Kashan facts for kids

For the administrative division of Isfahan County, see Kashan County. For other places with the same name, see Kashan.

Quick facts for kids Kashan کاشان
City
Clockwise from the top: Borujerdi House, Sultan Amir Ahmad Bathhouse, Tabatabai House, Agha Bozorg Mosque, Fin Garden.
Kashan Location in Iran
Country	Iran
Province	Isfahan
County	Kashan
District	Central
Population (2016)
• Urban	304,487
• Metro	432,557
Time zone	UTC+3:30 (IRST)

Timcheh-e Amin o Dowleh, Kashan Bazaar (19th century). These buildings helped cool and ventilate spaces naturally.

Amin-o-Dowleh, a Persian royal envoy who visited Napoleon III.

Kashan (Persian: کاشان) is an old city in Iran. It is located in the northern part of Isfahan province. Kashan is the capital of both Kashan County and its Central District.

History of Kashan
Population of Kashan
Geography of Kashan
Main Sights in Kashan
Kashan Today
Education in Kashan
Getting to Kashan
Famous People from Kashan
Sister Cities
Gallery
See also

History of Kashan

The earliest signs of people living near Kashan go back to the Paleolithic period. Stone tools from this time have been found in areas like Niasar.

Some stories say that Kashan was the home of the three wise men. These men followed a star to Bethlehem to see the birth of Jesus. A traveler named Friar Odoric of Pordenone shared this story in 1330.

There is a legend from the Safavid era about a craftsman named Abu Lu'lu'a. He was a Persian who was enslaved by Islamic conquerors. He later assassinated the caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab in 644. The legend says he fled to Kashan after this event. A shrine built over his supposed tomb is a famous landmark in Kashan.

During the Timurid Empire rule, Kashan was supported by Ulugh Beg. Later, it was ruled by the Qara Qoyunlu and then the Aq Qoyunlu. Kashan was also a favorite vacation spot for Safavid kings.

In 1778, a big earthquake hit Kashan. It destroyed the city and many buildings, causing 8,000 deaths. But the city was rebuilt and started fresh.

A view of Kashan around the 17th century, drawn by Jean Chardin.

Population of Kashan

In 2006, Kashan had about 248,789 people. By 2016, the population grew to 304,487 people.

Geography of Kashan

Kashan is split into two main areas: mountains and desert.

Location of Kashan

Kashan is in the north of Isfahan province. It is north of the Karkas Mountains and west of the Dasht-e Kavir desert. This desert area has little plant life, mostly bushes and shrubs.

Mountains Near Kashan

Dare mountain is 14 kilometers southwest of Kashan. It is 2,985 meters high and overlooks the city. Gargash peak is the second highest peak in the Karkas mountain range. It is 3,600 meters high.

Kashan has very little light and air pollution. Because of this, experts chose it as the best place for the National Observatory of Iran. It is home to one of the largest telescopes in the Middle East.

Ardahal peak is 35 kilometers west of Kashan. It is 3,505 meters high. It is the highest point in the Kashan heights after Gargash.

Climate in Kashan

Kashan has a hot desert climate. This means it has cold winters, but they are warmer than in other Iranian cities. Summers are very hot and dry. Kashan is warmer than many other cities in the Iranian Plateau because it is at a lower elevation.

Climate data for Kashan (1991–2020, records 1966-2020)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	22.0 (71.6)	27.0 (80.6)	36.4 (97.5)	37.0 (98.6)	42.0 (107.6)	48.0 (118.4)	48.0 (118.4)	47.1 (116.8)	43.0 (109.4)	39.0 (102.2)	32.2 (90.0)	24.5 (76.1)	48.0 (118.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	10.7 (51.3)	14.2 (57.6)	19.9 (67.8)	26.0 (78.8)	32.1 (89.8)	38.1 (100.6)	40.8 (105.4)	39.7 (103.5)	35.1 (95.2)	27.5 (81.5)	18.0 (64.4)	12.2 (54.0)	26.2 (79.2)
Daily mean °C (°F)	4.9 (40.8)	8.0 (46.4)	13.4 (56.1)	19.3 (66.7)	25.1 (77.2)	31.0 (87.8)	33.7 (92.7)	32.2 (90.0)	27.3 (81.1)	20.1 (68.2)	11.8 (53.2)	6.4 (43.5)	19.4 (67.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−0.2 (31.6)	2.1 (35.8)	6.9 (44.4)	12.3 (54.1)	17.4 (63.3)	22.4 (72.3)	25.4 (77.7)	23.6 (74.5)	18.9 (66.0)	13.0 (55.4)	6.1 (43.0)	1.4 (34.5)	12.4 (54.4)
Record low °C (°F)	−17.4 (0.7)	−10.0 (14.0)	−4.5 (23.9)	0.0 (32.0)	5.4 (41.7)	10.6 (51.1)	15.2 (59.4)	12.4 (54.3)	10.0 (50.0)	4.5 (40.1)	−8.6 (16.5)	−8.0 (17.6)	−17.4 (0.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	20.6 (0.81)	15.1 (0.59)	26.3 (1.04)	21.6 (0.85)	14.0 (0.55)	1.5 (0.06)	0.4 (0.02)	0.5 (0.02)	0.3 (0.01)	4.7 (0.19)	14.6 (0.57)	14.7 (0.58)	134.3 (5.29)
Average snowfall cm (inches)	12.2 (4.8)	3.5 (1.4)	1.0 (0.4)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.0 (0.0)	0.1 (0.0)	1.4 (0.6)	18.2 (7.2)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	4.1	2.8	3.8	3.5	2.1	0.5	0.2	0.1	0.2	1.2	2.7	3.1	24.3
Average snowy days	2.7	1.2	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.1	1.0	5.5
Average relative humidity (%)	61	52	43	40	33	22	21	22	25	37	53	62	39
Average dew point °C (°F)	−2.8 (27.0)	−2.5 (27.5)	−0.6 (30.9)	3.4 (38.1)	5.8 (42.4)	5.6 (42.1)	7.0 (44.6)	6.3 (43.3)	4.6 (40.3)	3.6 (38.5)	1.2 (34.2)	−1.0 (30.2)	2.6 (36.6)
Mean monthly sunshine hours	187	194	222	234	282	329	332	341	306	264	192	176	3,059
Source 1: NCEI(snowfall 1981-2010)
Source 2: IRIMO(snow days and extremes 1966-2010)[1]

Main Sights in Kashan

On August 9, 2007, Iran suggested that the historical areas of Fin, Sialk, and Kashan could become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2012, the Fin Garden was successfully added to UNESCO's Persian Gardens World Heritage Site list.

Bagh-e Fin, a beautiful Persian garden.

Tabatabaeis House, built in the early 1800s. It shows great traditional Persian architecture.

Aminoddole carvansarai, a historic inn for travelers.

Some of Kashan's famous buildings and places include:

Abbāsi House
Agha Bozorg Mosque
Āmeri House
Bazaar of Kashan
Boroujerdi House
Fin Garden
Jalali Castle
Jameh Mosque of Kashan
Meydan Mosque
Shrine of Abu Lu'lu'a
Sultan Amir Ahmad Bathhouse
Tabātabāei House
Tabriziha Mosque
Tepe Sialk

Kashan Today

Kashan is well-known for making carpets, silk, and other textiles.

Ameri House, a grand historic home.

Education in Kashan

Sultan Amir Ahmad Bathhouse.

The entrance to the University of Kashan.

More than 10,000 students study in Kashan. They learn about many subjects. These include science, engineering, art, law, and medical sciences. They also study nanotechnology, literature, carpets, and handicrafts.

Colleges and universities in Kashan are:

Kashan University of Medical Sciences
Islamic Azad University of Kashan
University of Kashan

Getting to Kashan

You can reach Kashan by:

Road 71
Freeway 7, which is close to the city.

Kashan is connected by freeways to Isfahan and Natanz to the south. It is also connected to Qom to the north, which is about an hour's drive away. The Kashan railway station is on Iran's main north-south railway lines. Kashan Airport reopened in 2016.