Qazwin

Qazvin قزوین Caspian , Minoodar , Razhia , Arsas
Shazdeh Hosein shrine
Seal
Motto: Mirror of History & Natural of Iran
Qazvin
Coordinates: 36°16′N 50°00′E / 36.267°N 50.000°E / 36.267; 50.000Coordinates: 36°16′N 50°00′E / 36.267°N 50.000°E / 36.267; 50.000
Country	Iran
Province	Qazvin
County	Qazvin
Bakhsh	Central
Government
• Type	Mayor-Council
• Mayor	Masoud Nosrati
Area
• Total	64.132 km2 (24.762 sq mi)
Elevation	1,278 m (4,193 ft)
Population (2017)
• Total	596,932
• Density	9,030/km2 (23,400/sq mi)
Time zone	IRST (UTC+3:30)
• Summer (DST)	IDST (UTC+4:30)
Area code(s)	028
Website	www.qazvin.ir

Qazvin (/kæzˈviːn/; Persian: قزوین‎‎, IPA: [ɢæzˈviːn], also Romanized as Qazvīn, Caspin, Qazwin, or Ghazvin) is the largest city and capital of the Province of Qazvin in Iran. Qazvin was an ancient capital in the Safavid dynasty and nowadays is known as the calligraphy capital of Iran. It is famous for its Baghlava, carpet patterns, poets, political newspaper and pahlavi (Middle Persian) influence on its accent. At the 2011 census, its population was 381,598.

Located in 150 km (93 mi) northwest of Tehran, in the Qazvin Province, it is at an altitude of about 1,800 m (5,900 ft) above sea level. The climate is cold but dry, due to its position south of the rugged Alborz range called KTS Atabakiya.

The city was a capital of the Persian Empire under Safavids in 1548-1598. It is a provincial capital today that has been an important cultural center throughout history.

Archeological findings in the Qazvin plain reveal urban agricultural settlements for at least nine millennia. Qazvin geographically connects Tehran, Isfahan, and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian seacoast and Asia Minor, hence its strategic location throughout the ages.

The city today known as Qazvin is thought to have been founded by Shapur II, King of Persia in 250 CE, under the name Shad Shahpur (shad can be read as 'happy'), when he built a fortification there to control regional tensions.