| 31st | Top cities in Iran |
| Khorramshahr | |
|---|---|
  Khorramshahr
|
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| Coordinates: 30°26′N 48°11′E / 30.433°N 48.183°E | |
| Country |  Iran |
| Province | Khuzestan |
Khorramshahr (Persian: خرمشهر) is a port city in Khūzestān Province in southwestern Iran. It is approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of Abadan. The city extends to the right bank of the Shatt al-Arab (Arvand rod in Persian) waterway near its confluence with the Karun river.
Estimates for the population vary widely between 338,922 (2006, [1]) and 624,321 (2005, [2]).
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In ancient times it had been known as Piyan, and later Bayan. The modern city was founded in 1812 by Sheikh Yusuf bin Mardo, when steam navigation began on the Karun.
Bhai Mardana died in this city when he was in journey with Guru Nanak. From Kandhar Via Ghazni travelling they reached In Khuram Shahr(Iran) where Mardana fell ill. Guru Nanak said to him that his end time is now near. Mardana demanded that after his death Guru Nanak cremate him with his hand and Mardana died next day in 1551.
In the early 18h century Mohammerah (محمرة which means "reddened" in Arabic) became a Sheikhdom. In 1925, Reza Shah changed its Arabic name to the Persian name Khorramshahr.
The first Sheikh was Ali Mardan of the Muhaisin clan of the Bani Kaab Arab tribe. Succeeding Sheikhs were:
During the Iran–Iraq War it was extensively ravaged by Iraqi forces as a result of Saddam Hussein's scorched earth policy. Prior to the war, Khorramshahr had grown extensively to become one of the world's major port cities, and home to some of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Iran. The population was predominantly wealthy and upper class, and along with Abadan, the prevalent culture was that of modern Iranian cosmopolitanism.
The battle of Khorramshahr was the first major engagement between Iraqi and Iranians forces in the war. After occupying the city on October 26th, the city remained in Iraqi hands until April 1982, when the Iranians launched Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas (Persian: بیت المقدس) to recapture the Khuzestan province. The first attack (April 24 to May 12) consisted of 70,000 Pasdaran and succeeded in pushing the Iraqis out of the Ahvaz-Susangerd area. The Iraqis withdrew back to Khorramshahr and, on May 20, launched a counter attack against the Iranians, which was repulsed. The Iranians then launched an all out assault on Khorramshahr, capturing two of the defense lines in the Pol-e No and Shalamcheh region. The Iranians gathered around the Shatt al-Arab waterway, surrounding the city and, thus, beginning the second siege. The Iranians finally recaptured the city on May 24 after two days of bitter fighting, capturing 19,000 soldiers from a demoralized Iraqi Army after the fighting was over. Over 2,000 of these prisoners were executed to retaliate for the rape of several Iranian women in the city at the beginning of the war.[citation needed] As a result, the Iraqis now know May 24 as “Martyr’s Day”, although the Iranians celebrate this day as the Liberation of Khorramshahr.
By the end of the war, Khorramshahr had been completely devastated by Saddam Hussein's forces, with very few buildings left intact. Other major urban centres such as Abadan and Ahvaz were also left in ruins, though nowhere nearly as bad as Khorramshahr. The city of Khorramshahr was one of the primary and most important frontlines of the war and has thus achieved mythic status amongst the Iranian population.
The economy of Khorramshahr is still largely affected by the destruction and depopulation of the city's residents in the 1980s during the first years of the Iran–Iraq War. The main activities are, however, essentially the same as before the war, petroleum production and exports and imports through the city port, though on a much smaller scale as restoration is not yet totally complete, even though almost two decades have passed since the end of the war. Residents originally from Khorramshahr have also slowly been returning to the city, rebuilding their houses and businesses.
In 1976, in Filieh, an area bordering the port city of Khorramshahr, the Persian Gulf Southern Branch of Jondi Shahpour University, Ahvaz (Shahid Chamran University), was established comprising of two colleges: the College of Marine Sciences and the College of Maritime Management and Economics. But this newly established center was closed soon after due to the war imposed on Iran. This college recommenced academically in 1993, admitting 10 MS students in the fields of physical oceanography and marine biology on Shahid Chamran’s campus. With the start of the postwar reconstruction of the war torn cities of Abadan and Khorramshahr in 1998, the Southern Branch was moved back to Khorramshahr, expanding its academic scope by admitting undergraduate students in the fields of marine biology, environmental sciences and fisheries.
In 2003, this institute separated from Shahid Chamran University and began its pursuit in becoming one of the leading universities in marine sciences in the region as Khorramshahr University of Marine Science and Technology (KMSU). Access to open waters, the Arvand and Bahmanshir Rivers and adjacency to the Shadegan and Hor Swamps, situated in the Arvand Free Zone, and a dedicated and experienced faculty are the unique properties which give this university the edge in the region.
"Muhamrah". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911.Coordinates: 30°26′N 48°11′E / 30.433°N 48.183°E
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From Persian خرمشهر (khoramšahr)
Khorramshahr
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   | Khorramshahr Post-War Photo Slideshow - THE IRANIAN: Features, Iran war-zone cities, Siamak Namazi |
| | Liberation of Khorramshahr, Triumph of True Faith - Liberation of Khorramshahr, Triumph of True Faith |
| | Foreign Military Studies Office: MOUT in Iraq: Population Dependent? - MOUT in Iraq: Population Dependent? |
| | I Persian Gulf War: Iraqi Invasion of Iran, September 1980 - I Persian Gulf War: Iraqi Invasion of Iran, September 1980 |
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