Yazd has a history of over 5,000 years, dating back to the time of the
Median empire, when it was known as "Ysatis" (or "Issatis"). The present city name, however, is derived from
Yazdegerd I, a
Sassanid ruler. The city was definitely a Zoroastrian centre during Sassanid times. After the
Arab Islamic conquest of Persia, many Zoroastrians migrated to Yazd from neighbouring provinces. By paying a levy, Yazd was allowed to remain Zoroastrian even after its conquest, and
Islam only gradually became the dominant religion in the city.
Amir Chakhmaq Square
Because of its remote desert location and the difficulty of access, Yazd remained largely immune to large battles and the destruction and ravages of war. For instance, it was a haven for those fleeing from destruction in other parts of
Persia during the
Mongol invasion. In 1272 it was visited by
Marco Polo, who remarked on the city's fine silk-weaving industry. In the book
The Travels of Marco Polo, he described Yazd in the following way:
It is a good and noble city, and has a great amount of trade. They weave there quantities of a certain silk tissue known as Yasdi, which merchants carry into many quarters to dispose of. When you leave this city to travel further, you ride for seven days over great plains, finding harbour to receive you at three places only. There are many fine woods producing dates upon the way, such as one can easily ride through; and in them there is great sport to be had in hunting and hawking, there being partridges and quails and abundance of other game, so that the merchants who pass that way have plenty of diversion. There are also wild asses, handsome creatures. At the end of those seven marches over the plain, you come to a fine kingdom which is called
Kerman.
Yazd briefly served as the capital of the
Muzaffarid Dynasty in the fourteenth century, and was unsuccessfully besieged in 1350–1351 by the
Injuids under Shaikh Abu Ishaq. The Friday (or Congregation) Mosque, arguably the city's greatest architectural landmark, as well as other important buildings, date to this period. During the
Qajar dynasty (18th Century AD) it was ruled by the
Bakhtiari Khans.
Under the rule of the Safavid (16th century), some people migrated from Yazd and settled in an area that is today on the Iran-Afghanistan border. The settlement, which was named Yazdi, was located in what is now
Farah City in the
province of the same name in Afghanistan. Even today, people from this area speak with an accent very similar to that of the people of Yazd.
The people of Yazd are known for being peaceful, clever, and hard-working. One of the notable things about Yazd is its family-centred culture. According to official statistics from Iran's National Organization for Civil Registration, Yazd is among the three cities with the lowest divorce rates in Iran.
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Mahdi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
