Kerman is the capital city of Kerman Province, Iran. It is the largest and most developed city in Kerman Province and the most important city in the southeast of Iran. It is also one of the largest cities of Iran in terms of area. Kerman is famous for its long history and strong cultural heritage. The city is home to many historic mosques and Zoroastrian fire temples. Kerman is also on the recent list of the world’s 1000 cleanest cities. Kerman became the capital city of Iranian dynasties several times during its history. It is located on a large flat plain, south of Tehran.
History- Kerman city was founded as a defensive outpost with the name Veh-Ardashir by Ardashir I who was the founder of the Sasanian Empire in the 3rd century AD. After the Battle of Nahāvand in 642, the city came under Muslim rule. At first, the city’s relative isolation allowed Kharijites and Zoroastrians to thrive there but the Kharijites were wiped out in 698 and the population was mostly Muslim by 725. Already in the eighth century, the city was famous for its manufacture of cashmere wool shawls and other textiles. The Abbasid Caliphate’s authority over the region was weak and power passed in the tenth century to the Buyid dynasty, which maintained control even when the region and city fell to Mahmud of Ghazni in the late tenth century. The name Kerman was adopted at some point in the tenth century
Under the rule of the Seljuq Turks in the 11th and 12th centuries, Kerman remained virtually independent, conquering Oman and Fars. When Marco Polo visited Kerman in 1271, it had become a major trade emporium by that time, linking the Persian Gulf with Khorasan and Central Asia. Subsequently, however, the city was sacked many times by various invaders. Kerman expanded rapidly during the Safavid dynasty. Carpets and rugs were exported to England and Germany during this period.
In 1793, Lotf Ali Khan defeated the Qajars and in 1794, he captured Kerman. But soon after, he was besieged in Kerman city for six months by Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar. When the city fell to Agha Mohammad Khan, angered by the popular support that Lotf Ali Khan had received, many of the male inhabitants were killed or blinded and a pile was made out of 20,000 detached eyeballs and poured in front of the victorious Agha Mohammad Khan. Many women and children were sold into slavery and in ninety days the city turned into ruins. However, the Zoroastrians of Kerman who had been strong supporters of Lotf Ali Khan suffered the wrath of the founder of Qajar dynasty the most during this period.
The present city of Kerman was rebuilt in the 19th century to the northwest of the old city, but the city did not return to its former size until the 20th century.