Rasht
City in Gilan province, Iran / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Rasht?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Rasht (Persian: رشت, romanized: Rašt [ɾæʃt] ⓘ; Gilaki: رٚشت, romanized: Rəšt)[4][lower-alpha 1] is a city in the Central District of Rasht County, Gilan province, in Iran. Rasht serves as capital of the province, the county, and the district.[5] The city is also known as the "City of Rain" (شهر باران, Šahr-e Bārān) and, with a population of 679,995 in 2016,[3] is the most populous city of northern Iran.
Rasht
| |
---|---|
City | |
Nicknames: Rain City, Rasht-Heaven | |
Coordinates: 37°16′28″N 49°35′20″E[1] | |
Country | Iran |
Province | Gilan |
County | Rasht |
District | Central |
Government | |
• Mayor | Rahim Shoghi [2] |
• City Council Chairman | Mohammad Hossein Vasegh Kargarnia |
Area | |
• Total | 95 km2 (37 sq mi) |
Population (2016)[3] | 679,995 |
Time zone | UTC+3:30 (IRST) |
Area code | 013 |
Website | rasht |
Rasht is the largest city on Iran's Caspian Sea coast. Due to being between the coast and the mountains, the local environment is rainy with a humid subtropical climate. It also has temperate rainforest to its south, contrasting to the mostly arid Iran.
It is a major trade center between Caucasia, Russia, and Iran using the port of Bandar-e Anzali. Rasht is also a major tourist center with the resort of Masouleh in the adjacent mountains and the beaches of Caspian as some of the major attractions.
Historically, Rasht was a major transport and business center which connected Iran to Russia and the rest of Europe, and because of this was known as the "Gate of Europe". The city has a history that goes back to the 13th century but its modern history dates back to the Safavid era during which Rasht was a major silk trade center with numerous textile workshops. In 2015, this city joined the network of creative cities of the world as a creative gastronomy city under the supervision of UNESCO.