The Patterns of the Emergence of Cities and Urbanization in the History of Iran

The background and the history of urban relations and conditions in Iran are very lengthy and complicated. Therefore, the related discussions are also very difficult. Among these complicated discussions one may refer to the patterns of the emergence of the urban society which possess a unique place in the history of urban studies in Iran.The long history of urban relations in Iran, and the socioeconomic consequences of this form of communal life in the evolution of Iranian society show the importance of research in this field. The studies dealing with the similarities and differences between cities and villages and the continuity of urban and rural societies prepare the ground for studies in the social history of Iran. The present study attempts to observe whether urbanization was a natural consequence of the social relations in Iran or was it the result of a range of heterogeneous factors. The results of the present study show that, in spite of the usual ideas, urbanization in Iran is the result of multiple factors and it should not be attributed only to the political factor which is only one of the many influencing and affecting factors.