Arrajan

Iran, Iran

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Arrajan was a medieval Persian city situated between the provinces of Fars and Khuzestan in present-day Iran, historically located near modern-day Behbahan in Khuzestan Province.

The city traces its origins back to the Elamite civilization of the second millennium BCE and was refounded by Sasanian emperor Kavad I in the late 5th and early 6th centuries CE. Known also by the name Weh-az-Amid Kavād meaning "Better than Amida, Kavadh built this," Arrajan flourished due to its fertile soil, abundant water supply, and strategic position within a vast road network connecting Mesopotamia, Susa, Shiraz, and Isfahan with Persian Gulf ports.

It became notable for its linen production and trade of goods such as cloth, dates, grapes, olives, and nuts with distant regions including India and the Far East. The city featured six gates, a citadel, an administrative building, a central Great Mosque, and a bazaar, with advanced infrastructure like subterranean canals for cooling in its warm climate.

The city's prominence peaked in the 10th and 11th centuries but declined due to military conflicts, an earthquake in 1085, and raids by Nizari Ismailis, ultimately leading to its abandonment and replacement by the town of Behbahan nearby. A significant archaeological discovery near the site is the Arjan bowl, a bronze artifact over 3,000 years old decorated with symbolic imagery representing religious and ritual motifs from ancient times, underscoring the deep history of the area .