The Karun, the largest river in Iran by volume,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> flows through the center of the city. It is one of two navigable rivers in Iran, alongside the Arvand Rud.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Ahvaz has earned the reputation of being the City of Bridges due to its numerous big bridges built on the Karun to facilitate better communication between the east and west parts of the city,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> although since the beginning of the 20th century, this city has always been known as the Oil Capital of Iran, along with other cities of Khuzestan province.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
The city known today as Ahvaz was first recognized as an urban settlement in ancient times under the name Taryana.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This name clearly reflects “Daryāna”<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref> derived from “Daryān” the legendary name of Darius, and also refers to a powerful dynasty of Persian kings that ruled after the Achaemenid period.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref>
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” (هرمَزد 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”,<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> but it is unclear if this change was made by Ardashir I in 230 (cf. Encyclopædia Iranica, al-Maqdisi, et al.)<ref>Dodgeon M. H. and Lieu S. N. C., The Roman Eastern Frontier and The Persian Wars; A Documentary History, London (1991), p.35; Template:ISBN</ref> or by his grandson Hormizd I according to the Middle Persian Šahrestānīhā ī Ērānšahr. The king built a dam over the Karun River in the city, which increased its significance, and soon Darawashir became the capital of the province of Susiana (modern-day Khuzestan).<ref name=":1" /><ref>cf. Encyclopædia Iranica</ref>
The commercial center of Susiana was located on one side of the river in Darawshir (eastern Ahvaz, in the area stretching from Khorram-kushk to the present-day “Chaharrah-e Zand”) and was known as “Hujestan Wajar” (the market ofHuzestan). The other side of the river served as the administrative center and residence of the nobility (western Ahvaz, in the area of Amaniyeh, Lashkar, and present-day Lashkarabad) and was called Horamshir.<ref name=":1" />
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)."<ref>Encyclopædia Iranica, p.690, see entry: Ahvaz</ref>
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. Khaz'al al-Ka'bi was recognized by Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar as hereditary ruler of the Emirate of Muhammara, Sardar Asad Bakhtiari, as the most powerful leader of the Bakhtiari people. He had power and authority over most regions of Khuzestan, such as Dezful, Shushtar, Izeh, even Ahvaz and Amir Mojahede Bakhtiari in Ramhormoz and Behbahan. At this time, the newly founded Ahvaz was named Nâseri in honour of its founder Nasser ed-Din Shah Qajar. Afterwards, during Pahlavi Iran, it resumed its old name, Ahvaz. The government of Khuzestan province was transferred there from Shushtar in 1926. The Trans-Iranian Railway reached Ahvaz in 1929 and by World War II, Ahvaz had become the principal built-up area of the interior of Khūzestān. Professional segregation remained well marked between various groups in that period still feebly integrated: Persians, sub-groupings of Persians and Arabs. Natives of Isfahan Province held an important place in retail trade, as owners of cafes and hotels, and as craftsmen.<ref>Ibid, p.690</ref>
During World War II, in July 1942, a camp for Polish refugees was established in Ahvaz (see also Iran–Poland relations).<ref name=jw>Template:Cite book</ref> Some 4,000 Poles were housed there as of May 1943.<ref name=jw/>
Iraq attempted to annex Khuzestan and Ahvaz in 1980, resulting in the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988). Ahvaz was close to the front lines and suffered severely during the war. Iraq had hoped to exacerbate ethnic tensions and win over popular support for the invaders. Most accounts say that the Arabs of Khuzestan resisted the Iraqis rather than welcome them as liberators. However, some Iranian Arabs claim that as a minority, they face discrimination from the central government; they agitate for the right to preserve their cultural and linguistic distinction and more provincial autonomy. See Politics of Khuzestan.
In 1989, the Foolad Ahvaz steel facility was built near the town. This company is best known for its company-sponsored football club, Foolad F.C., which was the champion of Iran's Premier Football League in 2005.
It is common to encounter people from various ethnic groups while strolling through Ahvaz's streets and markets.<ref name="en.mehrnews.com">Template:Cite web</ref>
The Black Bridge, also known as the Victory Bridge, was the first modern bridge over the Karun River. The bridge was built during World War II and used to supply the Allies in the Soviet Union and had a major impact on Allied victory.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
White Bridge is an arch bridge completed on 21 September 1936 and inaugurated on 6 November 1936. The bridge remains a symbol of the city still today. The White Bridge has two suspension spans with lengths of 136 and 130 meters and three arched spans with a length of 49 meters, which makes the total length of the bridge 501 meters. The bridge was built by the Swedish company Skanska.
is the eighth intra-urban bridge in Ahvaz.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It is the largest cable bridge in the Middle East.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Construction started in February 2006 and ended in March 2012.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The bridge connects the Amaniyeh area and Takht-e Soleyman street, which are located west of the Karun river, with Zand street, which is located east of this river.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Other
The other 6 bridges are third bridge, Naderi bridge, Fifth bridge, Sixth bridge, Seventh bridge (also named Dialogue among civilizations bridge), Cable bridge, and Ninth bridge.
Geography
Location and roads
Ahvaz is located 100 km north-east of Abadan and is accessible via following routes in addition of a single runway airport:
Ahvaz, being the largest city in the province, consists of two distinctive districts: the newer part of Ahvaz which is the administrative and industrial center, which is built on the right bank of the Karun river while residential areas are found in the old section of the city, on the left bank.
Ahvaz has a subtropicalhot desert climate (Köppen climate classification: BWh) with long, extremely hot summers and cool, short winters. Summer temperatures are regularly at least Template:Convert, sometimes exceeding Template:Convert,<ref name="hottest">Template:Cite web</ref> with many sandstorms and duststorms common during the summer period. However, in winters, the minimum temperature can fall to around Template:Convert. Winters in Ahvaz have no snow. The average annual rainfall is around 230 mm. On 29 June 2017 the temperature reached Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Furthermore, the dew point peaked at Template:Convert which is unusually humid for the usual dry heat. Despite the fact that it has only snowed in January 1964 in Ahvaz, frost has been recorded in every winter month, as well as in early spring and late autumn, and it has fallen down to Template:Convert before.
File:Ahvaz-Atisha-2584.pngImage of a flare stack in Ahvaz, due to inefficient combustion, emits tons of black colored soot into the atmosphere, causing problems like climate change and cancer around the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Pollution
In 2011, the World Health Organization ranked Ahvaz as the world's most air-polluted city.<ref name="WHO">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The reason Ahvaz is so polluted is because of its oil industry. The pollution can be very dangerous, causing different types of diseases, and can be harmful to plants.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
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.
Traditionally, Khuzestan province has been a major soccer hub in Iran. The city has two existing sport complexes: Takhti Stadium and the newly constructed Ghadir Stadium. There are several other smaller complexes for martial arts, swimming pools and gymnasiums. Also, a new privately owned stadium is currently under construction by Foolad F.C. in Ahvaz.
Foolad have won the league on two occasions, the 2013–2014 season and the 2004–2005 season. Esteghlal Ahvaz finished runners–up in the league in the 2006–2007 season. In 2016, Esteghlal Khuzestan won the league for the first time.
Current Ahvaz is in a very privileged position in the country due to the presence of large and prestigious universities in terms of higher education. On Sunday, October 1955 Gandishaport University was founded, which was renamed to Jandishapur shortly after, and was known by the same name until the beginning of the Islamic Revolution. Ahvaz is also known for its universities as well as its role in commerce and industry. Ahvaz institutes of higher learning include:
Manuchehr Shahrokhi, Professor of Finance, California State University; Editor, Global Finance Journal; Executive Director, Global Finance Association-Conference
