Bigherd (Persian: بيغرد)[a] is a village in, and the capital of, Tang-e Narak Rural District of the Central District of Khonj County, Fars province, Iran.[4]

Bigherd
Persian: بيغرد
town
Bigherd is located in Iran
Bigherd
Bigherd
Coordinates: 27°51′16″N 53°36′58″E / 27.85444°N 53.61611°E / 27.85444; 53.61611[1]
CountryIran
ProvinceFars
CountyKhonj
DistrictCentral
Rural DistrictTang-e Narak
First settled14th century
Population
 (2016)[2]
 • Total
2,593
Time zoneUTC+3:30 (IRST)

History

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A wedding in Bigherd, 1960s

Bigherd, has a rich 700-year history, The population in Bigherd is originally descended from Khonj, moving into Bigherd in the 14th century, some other people from kariyan moved into bigherd after the 1914 famine in Iran, they are called the "karyuni" people in the local language, meaning they came from kariyan

Many of the Bigherd population have moved to GCC countries as early as the 1950s as expats. Bigherd is also a common place for earthquakes, with one on 18 November 1998. Five people were killed as a result of the earthquake, and 80 injured. Between 50 and 100% of the houses in Bigherd village sustained some significant degree of damage.

A second earthquake measuring 4.8 on the Richter scale occurred at 22:00 local time on the same day. Roads to the area reportedly remain blocked due to landslides, making access to gather information and to transport possible casualties impossible.

Kal’e Tokh Palace (Tokh Castle), was completely destroyed due to the great Bigherd earthquake, it belonged to Ahmad Tokh.

 
Bigherd's last chief (second to left) in the 1970s. The tradition of a village chief started in the 14th century Bigherd and was abolished after the Iranian revolution in 1979

Ahmad Tokh was the chief of Bigherd. He was a Prince at the time of Al-Kia, and was exiled to the south of the country (Bigherd) after the fall of the government. His palace was destroyed by cannons during the Qajar rule

During the Iranian revolution many Bigherdis hated the idea of disposing the shah, even today they dislike the government, and during the revolution many Bigherdis welcomed khosrow khan qashqai, thinking he would be the future leader, but eventually khosrow khan was executed in 1982

Projects

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Bigherd has been quickly developing for the past 20 years, with many projects being added, like the Bigherd park, opened in 2020 and made from a fundraiser by Kavoos Ghasemi, there was also the Bigherd sports center, made in honor of Fardin, a well known individual diagnosed with Down syndrome in the village.

Demographics

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Population

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At the time of the 2006 National Census, the village's population was 2,469 in 419 households.[5] The following census in 2011 counted 2,719 people in 651 households.[6] The 2016 census measured the population of the village as 2,593 people in 664 households. It was the most populous village in its rural district.[2]

Overview

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The town is located 15 km from Khonj. Its exports are dates and watermelons. The watermelons from bigherd are considered the best type of watermelons in the region.

The name Bigherd in the Avestani language means “The Khodadade region”, which historians believe is derived from a river called Bigh-rood that existed in the 14th century, bigh-rood means “beside the river” in Persian The climate of this area is hot and dry. This village is known as the jewel of Larestan because of its rapid and sudden development and having countless benefactors. Bigherd has more than 800 residential houses and a population of more than 2,593 people. Bigherd is the center of Tang e Narak district. The people of bigherd speak the achomi language and the religion of the bigherdi people is Sunni Shafi'i Islam. The ancient and natural areas of bigherd include Tokh Castle; Shahneshin Castle; Tange Narak Spring; Tomb of Pirjafti; Tomb of Seyyed Makram. The town has made significant progress since 2010 at the hands of Bigherd's benefactors.it also had two old schools in the 70s and now it has a kindergarten and six schools for boys and girls, and its new schools were established in the 1990s and the 2000s

Historical monuments

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Berka aali, 2023

Bigherd's landmarks have been changing throughout time, because of the earthquakes that hit the village, not all buildings survive that long, Bigherd's most well known landmark is berka aali (برکه عالی), an abanbar (called berka in the Achomi language) built during the qajar times, it has gone through many earthquakes and floods, yet it still stands strong.

See also

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  Iran portal

Notes

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  1. ^ Also romanized as Bīgherd; also known as Bīqerd and Bokherd[3]

References

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  1. ^ OpenStreetMap contributors (6 October 2024). "Bigherd, Khonj County" (Map). OpenStreetMap (in Persian). Retrieved 6 October 2024.
  2. ^ a b Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1395 (2016): Fars Province. amar.org.ir (Report) (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. Archived from the original (Excel) on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  3. ^ Bigherd can be found at GEOnet Names Server, at this link, by opening the Advanced Search box, entering "-3056381" in the "Unique Feature Id" form, and clicking on "Search Database".
  4. ^ Aref, Mohammad Reza (c. 2021) [Approved 7 November 1383]. Divisional reforms in Fars province. qavanin.ir (Report) (in Persian). Ministry of the Interior, Defense Political Commission of the Government Board. Proposal 50866/42/1/4; Notification 58538/T26118H. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2023 – via Laws and Regulations Portal of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
  5. ^ Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1385 (2006): Fars Province. amar.org.ir (Report) (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. Archived from the original (Excel) on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  6. ^ Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1390 (2011): Fars Province. irandataportal.syr.edu (Report) (in Persian). The Statistical Center of Iran. Archived from the original (Excel) on 16 January 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2022 – via Iran Data Portal, Syracuse University.