Lahijan

Lahijan Lāhijān
Lahijan Pool, a view from the top of Sheitan Koh (Satan’s hill)
Location in Gilan Province and the Lahijan County
Lahijan Location in Iran
Coordinates: 37°12′26″N 50°00′14″E / 37.20722°N 50.00389°E / 37.20722; 50.00389Coordinates: 37°12′26″N 50°00′14″E / 37.20722°N 50.00389°E / 37.20722; 50.00389
Country	Iran
Province	Gilan
County	Lahijan
Bakhsh	Central
Area
• Total	1,428 km2 (551 sq mi)
Elevation	4 m (13 ft)
Population (2006)
• Total	71,871
Time zone	IRST (UTC+3:30)
• Summer (DST)	IRDT (UTC+4:30)
Area code(s)	+98-13 . . .
Website	http://www.lahidjanshora.ir

Lahijan (Persian: Lāhijān‎‎, also known as, Lāhijān) is a Caspian sea resort in and the capital of Lahijan County, Gilan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 71,871, in 21,518 families.

The resort Lahijan has both traditional and modern architecture. The town, which has an Iranian-European urban structure, lies on the northern slope of the Alborz mountains. Its culture and climatic favorable condition have made Lahijan a major tourist hub in northern Iran. The city is basically founded on the sediments remaining from big rivers in Gilan, including the Sefid-Rud (White River). Historically, the city was the major business center and of course the capital of East Gilan during the time of special rulers. Lahijan has also been a tourism hub of the Islamic world during different eras in Iran's history.

The word "Lahijan" is originated from the economic stance the city had during its historical periods. "Lāhijān" is formed by two words: Lah, means silk and "Jan or Gan" means a place where something is done. Therefore, by compounding these two parts, the word "Lahijan or lahigan" was made, which means "a place to obtain silk fiber".

Professor Bahram Farah'vashi who is an Iranian expert in ancient languages says that in the Middle Persian Language; Lah refers to silk, and in Decisive Argument; Lah means the red silk. Therefore, Lahygan (today, Lahijan) is an area where silk is obtained.

It can also mean the place related to people from Yemeni town of Lahij.

In Gilan there are two major Iranian language groups, namely Gilaki and Taleshi, and pockets of two other groups, Tati and Kurdish. The non-Iranian languages include Azeri and some speakers of Gypsy (Romany, of Indic origin).