Timeline • 682: Rasht was first mentioned in
Umayyad historical documents. • 1669:
Stenka Razin, a
Cossack warlord, plundered the city. • 1714: Rasht destroyed by earthquake. • 1722–1732:
Occupation by the
Russians due to the
Russo-Persian War. • 1901: A major epidemic plague devastates the city. • 1917–1920: The Russian and British armed forces fight in the port city of
Bandar-e Anzali and Rasht. The British retreat and the Russians occupy the area. • 1920–1921: The short-lived
Gilan Soviet Socialist Republic was established with its capital in Rasht. • 1937: A revolt, sparked by the desire to collect a "road tax" from the Russians, was suppressed. • 1974: First university established in Rasht. Rasht was first mentioned in
Umayyad historical documents in 682 CE. It has seen the
Sassanid era, the
Rashidun conquest, the armies of
Peter the Great and later
Russian rulers, and
British colonialism. The people of Rasht also played a major role in the
Constitutional Revolution of Iran. Rasht has, along with regions around Tabriz and Tehran, one of the earliest industry plants during the last quarter of the 19th century, prominently in fields such as fishing, caviar production, the Caspian sea oil pipeline construction and textiles. During the 20th century, until the mid-70s, Gilan and the Rasht region was the third-ranking industrial city in Iran by number of workers and per capita productivity. It lost its cultural and industrial status to a large extent after the 1970s. The people of Rasht played a prominent role in instigation and radicalization of the
Persian Constitutional Revolution (1905–1907). Rasht is the birthplace of
Mīrzā Kūchak Khān, one of the leading figures of the Constitutional Revolution. His own movement in
Gilan, which went by the name of
Jangalis, represented a pro-modern and social democratic program for reformation of Muslim rituals and traditions. Mirza established the short-lived
Persian Socialist Soviet Republic in 1920 after the defeat of the constitutional forces and in coalition with Iranian communists. The republic had the support of the newly established Russian Red Army. The Soviet Government, after a turn of military and political strategy proposed by Trotsky, withdrew its support and the republic itself was tormented by the inner conflicts between the newly established
Iranian Communist Party (1919) and the Jangalis and other factions. The republic was finally defeated by the Iranian army under the command of Reza Shah. The first national library of Iran was established in Rasht under the
Qajar dynasty.
Nasim-e-Shomal, the first modern newspaper of Iran after the constitutional revolution, has been initially published in Rasht. First Public Library of Iran was built in Rasht City. First Branch of the First Iranian Bank (Sepah Bank) was located in Rasht City. First branch of 24/7 pharmacy (Karoon pharmacy) was built in Rasht City. First school for girls and first fire station in Iran were also built in Rasht City. The city of Rasht was the center of Gilan and the center of the first province of the country. During the
Qajar period, along with economic development between Iran and Russia, Noghan trade and other products expanded. Thus, Rasht became the gateway to
Europe in the 19th century. , a Russian orientalist and writer who visited Rasht at the end of 1860, wrote in his published notes that the city at that time had 5463 houses, 1021 shops, 22 mosques, 34 schools and 17 bathhouses, and a population of 27,314. At that time, Rasht's political credibility was such that the
Russian,
British, and
Ottoman governments had consulates in Rasht.
Modern day Rasht is turning into an industrialized town like most of the Iranian large cities and province capitals. Enjoying the Kadus International Hotel and hundreds of tourist attractions, Rasht receives thousands of foreign tourists annually, mostly from
Austria,
Germany,
Netherlands,
France,
Australia,
Japan and
African countries like
Senegal and
Cameroon as well as countries from
Oceania like
Micronesia. Rasht is known for its famous municipal building, located in the Square of Municipality, which was constructed circa 1900, and has been renovated each year. Due to the high amount of humidity in Rasht which damages and destroys the aged buildings, the native, older architectural texture of Rasht is gradually being replaced with the modern skyscrapers and apartments. The culture of
consumerism is prevalent among the people of Rasht as a cultural and urban center which is historically engaged in close commercial and political ties with the
United Kingdom,
Russia and
France. Due to this background which makes the inhabitants much familiar with the industrial, cultural and political developments of the west, the finance and credit institutions are more willing to open representative offices and bureaus in Rasht and it has made the city a center of various banks and financial organizations. There are many commercial centers, malls and financial institutions in Rasht including one branch of the Exports Development Bank of Iran which is an international bank dealing with the Iranian exports. The organizers and directors of national Iranian or non-Iranian banks afford to spend considerable amounts of budgets to construct attractive and modern buildings for their offices in Rasht. Since the
Islamic Revolution of 1979 in Iran, there have always been requests on behalf of Russian,
Turkish and
Azerbaijani banks to open branches in Rasht and that is why the city is endowed as the "gate of Europe" in Iran. The head consulate of the
Russian Federation government is located in Rasht and some of the other
Caspian region countries are also keen to establish representative headquarters in Rasht alongside their embassies in
Tehran. Some evidences are the
University of Gilan which was constructed jointly by the governments of
Iran and
West Germany about 40 years ago, the building of
IRIB representatives in Rasht which was constructed jointly by the Iranian and
Belgian engineers. On January 8 and 9, 2026, during the
2025-2026 Iranian protests, the Iranian government perpetrated the
2026 Rasht massacre in trying to suppress the anti-government protests. According to the
HRANA, at least 392 people have been killed in Rasht. File:Kolah Farangi in Rasht.jpg|Kolah Farangi Mansion File:Mohtasham park in Rasht.jpg|Mohtasham Park in Rasht File:Municipal Square.jpg|Rasht Municipality File:Rasht Saravan park.jpg|Rasht Saravan Park File:Governor building of Guilan in Rasht.JPG|Governor Building of Guilan in Rasht
First of Iran • The first branch of
Bank Sepah and first Bank of Iran was established in Rasht in 1925 • The first girls' school in Iran was established in Rasht • The first day & night pharmacy in Iran was established in Rasht • The first sanatorium for the elderly and disabled in Iran was established in Rasht • The first National Library of Iran was established in Rasht in 1920 • The first city in which the sewage system was established • The first city in which the
Russian,
British,
French and Ottoman governments opened their consulates and had political representatives. • The first national hospital in Iran named Poursina Hospital • The first classical theater in Iran
Streets and boulevards • Golsar Street • Imam Ali Boulevard • Shahid Chamran Boulevard • Ayatollah Taleghani Boulevard • Resalat Street • Shohaday-e Gomnam Boulevard • Ostadsara Street • Esteghamat Street • Deylaman Boulevard • Moallem Boulevard • Imam Khomeini Boulevard • Valiasr Street • Enghelab Street • Azadi Street • Azadegan Boulevard • Shahid Ansari Street • Farhang Street • Parastar Boulevard • Bastani Shoaar Street • Afakhra Street • Pasdaran Street • 22 Bahman Boulevard • Alamolhoda Street • Saadi Street • Tohid Street • Navab Street • Gilan Boulevard • Gholipour Boulevard • Habibzadeh Boulevard • Ansari Boulevard • Suleman Darab Boulevard • Takhti Street • Bisotun Street File:Golsar street Rasht.jpg|Golsar Street File:Rasht 2013 (18) (15065756872).jpg|Golsar Street File:Rasht gilan bolvar.jpg|Gilan Street File:Rasht Ansari street in night.jpg|Ansari Street ==Demographics==