Aligoudarz اليگودرز |
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city | |
Central Square of Aligudarz
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Coordinates: 33°24′02″N 49°41′42″E / 33.40056°N 49.69500°ECoordinates: 33°24′02″N 49°41′42″E / 33.40056°N 49.69500°E | |
Country | Iran |
Province | Lorestan |
County | Aligudarz |
Bakhsh | Central |
Population (2006) | |
• Total | 78,690 |
Time zone | IRST (UTC+3:30) |
• Summer (DST) | IRDT (UTC+4:30) |
Climate | Csa |
Aligoudarz (Persian: اليگودرز, also Romanized as Alīgūdarz, Aligoodarz; also known as ‘Ali Gudār) is a city in and capital of Aligudarz County, Lorestan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 78,690, in 18,115 families.
Aligudarz is located 503 km from Tehran and situated in a region which is a mixture of plain and foothill, thus enjoying a mountainous mild climate. Oshtorankuh Mountain range and Aligudarz River are situated here.
The origins of the city are unknown. The city of Aligudarz was once called Al-e Goodarz (meaning sons or tribe of Goodarz, a mythical Iranian hero from the Persian national epic Shahnameh).
In the past, the monastery of this city was a religious training center for the Kizilbash and darvishes.
In the mountains and hills around Aligudarz, ancient objects have been discovered including rectangular brick earthenware from the 13th century AD.
Important natural and historical sites of Aligudarz include:
The city's inhabitants belong to the Bakhtiari ethnic group, and are bilingual in Persian and Luri. The overwhelming majority of the population are of the Shia Muslim confession. Throughout the centuries very large numbers of people of Khunsar and Golpayegan have settled in the city. There was once a Jewish community that has either been assimilated into mainstream Islam or emigrated out of the city. The last known Jewish inhabitants fled the city during the Islamic Revolution.