Masuleh

"Khortab" redirects here. For the village in Lahijan County, see Khortab, Lahijan. For the village in Masal County, see Masuleh Khani. For the village in Mazandaran province, see Khortab Rud.

Masuleh Persian: ماسوله
City
Masuleh view
Masuleh
Coordinates: 37°09′18″N 48°59′22″E
Country	Iran
Province	Gilan
District	Sardar-e Jangal
Population  (2016)
• Total	393
Time zone	UTC+3:30 (IRST)

Masuleh (Persian: ماسوله; pronunciation^ⓘ), also Romanized as Māsūleh, Masoleh and Masouleh, is a city in Sardar-e Jangal District of Fuman County, Gilan province, Iran. Historical names for the city include Māsalar and Khortāb. It was founded in the 10th century.

At the 2006 census, its population was 554 in 180 households. The following census in 2011 counted 568 people in 210 households. The latest census in 2016 showed a population of 393 people in 147 households.

Masuleh is approximately 60 km southwest of Rasht and 32 km west of Fuman. Its people are Talysh. The village is 1,050 meters above sea level in the Alborz (or Elburz) mountain range, near the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. The village itself has a difference in elevation of 100 meters.

Although it has been written that the community was established around 10 AD, the province of Gilan has a long history. The first village of Masuleh was established around 1006 AD, 6 km northwest of the current city, and it is called Old-Masuleh (Kohneh Masuleh in Persian). People moved from Old-Masuleh to the current city because of pestilence and attacks from neighbouring communities.

Masouheh-Rood-Khan is the river passing through the city, with a waterfall located just 200 meters away from the village. It's cut-off by snow during the winter months. Fog is the predominant weather feature of Masuleh.

Architecture

Buildings are mostly two stories (1st floor and 'ground' floor).But it must be said that there are three-story and even four-story houses in Masuleh. Some of the rows have three floors. which are important due to their brick and wooden structure.

There are four main local communities at the city named: "Maza-var" (meaning beside the Mosque) at the south, "Khana-var" (beside homes) at the East, "Kasha-sar" (stretched on top) at the North, and, "Assa-mahala" (Assad community) at the West. Apparently, down town is the Market (Bazaar) area and also the main mosque of the city, named "O-ne-ben-ne Ali" (Awn Ibn Mohammad Ibn Ali Ibn. Abi Taleb) built in 969 AD.

In some of these houses, it has been possible to live in separate apartments in different periods. For example, the Zandipour House, which is now used as an apartment hotel, was accommodated by different families who lived in their separate apartment units for a long time. Each of these units had a separate bathroom and different families lived separately in each of the three floors. However, some three-story houses were occupied by an extended family as the children who were married lived together with their parents in a class structural house.

Girih tiling in buildings of Masuleh

Traditional costume of Masuleh women

Girih tiling consists of straight and broken lines on a regular basis that could be reasonably expanded in the surface.

The historical city of Masuleh is a good model for sustainable architecture and its final aim is respecting the culture and friendly relationship with nature and improving the life style of its residents.

City of MASOULEH

Usually, it is said wrongly, the central part of CLM (CLM) where inhabitants live is regarded as a big village since its appearance is similar to that of other rural habitats. However, if Masouleh is analyzed and interpreted from the perspective of civilization and the history of Islamic urbanism, one can understand why there is a bazaar with some 400 shops and several caravanserais and the Jāmeh Mosque dedicated to Friday religious congregations. Similarly, if we recognize the difference between a village and a city in the Islamic urban planning, we can understand why there has been a deputy-governor and a sheriff in Masouleh. Such an administrative and political structure used to be reserved exclusively for Islamic cities prior to the Constitutional Revolution in Iran. It needs to be remembered that Masouleh is among the first Iranian cities to have a municipality in the modern century. Municipality was a new structure in the administrative bureaucracy system of Iranian cities introduced at the end of the Qajar era and in the early years of the Pahlavi period. Apart from this fact, it should be reminded that Masouleh has undoubtedly been the oldest and the most important city in the entire Alborz mountain range which has been established in a special geographical location.

Archaeology

Archaeological survey of the mountain ranges overlooking Masouleh shows that this mountainous region was probably occupied by ancient herders and nomads at least since the late Bronze Age.

Remains of late prehistoric, historic, and Islamic times were discovered on the mountain top above 2500 meters above sea level(See). These mountains were used seasonally, at least since the late Neolithic (5000 BC) Bronze Age (2000-1500 BC), which continued during the Iron Age I (1500-1100 BC), Iron Age III (800-500 BC), Parthian (247 BC to 224 CE), Buyid (943–1029 CE), Seljuk (1043–1051 CE) and Ilkhanid (1306–1335 CE) periods(tehrantimes).

Archaeologists discovered pottery sherds, animal bones, and stone tools that date back to about 7,000 years ago.

The Cultural Landscape of Masouleh and the Archeology of Iron Production Masouleh has been a subject of interest for an extended period, particularly in relation to its iron production. Numerous accounts from ancient travelers who have visited the region highlight the significance of Masouleh's iron mines and the presence of iron smelting workshops within the area. One such example is the report by Adam Olearius during the Safavid era. There are no other pits or mines where they work. There are indeed certain forges at Masula, and Kientze, but the best iron comes from Masula, where it is so soft and tractable that it is malleable and yields to the hammer without hating. Furthermore, Jan Colarge reported that the Masouleh region is characterized by an abundance of mines. These mines predominantly contain minerals with a significant concentration of pure copper and iron. The process of melting these mineral stones involves the utilization of charcoal and stone as the primary heating sources. In instances where there is a demand for copper, individuals would excavate small portions of soil in specific locations within the forest, extract copper ore, and subsequently melt it within a furnace. In the report authored by Pierre Amédée Emilien Probe Jaubert, pertaining to the town of Masouleh, it is mentioned that Masouleh holds significance due to its inaccessible location on a hill, which is enclosed by a substantial wall. The inhabitants of this region primarily engage in ironwork, producing large pipes and small firearms. The archaeological investigations conducted by experts suggest that during the Parthian and Ilkhanid periods, the iron production in Masouleh experienced pivotal transformations. For instance, the findings from archaeological studies, in conjunction with the analysis of ancient travelers' accounts, demonstrate that the operations of iron workshops and mines from the Ilkhanid era onwards have been interconnected with the historical city of Masouleh and have contributed to the growth of the craftsmen and merchants residing within the city. Consequently, these areas have played a substantial role in the formation and development of the historical city of Masouleh, and, in turn, have influenced the progression of human interaction with the environment within the cultural landscape of Masouleh. In the Cultural Landscape of Masouleh, regions pertaining to iron production encompass sponge iron smelting workshops, industrial zones, and ancient mines. It is crucial to acknowledge that historical settlements dating from the Neolithic period to the Qajar era can be traced within this landscape. The archaeological evidence, spanning from the Iron Age III to the present day, holds significant importance in the area, suggesting that upon the discovery of iron and the initiation of sponge iron smelting activities, the cultural landscape of Masouleh has witnessed the evolution and progression of iron-related culture. These locations are dispersed across a vast expanse of the cultural landscape and hold a vital position in the history of sponge iron production in the region. Furthermore, the invention of multi-stage furnaces from the Parthian period has contributed to the development and advancement of iron production techniques in the area.

Tourism areas

Waterfalls: Kooshm, Larcheshme, and Kourbar.

Masuleh also has its own beauties in winter.

Gallery

• 
  Window of building in Masuleh
• 
  The yard of the above building is the roof of the below building
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  The nature of Masuleh
• 
  Buildings are mostly 2 stories
• 

Language

The native people of Masuleh speak Talysh.

See also

• Sar Agha Seyed Village
• Zonouz

References

13. Pourali Mostafa and Mansour Falamaki 2015. Understanding Territories, Case Study: MASOULEH, in kashan University press, http://jias.kashanu.ac.ir

External links

• Masuleh Pictures
• HORIZIN, Masuleh, Photo Set, flikr
• Iran Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization: [1]
• WiseItinerary