University|url=https://irandataportal.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/Fars.xls|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116202002/https://irandataportal.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/Fars.xls|archive-date=16 January 2023|access-date=19 December 2022|format=Excel}}</ref> The 2016 census measured the population of the province as 4,851,274 people in 1,443,027 households.<ref name="2016 Fars Province">{{cite report|title=Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1395 (2016): Fars Province|language=fa|publisher=The Statistical Center of Iran|website=amar.org.ir|url=https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/census/1395/results/abadi/CN95_HouseholdPopulationVillage_07.xlsx|access-date=19 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220406013432/https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/census/1395/results/abadi/CN95_HouseholdPopulationVillage_07.xlsx|format=Excel|archive-date=6 April 2022}}</ref>
===Administrative divisions=== 340px
The population history and structural changes of Fars province's administrative divisions over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table.
{| class="wikitable" |+ Pars province |- ! Counties !! 2006<ref name="2006 Fars Province"/> !! 2011<ref name="2011 Fars Province"/> !! 2016<ref name="2016 Fars Province"/> |- | Abadeh || style="text-align: right;" | 87,203 || style="text-align: right;" | 98,188 || style="text-align: right;" | 100,831 |- | Arsanjan || style="text-align: right;" | 40,916 || style="text-align: right;" | 41,476 || style="text-align: right;" | 42,725 |- | Bakhtegan{{efn|Separated from Neyriz County after the 2016 census<ref name="Bakhtegan County Establishment">{{cite report|title=Letter of approval regarding the changes in the national divisions of Fars province|language=fa|website=qavanin.ir|via=Laws and Regulations Portal of the Islamic Republic of Iran|url=https://qavanin.ir/Law/TreeText/266400|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230914170118/https://qavanin.ir/Law/TreeText/266400|publisher=Ministry of the Interior, Board of Ministers|last=Jahangiri|first=Ishaq|archive-date=14 September 2023|orig-date=Approved 7 October 1398|date=c. 2023|id=Subject Letter 161477|access-date=14 September 2023}}</ref>}} || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | — |- | Bavanat || style="text-align: right;" | 44,069 || style="text-align: right;" | 48,416 || style="text-align: right;" | 50,418 |- | Beyza{{efn|Separated from Sepidan County after the 2016 census<ref name="Beyza County Establishment">{{cite report|title=Letter of approval regarding the national divisions of Sepidan County of Fars province|language=fa|website=qavanin.ir|via=Laws and Regulations Portal of the Islamic Republic of Iran|url=https://qavanin.ir/Law/TreeText/266406|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230915163938/https://qavanin.ir/Law/TreeText/266406|publisher=Ministry of the Interior, Council of Ministers|last=Jahangiri|first=Ishaq|archive-date=15 September 2023|date=c. 2023|orig-date=Approved 7 October 2018|id=Proposal 154640|access-date=15 September 2023}}</ref>}} || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | — |- | Darab || style="text-align: right;" | 172,938 || style="text-align: right;" | 189,345 || style="text-align: right;" | 201,489 |- | Eqlid || style="text-align: right;" | 99,003 || style="text-align: right;" | 93,975 || style="text-align: right;" | 93,763 |- | Estahban || style="text-align: right;" | 66,391 || style="text-align: right;" | 66,172 || style="text-align: right;" | 68,850 |- | Evaz{{efn|Separated from Larestan County after the 2016 census<ref name="Evaz County Establishment">{{cite report|title=Letter of approval regarding the national divisions of Larestan County, Fars province|language=fa|website=qavanin.ir|via=Laws and Regulations Portal of the Islamic Republic of Iran|url=https://qavanin.ir/Law/PrintText/266405|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230917154417/https://qavanin.ir/Law/PrintText/266405|publisher=Ministry of the Interior, Council of Ministers|last=Jahangiri|first=Ishaq|archive-date=17 September 2023|date=c. 2023|orig-date=Approved 7 October 2018|id=Proposal 208755|access-date=17 September 2023}}</ref>}} || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | — |- | Farashband || style="text-align: right;" | 38,679 || style="text-align: right;" | 42,760 || style="text-align: right;" | 45,459 |- | Fasa || style="text-align: right;" | 188,189 || style="text-align: right;" | 203,129 || style="text-align: right;" | 205,187 |- | Firuzabad || style="text-align: right;" | 111,973 || style="text-align: right;" | 119,721 || style="text-align: right;" | 121,417 |- | Gerash{{efn|Separated from Larestan County after the 2006 census<ref name="Gerash County Establishment 1">{{cite report|title=Creation of Gerash County in the center of Gerash city in Fars province|language=fa|website=qavanin.ir|via=Laws and Regulations Portal of the Islamic Republic of Iran|url=https://qavanin.ir/Law/TreeText/124505|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009094235/https://qavanin.ir/Law/TreeText/124505|publisher=Ministry of the Interior, Board of Ministers|last=Rahimi|first=Mohammad Reza|archive-date=9 October 2021|orig-date=Approved 11 November 2018|date=c. 2021|id=Proposal 156861/42/4/1|access-date=29 September 2024}}</ref>}} || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | 47,055 || style="text-align: right;" | 53,907 |- | Jahrom || style="text-align: right;" | 197,331 || style="text-align: right;" | 209,312 || style="text-align: right;" | 228,532 |- | Juyom{{efn|Separated from Larestan County after the 2016 census<ref name="Juyom County Establishment">{{cite report|title=Letter of approval regarding the national divisions of Larestan County, Fars province|language=fa|website=qavanin.ir|via=Laws and Regulations Portal of the Islamic Republic of Iran|url=https://qavanin.ir/Law/PrintText/297380|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230920154516/https://qavanin.ir/Law/PrintText/297380|publisher=Ministry of the Interior, Council of Ministers|last=Mokhbar|first=Mohammad|archive-date=20 September 2023|orig-date=Approved 25 December 1400|date=c. 2023|access-date=20 September 2023|id=Subject Letter 69863}}</ref>}} || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | — |- | Kavar{{efn|Separated from Shiraz County after the 2006 census<ref name="Kavar County Establishment">{{cite news|title=Four changes in the map of country divisions: Kavar County is formed in Fars province|language=fa|website=dolat.ir|via=Secretariat of the Government Information Council|url=https://dolat.ir/detail/195802|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315204729/https://dolat.ir/detail/195802|archive-date=15 March 2017|publisher=Ministry of the Interior, Board of Ministers|last=Rahimi|first=Mohammadreza|date=22 November 2010|access-date=20 November 2023}}</ref>}} || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | 77,836 || style="text-align: right;" | 83,883 |- | Kazerun || style="text-align: right;" | 258,097 || style="text-align: right;" | 254,704 || style="text-align: right;" | 266,217 |- | Khafr{{efn|Separated from Jahrom County after the 2016 census<ref name="Khafr County Establishment">{{cite report|title=Letter of approval regarding the national divisions of Jahrom County, Fars province|language=fa|website=qavanin.ir|via=Laws and Regulations Portal of the Islamic Republic of Iran|url=https://qavanin.ir/Law/PrintText/266399|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922174517/https://qavanin.ir/Law/PrintText/266399|publisher=Ministry of the Interior, Council of Ministers|last=Jahangiri|orig-date=Approved 7 October 1398|date=c. 2023|id=Proposal 158364|first=Ishaq|archive-date=22 September 2023|access-date=22 September 2023}}</ref>}} || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | — |- | Kharameh{{efn|Separated from Shiraz County after the 2011 census<ref name="Kharameh County Establishment">{{cite report|title=Letter of approval regarding the national divisions in Fars province|language=fa|website=qavanin.ir|via=Laws and Regulations Portal of the Islamic Republic of Iran|url=https://qavanin.ir/Law/PrintText/176545|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923095710/https://qavanin.ir/Law/PrintText/176545|publisher=Ministry of the Interior, Cabinet of Ministers|last=Rahimi|first=Mohammad Reza|archive-date=23 September 2023|orig-date=Approved 21 September 1389|date=c. 2023|id=Proposal 1/4/42/65970|access-date=23 September 2023}}</ref>}} || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | 61,580 || style="text-align: right;" | 54,864 |- | Khonj || style="text-align: right;" | 37,978 || style="text-align: right;" | 41,133 || style="text-align: right;" | 41,359 |- | Khorrambid || style="text-align: right;" | 44,669 || style="text-align: right;" | 50,252 || style="text-align: right;" | 50,522 |- | Kuhchenar{{efn|Separated from Kazerun County after the 2016 census<ref name="Kuhchenar County Establishment">{{cite report|title=Letter of approval regarding the national divisions of Kazerun County of Fars province|language=fa|website=qavanin.ir|via=Laws and Regulations Portal of the Islamic Republic of Iran|url=https://qavanin.ir/Law/TreeText/266421|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230921152518/https://qavanin.ir/Law/TreeText/266421|publisher=Ministry of the Interior, Board of Ministers|last=Jahangiri|first=Ishaq|archive-date=21 September 2023|orig-date=Approved 7 October 1398|id=Proposal 194401|date=c. 2023|access-date=21 September 2023}}</ref>}} || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | — |- | Lamerd || style="text-align: right;" | 76,971 || style="text-align: right;" | 83,916 || style="text-align: right;" | 91,782 |- | Larestan || style="text-align: right;" | 223,235 || style="text-align: right;" | 226,879 || style="text-align: right;" | 213,920 |- | Mamasani || style="text-align: right;" | 162,694 || style="text-align: right;" | 116,386 || style="text-align: right;" | 117,527 |- | Marvdasht || style="text-align: right;" | 294,621 || style="text-align: right;" | 307,492 || style="text-align: right;" | 323,434 |- | Mohr || style="text-align: right;" | 54,094 || style="text-align: right;" | 59,727 || style="text-align: right;" | 64,827 |- | Neyriz || style="text-align: right;" | 105,241 || style="text-align: right;" | 113,750 || style="text-align: right;" | 113,291 |- | Pasargad || style="text-align: right;" | 29,825 || style="text-align: right;" | 31,504 || style="text-align: right;" | 30,118 |- | Qir and Karzin || style="text-align: right;" | 61,432 || style="text-align: right;" | 65,045 || style="text-align: right;" | 71,203 |- | Rostam{{efn|Separated from Mamasani County after the 2006 census<ref name="Rostam County Establishment">{{cite report|title=Letter of approval regarding the reforms of the national divisions in Fars province|language=fa|website=qavanin.ir|via=Laws and Regulations Portal of the Islamic Republic of Iran|url=https://qavanin.ir/Law/TreeText/120001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009094238/https://qavanin.ir/Law/TreeText/120001|publisher=Ministry of the Interior, Council of Ministers|last=Davodi|first=Parviz|archive-date=9 October 2021|orig-date=Approved 7 January 1387|date=c. 2021|id=Proposal 1/4/42/381|access-date=28 September 2023}}</ref>}} || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | 46,851 || style="text-align: right;" | 44,386 |- | Sarchehan{{efn|Separated from Bavanat County after the 2016 census<ref name="Sarchehan County Establishment">{{cite report|title=Letter of approval regarding the national divisions of Bavanat County, Fars province|language=fa|website=qavanin.ir|via=Laws and Regulations Portal of the Islamic Republic of Iran|url=https://qavanin.ir/Law/PrintText/266397|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230915005436/https://qavanin.ir/Law/PrintText/266397|publisher=Ministry of the Interior, Board of Ministers|last=Jahangiri|first=Ishaq|archive-date=15 September 2023|date=c. 2023|orig-date=Approved 10 July 2018|id=Proposal 208742|access-date=15 September 2023}}</ref>}} || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | — |- | Sarvestan{{efn|Separated from Shiraz County after the 2006 census<ref name="Sarvestan County Establishment">{{cite report|title=Reforms of the national divisions in Fars province|language=fa|website=qavanin.ir|via=Laws and Regulations Portal of the Islamic Republic of Iran|url=https://qavanin.ir/Law/TreeText/119266|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009095552/https://qavanin.ir/Law/TreeText/119266|publisher=Ministry of the Interior, Political-Defense Commission of the Council of Ministers|last=Davodi|first=Parviz|archive-date=9 October 2021|date=c. 2021|orig-date=Approved 18 September 1386|id=Proposal 123436/42/1/4|access-date=20 November 2023}}</ref>}} || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | 40,531 || style="text-align: right;" | 38,114 |- | Sepidan || style="text-align: right;" | 87,801 || style="text-align: right;" | 89,398 || style="text-align: right;" | 91,049 |- | Shiraz || style="text-align: right;" | 1,676,927 || style="text-align: right;" | 1,700,687 || style="text-align: right;" | 1,869,001 |- | Zarqan{{efn|Separated from Shiraz County after the 2016 census<ref name="Zarqan County Establishment">{{cite report|title=Approval letter regarding the national divisions of Zarqan District, Shiraz County, Fars province|language=fa|website=rc.majlis.ir|via=Martyrdom of Imam Ali (AS) Research Center of the Islamic Council|url=https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/1323638|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220421204859/https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/1323638|publisher=Ministry of the Interior, Council of Ministers|last=Jahangiri|first=Ishaq|archive-date=21 April 2022|orig-date=Approved 7 October 1398|date=c. 2022|id=Proposal 158356; Notification 88993/T56015H|access-date=1 October 2023}}</ref>}} || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | — || style="text-align: right;" | — |- | Zarrin Dasht || style="text-align: right;" | 60,444 || style="text-align: right;" | 69,438 || style="text-align: right;" | 73,199 |- | '''Total''' || style="text-align: right;" | '''4,220,721 ''' || style="text-align: right;" | '''4,596,658''' || style="text-align: right;" | '''4,851,274''' |}
=== Cities === thumb|Shiraz thumb|Marvdasht thumb|Jahrom thumb|Fasa According to the 2016 census, 3,401,675 people (over 70% of the population of Pars province) live in the following cities:<ref name="2016 Fars Province"/>
{| class="wikitable sortable" ! City !! Population |- | Abadeh || style="text-align: right;" | 59,116 |- | Abadeh Tashk || style="text-align: right;" | 7,379 |- | Ahel || style="text-align: right;" | 3,179 |- | Alamarvdasht || style="text-align: right;" | 4,068 |- | Ardakan || style="text-align: right;" | 14,633 |- | Arsanjan || style="text-align: right;" | 17,706 |- | Asir || style="text-align: right;" | 3,042 |- | Bab Anar || style="text-align: right;" | 7,061 |- | Baba Monir || style="text-align: right;" | 1,379 |- | Bahman || style="text-align: right;" | 7,568 |- | Baladeh || style="text-align: right;" | 5,972 |- | Banaruiyeh || style="text-align: right;" | 9,077 |- | Beyram || style="text-align: right;" | 7,300 |- | Beyza || style="text-align: right;" | 7,252 |- | Darab || style="text-align: right;" | 70,232 |- | Darian || style="text-align: right;" | 10,037 |- | Dehram || style="text-align: right;" | 3,468 |- | Dezhkord || style="text-align: right;" | 3,924 |- | Do Borji || style="text-align: right;" | 2,907 |- | Dobiran || style="text-align: right;" | 13,809 |- | Duzeh || style="text-align: right;" | 1,348 |- | Efzar || style="text-align: right;" | 2,657 |- | Emad Deh || style="text-align: right;" | 4,235 |- | Emam Shahr || style="text-align: right;" | 5,803 |- | Eqlid || style="text-align: right;" | 44,341 |- | Eshkanan || style="text-align: right;" | 9,115 |- | Estahban || style="text-align: right;" | 36,410 |- | Evaz || style="text-align: right;" | 19,987 |- | Fadami || style="text-align: right;" | 4,097 |- | Farashband || style="text-align: right;" | 20,320 |- | Fasa || style="text-align: right;" | 110,825 |- | Firuzabad || style="text-align: right;" | 65,417 |- | Galleh Dar || style="text-align: right;" | 13,448 |- | Gerash || style="text-align: right;" | 34,469 |- | Hajjiabad || style="text-align: right;" | 21,675 |- | Hamashahr || style="text-align: right;" | 3,852 |- | Hasanabad || style="text-align: right;" | 2,045 |- | Hesami || style="text-align: right;" | 3,131 |- | Ij || style="text-align: right;" | 6,246 |- | Izadkhast || style="text-align: right;" | 5,910 |- | Jahrom || style="text-align: right;" | 141,634 |- | Jannat Shahr || style="text-align: right;" | 13,598 |- | Juyom || style="text-align: right;" | 8,010 |- | Kamfiruz || style="text-align: right;" | 3,713 |- | Karzin || style="text-align: right;" | 8,841 |- | Kavar || style="text-align: right;" | 31,711 |- | Kazerun || style="text-align: right;" | 96,683 |- | Khaneh Zenyan || style="text-align: right;" | 4,027 |- | Khaniman || style="text-align: right;" | 3,020 |- | Khavaran || style="text-align: right;" | 4,332 |- | Kherameh || style="text-align: right;" | 18,477 |- | Khesht || style="text-align: right;" | 9,599 |- | Khonj || style="text-align: right;" | 19,217 |- | Khumeh Zar || style="text-align: right;" | 6,220 |- | Khur || style="text-align: right;" | 7,338 |- | Khuzi || style="text-align: right;" | 3,245 |- | Konartakhteh || style="text-align: right;" | 6,081 |- | Korehi || style="text-align: right;" | 3,954 |- | Kuhenjan || style="text-align: right;" | 3,281 |- | Kupon || style="text-align: right;" | 3,237 |- | Lamerd || style="text-align: right;" | 29,380 |- | Lapui || style="text-align: right;" | 8,985 |- | Lar || style="text-align: right;" | 62,045 |- | Latifi || style="text-align: right;" | 7,300 |- | Madar-e Soleyman || style="text-align: right;" | 1,546 |- | Marvdasht || style="text-align: right;" | 148,858 |- | Masiri || style="text-align: right;" | 9,031 |- | Mazayjan || style="text-align: right;" | 3,567 |- | Meshkan || style="text-align: right;" | 4,617 |- | Meymand || style="text-align: right;" | 10,120 |- | Miyan Deh || style="text-align: right;" | 5,912 |- | Mobarakabad || style="text-align: right;" | 4,707 |- | Mohr || style="text-align: right;" | 7,784 |- | Neyriz || style="text-align: right;" | 49,850 |- | Now Bandegan || style="text-align: right;" | 2,410 |- | Nowdan || style="text-align: right;" | 2,892 |- | Nujin || style="text-align: right;" | 3,769 |- | Nurabad || style="text-align: right;" | 57,058 |- | Qaderabad || style="text-align: right;" | 14,973 |- | Qaemiyeh || style="text-align: right;" | 26,918 |- | Qarah Bolagh || style="text-align: right;" | 6,772 |- | Qatruyeh || style="text-align: right;" | 2,895 |- | Qir || style="text-align: right;" | 20,010 |- | Qotbabad || style="text-align: right;" | 7,476 |- | Ramjerd || style="text-align: right;" | 2,550 |- | Runiz || style="text-align: right;" | 5,760 |- | Saadat Shahr || style="text-align: right;" | 17,131 |- | Safashahr || style="text-align: right;" | 26,933 |- | Sarvestan || style="text-align: right;" | 18,187 |- | Sedeh || style="text-align: right;" | 6,747 |- | Seyyedan || style="text-align: right;" | 8,574 |- | Shahr-e Pir || style="text-align: right;" | 8,927 |- | Shahr-e Sadra || style="text-align: right;" | 91,863 |- | Sheshdeh || style="text-align: right;" | 5,960 |- | '''Shiraz''' || style="text-align: right;" | 1,565,572 |- | Soghad || style="text-align: right;" | 12,582 |- | Soltanabad || style="text-align: right;" | 1,928 |- | Surian || style="text-align: right;" | 9,776 |- | Surmaq || style="text-align: right;" | 3,050 |- | Varavi || style="text-align: right;" | 4,622 |- | Zahedshahr || style="text-align: right;" | 9,719 |- | Zarqan || style="text-align: right;" | 32,261 |}
===Most populous cities=== {{See also|List of cities in Fars province by population}} The following sorted table lists the most populous cities in Pars according to the 2016 census results announced by the Statistical Center of Iran.<ref name="2016 Fars Province" /> {|class="wikitable" |+Most populous urban areas in Pars province |- ! Rank ! City ! County ! Population |- | style="text-align:center;"|1||'''Shiraz'''||Shiraz|| style="text-align: right" | 1,565,572 |- | style="text-align:center;"|2||'''Marvdasht'''||Marvdasht|| style="text-align: right" | 148,858 |- | style="text-align:center;"|3||'''Jahrom'''||Jahrom|| style="text-align: right" | 141,634 |- | style="text-align:center;"|4||'''Fasa'''||Fasa||style="text-align: right" | 110,825 |- | style="text-align:center;"|5||'''Kazerun'''||Kazerun|| style="text-align: right" | 96,683 |- | style="text-align:center;"|6||'''Sadra'''||Shiraz|| style="text-align: right" | 91,863 |- | style="text-align:center;"|7||'''Darab'''||Darab|| style="text-align: right" | 70,232 |- | style="text-align:center;"|8||'''Firuzabad'''||Firuzabad|| style="text-align: right" | 65,417 |- | style="text-align:center;"|9||'''Lar'''||Larestan|| style="text-align: right" | 62,045 |- | style="text-align:center;"|10||'''Abadeh'''||Abadeh|| style="text-align: right" | 59,116 |}
==Climate and wildlife== There are three distinct climatic regions in the Pars province. First, the mountainous area of the north and northwest with moderate cold winters and mild summers. Secondly, the central regions, with relatively rainy mild winters, and hot dry summers. The third region located in the south and southeast has cold winters with hot summers. The average temperature of Shiraz is 16.8 °C, ranging between 4.7 °C and 29.2 °C.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irimo.ir/far/services/climate/807|title=اقلیم استان فارس|first=پورتال سازمان هواشناسی|last=کشور|website=www.irimo.ir|access-date=2017-03-19|archive-date=2020-01-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115160824/http://www.irimo.ir/far/services/climate/807|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The geographical and climatic variation of the province causes varieties of plants; consequently, variation of wildlife has been formed in the province. Additional to the native animals of the province, many kinds of birds migrate to the province every year.<ref name="Iran fars-shiraz">{{cite web|url=http://www.irantour.org/Iran/city/FARS.html|title=Iran fars-shiraz|website=www.irantour.org|access-date=2007-09-01|archive-date=2017-12-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219171924/http://www.irantour.org/Iran/city/FARS.html|url-status=usurped}}</ref> Many kinds of ducks, storks and swallows migrate to this province in an annual parade. The main native animals of the province are gazelle, deer, mountain wild goat, ram, ewe and many kinds of birds. In the past, like in Khuzestan Plain, the Persian lion had occurred here.<ref name=Humphreys1999>Humphreys, P., Kahrom, E. (1999). [https://books.google.com/books?id=esV0hccod0kC&pg=PA77 Lion and Gazelle: The Mammals and Birds of Iran]. Images Publishing, Avon.</ref><ref name=Firouz05>{{cite book|last=Firouz|first=E.|year=2005|url={{Google books|plainurl=yes|id=t2EZCScFXloC|page=66}}|title=The complete fauna of Iran |publisher=I. B. Tauris| isbn=978-1-85043-946-2 |pages=5–67}}</ref>
The province of Pars includes many protected wildlife zones. The most important protected zones are: * Toot Siah (Black Berry) Hunt Forbidden Zone, which is located at the end of Boanat region. * Basiran Hunt Forbidden Zone, which is located 4 kilometers south to Abadeh; * Bamu National Park, which is located north-east of Shiraz; * Estahban Forest Park (Parke Jangaly), which is located on the outskirts of Touraj mountain; * Hermoodlar Protected Zone, which is located east to Larestan.<ref name="Iran fars-shiraz"/> {{wide image|Imerial crown.jpg|1100px|Crown imperial plain, Sepidan}} Arjan Meadow {{convert|22|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} and Lake Parishan {{convert|40|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} are designated Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar convention. thumb|Eram Garden
==Economy== Agriculture is of great importance in Pars.<ref>{{cite web |title=Farmers' participation in agricultural development: The case of Fars province, Iran |url=http://www.indjst.org/index.php/indjst/article/download/29952/25909 |website=www.indjst.org}}</ref> The major products include cereal (wheat and barley), citrus fruits, dates, sugar beets and cotton. Pars has major petrochemical facilities, along with an oil refinery, a factory for producing tires, a large electronics industry, and a sugar mill. Tourism is also a large industry in the province. UNESCO has designated an area in the province, called Arzhan (known as ''Dasht e Arjan'') as a biosphere reserve. Shiraz, provincial capital of Pars, is the namesake of Shirazi wine. A large number of wine factories existed in the city.
==Transportation== Shiraz Airport is the main international airport of the province and the second in the country. The cities of Jahrom, Lar and Lamerd also have airports linking them with Shiraz and Tehran and nearby Persian Gulf countries such as the UAE and Bahrain. Shiraz is along the main route from Tehran to southern Iran.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}
==Higher education== The Pars province is home to many higher education institutes and universities. The main universities of the province include Shiraz University, Shiraz University of Arts, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences,<ref>{{cite book|title=Issues in Discovery, Experimental, and Laboratory Medicine: 2013 Edition |publisher=Scholarly Editions|year=2013|pages=139–40|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ifOrM1j7AS8C&q=Shiraz+University+of+Medical+sciences&pg=PA139|isbn=9781490109169}}</ref> Shiraz University of Technology, Salman Farsi University of Kazerun, Jahrom University, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University of Shiraz, and Islamic Azad University of Jahrom.
==Notable people== [[File:Hafez Fixed.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Hafez]] [[File:The tomb of Saadi 1.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Saadi]] {{incomplete list|date=January 2014}} {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenian Empire * Ardashir the Unifier, founder of the Sassanian Empire * Karim Khan, founder of the Zand dynasty * Lotf Ali Khan, the last ruler of the Zand dynasty * Saadi, writer and poet, born and died in Shiraz * Hafez Shirazi, poet, born and died in Shiraz * Barbad, the Persian musician of the Sassanid era, born in Jahrom * Mulla Sadra, Iranian Shia Islamic philosopher and theologian * Qotb al-Din Kazeruni, born in Kazerun * Mansur Hallaj, Persian mystic, killed in the 9th century AD * Salman the Persian, a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the first Persian who converted to Islam * Gholamhossein Saber, artist * Reza Malekzadeh, born in Kazerun * Christiane Amanpour's father is originally from Sarvestan, Fars. * Sibawayh, one of the founders of Arabic grammar, died in Shiraz * Hakim Salman Jahromi, the special doctor of Abbas the Great. He was from Jahrom. * Ibn Muqaffa, or Ruzbeh Dadwayh, Persian writer and translator from the 8th century AD * Zahra Kazemi, photographer, born in Shiraz * Ladan and Laleh Bijani, famous conjoined twins, born in Shiraz * Khwaju Kermani, buried in Shiraz * Jamshid Amouzegar * Seyyed Zia'eddin Tabatabaee, born in Shiraz * Ibn Khafif, a 9th-century sage, buried in Shiraz * Sheikh Ruzbehan * Afshin Ghotbi, football manager of Iranian National Team * Meulana Shahin Shirazi, Persian Jewish poet and wiseman * Junayd Shirazi * Mohsen Kadivar * Ata'ollah Mohajerani, representative of Shiraz in the Majlis * Saeed Emami * Gholam Reza Azhari * Siyyid Mírzá 'Alí-Muhammad, the Báb * Mohammad Hashem Pesaran, the most honored Iranian economist * Firouz Naderi, Iranian-American scientist and the associate director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), responsible for Project Formulation and Strategy. He was born in Shiraz. * Ebrahim Golestan, filmmaker and literary figure * Kaveh Golestan, photojournalist and artist * Habibollah Peyman, Iranian politician * Mohsen Safaei Farahani, Iranian politician * Simin Daneshvar, academic, renowned novelist, fiction writer and translator
{{div col end}}
==See also== {{Commons-inline}}
{{Wikivoyage-inline|Fars}}
{{clear}}
== Notes == {{notelist}}
==References== {{Reflist|2}}
==Bibliography== * {{cite book|author= W. Barthold |others=Translated by Svat Soucek |title=An Historical Geography of Iran|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Baz_AwAAQBAJ |publisher= Princeton University Press |isbn=978-1-4008-5322-9 |year=1984 |chapter= Fars |pages= 148–168 |author-link=Vasily Bartold }}
==External links== * [http://www.iranchamber.com/provinces/19_fars/19_fars.php Province of Fars on Iran Chamber Society] * {{cite web |editor-first= Houchang E. |editor-last= Chehabi |editor-link= Houchang E. Chehabi |work= Bibliographia Iranica |publisher= Iranian Studies Group at MIT |location= USA |title= Regional Studies: Fars |url= http://web.mit.edu/isg/iranica.html |access-date= 2017-02-11 |archive-date= 2021-11-02 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211102203251/http://web.mit.edu/isg/iranica.html |url-status= dead }} (Bibliography) * [https://web.archive.org/web/20100328115620/http://www.lovelyiran.com/fars/ Fars Tourist Attractions]
{{Geographic location | Centre = Fars province | North = Isfahan province | Northeast = Yazd province | East = Kerman province | Southeast = Hormozgan province | South = | Southwest = Bushehr province | West = Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province | Northwest = Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province }} {{Authority control}} {{Provinces of Iran}} {{Fars province}} {{Achaemenid Provinces}} {{Sassanid Provinces}}
Category:Fars province Category:Provinces of Iran Category:Pre-Islamic Iran