Qazvin has sometimes been of central importance at major moments of
Iranian history. It was captured by invading Arabs (644 AD) and destroyed by
Hulagu Khan (13th century). In 1555, after the
Ottoman capture of
Tabriz,
Shah Tahmasp (1524–1576) made Qazvin the capital of the Safavid Empire, a status that Qazvin retained for half a century until
Abbas the Great moved the capital to Isfahan in 1598. It is a provincial capital today that has been an important cultural center throughout its history. Qazvin is located at a crossroad connecting
Tehran,
Tabriz, and the
Caspian Sea region, which has historically been a major factor in its commercial importance.
Prehistory The earliest remains of prehistoric humans have been discovered in a cave called
Qaleh Kurd where archaeologists discovered a Neanderthal tooth. Archaeological findings in the Qazvin plain reveal urban agricultural settlements for at least nine millennia.
Sasanian era Qazvin was founded by
Shapur I (), the second ruler of the
Sasanian Empire. It was refounded by
Shapur II (), who established a
coin mint there. Under the Sasanians, Qazvin functioned as a frontier town against the neighbouring
Daylamites, who made incursions into the place. In 1038/9 (430 AH), along with an alliance of the
Ghuzz, the
Daylamite ruler
Fanna Khusraw came to Qazvin after already sacking Ray the year before.
The Mongols Meanwhile, a new threat was looming – the
Mongols. The Chehel Sotun pavilion is typically attributed to Tahmasp I, although this is not confirmed because there is no inscription. In the second half of the 19th century Qazvin was one of the centers of Russian presence in northern Iran. A detachment of the
Persian Cossack Brigade under Russian officers was stationed here. From 1893 this was the headquarters of the Russian Company for Road construction in Persia which connected Qazvin by roads to Tehran and Hamadan. The company built a hospital and the St. Nicolas Church.
20th century to present In 1920 Qazvin was used as a base for the
British Norperforce. The
1921 Persian coup d'état that led to the rise of the
Pahlavi dynasty was launched from Qazvin. During the reign of
Reza Shah, Qazvin declined in importance as a commercial center as communications improved. The earthquake occurred shortly before Israeli Minister of Agriculture,
Moshe Dayan, was scheduled to visit Iran in mid-September for meetings with the
Shah and with his Iranian counterpart, in order to discuss Israel's possible role in the
White Revolution, a plan for land reform and the modernization of rural Iran. Shortly after the earthquake, two planning experts were sent from Israel to assist with Iranian relief activities. After touring the region and meeting with the Iranian minister in charge of relief efforts, they were assigned to rebuild the village of
Khuznin, located in the center of the Qazvin region. Other teams, both Iranian and foreign, had also arrived in the region to offer assistance and expertise in the reconstruction activities. Each team was assigned one or more villages for planning and rebuilding. Over the course of three months, the Israeli team built hundreds of houses in the village that they had been allocated. In 1963, the Qazvin Development Authority was established to develop the agriculture and water resources of Qazvin and its surroundings. In autumn of 2015 portions of Qazvin were struck by a
meteorite, and in the same year, the city annexed the villages of
Chubin Dar,
Hasanabad,
Kheyrabad,
Mashaldar,
Najafabad,
Naserabad,
Shahrak-e Danesh, and
Vosuqabad. ==Demographics==