The township of Ashtian is located to the northeast of Arak in MARKAZI Province. It is one of the ancient regions of the province. The people of this region were Zoroastrian before Islam. Their most important fire-temple was the Verd fire-temple. Today, Ashtian is one of the developing regions in Markazi province. Ashtian is 270 km. from Tehran.
Ashtian lies in a fertile agricultural district, watered by surface streams and qanats. The region is a famous one for carpet-weaving. Among its historical monuments is the remains of a fortress and a Safavid era caravanserai. Several learned men and religious figures have stemmed from Ashtian.
The Mostowfi family (Mostofi / Mostoufi) of Ashtian occupied several roles within the Qajar (Ghajar) and Pahlavi administrative system. Abbas Eqbaal Ashtiani, a celebrated Iranian literary figure, and Abdolkarim Gharib, founder of geological research in Iran, were born in Ashtian. Father of Dr Mohammad Gharib, founder of modern Paediatrics in Iran, was also a native of Ashtian.
The people of Ashtian speak a peculiar Persian dialect known as Ashtiani. They follow the Shia branch of Islam.
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