Estahban is one of the eastern counties of Fars Province in Iran, bordered by Lake of Bakhtegan from the north, the cities of Neyriz, Ij or Ig and Darab from the east, and the Todaj Mountains from the south, which are essentially a continuation of the Southern Zagros mountain range, and the Runiz Plain from the west. In fact, Estahban County is located in a plain surrounded by mountains.
Estahban is located 175 kilometers from east of Shiraz city, the capital of Fars Province. In historical sources such as Fars Nameh-e Naseri, Habib- Al Seiyar, and The Lands of the Eastern Caliphate is referred to as the land of Shabankarah Kings. Guy Le Strange writes in his book “The Lands of the Eastern Caliphate”: Shabankarah district consist Darabjird, Ig, Niriz, Istahbanat, Fasa cities, and Runiz, and Khasu areas.
For a long time, the name of this city was “Estahbanat”, which was changed to its current name in the 1970s, “Estahban”. It is said that the name of this city is derived from the phrase “Setehban”, meaning vineyard or grape field. Too, the name “Sabounat” is also common among the people of this city. It is interesting to know that in this regard, the famous Iranian singer, Master Shahram Nazeri, has a song titled “Mountains of Sabounat”.
Estahban is one of the oldest cities in Fars Province, and numerous historical monuments from the Achaemenid and Sasanid periods have been found in this area. The people of Estahban speak Persian, and their local dialect contains words from Old Persian and Pahlavi. Also, Turkish nomads live in this area and speak Turkish. The people of this city pay special attention to national and religious rituals. The celebration of Norouz, religious Eve, and mourning ceremonies particularly for Imam Hossein “peace be upon him” as a third Imam are part of their life of cultural.
Attractions of Estahban County
This county has many natural and historical attractions, including the following:
– Lai-e Tarik Waterfall and Sultan Shahbaz Waterfall, which are considered the most beautiful waterfalls in Fars Province.
– The Darb Asyab Countryside and the Ij Region with pristine nature and wonderful views.
– The ancient city of Khir and the Runiz region, are valuable historical areas.
– The Pir Morad Tomb, the Four-arched Mah Farkhan, and the Haji Mahrim or Mohmmad Rahim mud fridge( Ice House) are famous historical monuments in Estahban.
– Lai-e Tarik strait, one of the beautiful mountainous areas that hosts nature enthusiasts.
– Dar- Al Aman Castle, which is considered one of the oldest historical monuments in Fars.
– The Estahban Waterfall itself, which is located in the south of this county and is one of the most beautiful natural areas in this region.
Handicrafts and Souvenirs of Estahban
Among the most famous souvenirs of this region are dried figs, saffron, raisins or currant, grape juice, and handicrafts such as glazed pottery dishes, artistic tiles, carpet weaving, felting, hat weaving, and woodcarving.
Estahban Agricultural Products:
Estahban is known as the largest producer of dry-land figs in the world and is exported to various countries due to its high quality and unique taste.
Also, other products such as saffron from this city are world famous for its unique aroma and taste and, along with figs, are one of the main export products of this region.
Incidentally, one of my university colleagues, Dr. Mohammad Hadi Akhbari, who is originally from Estahban, says about the Imaginative arrangement of the gardens and farms in the region: First, the saffron fields are located in the plains and foothills, then there are the fig trees on the slopes of the mountains, and in the middle of the mountains almond orchards, and finally are placed from the middle of the mountains to the tops of the mountains vine grape.
Of course, other products such as pomegranates and walnuts are also grown in this region.
The largest historic watershed management project in the world
The area of the Estahban fig groves is about 26,000 hectares. It is estimated that there are about 2 million and 600 thousands fig trees and each tree has its private water intake.That is, from ancient times, a watershed management project has been built by the people themselves to collect surface water, considering the drought-resistant nature of the trees, which is unique or rare in its kind. It is worth noting that the heritage system of the dry fig orchards of Estahban has been registered on the FAO World Heritage List.
Austrian physician and writer in Qajar period, Jakob Eduard Polak in his travelogue states: “No nation is equal to the Iranians in the art of water exploitation.
