Jasb

Jasb ( _fa. جاسب Jāsb) is a rural agglomeration ( _fa. دهستان Dêhestān) located 15km NE of Delijan, in Iran.

The rural agglomeration comprises seven local villages ( _fa. ده Dêh) which are situated along the Azna river ( _fa. ازنا)
*Bijegan (بیژگان)
*Veshtekan (وشتکان)
*Vesquneqan (وسکونقان)
*Harazjan (هرازجان)
*Kerogan (کروگان)
*Zor (زر)
*Varan (واران)

History

The history of Jasb can be traced back to the Sassanid era. The story told by the village elders is that during the reign of Shah Ardeshir I , the Shah's cavalry were led into the greener pastures of the valley so that the horses could graze on the abundant greenery and could also drink from the Azna stream. Gradually as the visits from the cavalry became more frequent it was decided that nine shelters would be built in the valley so that the herders of the horses could stay overnight at various places. Eventually these nine shelters became permanently inhabited by the herders and their families and slowly grew into villages of their own. During the 2000 thousand years of permanent occupation two of the shelters were abandoned due to an inability of growing food on the nearby land, one of the these was located west of Kerogan and some traces are still visible, the other was located downstream of Bijegan and due to the periodic flooding of the river all traces have been washed away. As time passed and only seven villages remained which they do until this day.

The first structures were built close to the Qanats so that there would be a constant water supply to the fields and for household use, as the villages grew in size the construction of buildings occurred on stone built terraces, which sloped sharply towards the river, since the river could flood quickly during heavy rains much time and labour was devoted to the maintenance of damaged terraces. Usually the houses would be built uphill from the river and the fields grown on the terraces downhill towards the river.

Geography

These villages are all located at the bottom of the Jasb valley. The valley itself is fed by the solitary Azna river which receives most of its water from the runoff of surrounding Qanats; the valley is surrounded by mountains which form a U-Shaped range, the highest peak is the Kuh-e-Velijeya rising to 3233 metres (10604 feet). Other noticeable peaks that rise over 3000 metres are in order Kuh-e-Gorg, Kuh-e-Ghalid 3155 metres (10352 feet), Kuh-e-Palangast 3135 metres (10286 feet), Kuh-e-Salahlat 3055 metres (10024 feet); however it should be noted that these mountains rise from a valley level of 2200 metres.

Lifestyle

The villages in Jasb are traditional Iranian rural farming villages. The farms are irrigated through a system of open aqueducts which are fed by waters of the nearby Qanats. The waters of the qanats are used during summer and spring when farming is at its most active. During the bitter cold months of winter when temperatures can reach as low as -30°C with several metres of snow falling, no farming is undertaken as the cold weather does not allow any plant life to grow. Persian Carpet making is next in importance to farming and throughout the years there have been hundreds of precious carpets made by the local women population.

Population

The total population for these seven villages is currently around 5900, however this figure is currently decreasing as more of the youth abandon the rural life and head for the larger cities like Tehran and Isfahan. The main population center is located at Kerogan, which is the largest of the seven villages, followed in size by Bijegan. The overall majority of the population of Jasb follow the Shia Muslim religion but in the past there were many followers of the Baha'i Faith. At one point during the 1950s more than half of the population in Kerogan were Baha'is. The other village which had a few Baha'i families is Vesquneqan. During the the month of Ramadan in 1955, Sheikh Mohammad Taqi Falsafi, a populist preacher, started one of the highest-profile anti-Bahá'í propaganda schemes in Iran. After receiving permission from the Shah to state anti-Bahá'í rhetoric in his sermons, he encouraged other clergy to discuss the Bahá'í issue in their sermons. These sermons caused mob violence against Bahá'ís; Bahá'í properties were destroyed, their livestock stolen or killed, theír centres looted, theír cemeteries desecrated, Bahá'ís were killed, some hacked to pieces, Bahá'í women were abducted and forced to marry Muslims, and Bahá'ís were expelled and dismissed from schools and employment. Due to the increasing amount of persecution suffered by the Baha'is at the hands of the Muslim majority, they were left with no choice than to abandon their lifestyle and dwellings, in search of a better life in Tehran.

External links

* [http://weblog.zendehrood.com/Gallery?ArchiveID=2597 "Pictures of Jasb villages"]