Located in the east of Mazandaran province, the beautiful city of Behshahr is limited northward by the Miyankaleh Gulf, eastward by the Galoogah city, southward by the Alborz mountain range and Damghan city and westward by the cities of Sari and Neka. The first Safavid monarch, Shah ʻAbbas, had palaces, buildings and magnificent gardens built in this city, which he named Ashraf. It was highly praised by tourists in the last years.
Behshahr covers an area of 3106 square kilometers. Its southern part is mountainous and the plains lie in its northern part. The mountain area has a cold and temperate climate. The plains have housed different civilizations because of their fertile terraced soil. The plain of Behshahr consists of the eastern and western parts. The western most part of the plain is the continuation of the conical alluvial autcrops of Neka river and, together with its delta areas, has constituted the dwelling area of earlier human group. The northern and northeastern parts of the plain are extension of the bay of Miyankaleh and, owing to their shallow lands and the advancing sea, have a salty soil which have made them unsuitable for settlement in the past. Such conditions have affected the formation of rural settlements in the course of the Islamic period, particulary in the contemporary era. Thus, the population density and distribution of these villages today conformswith those of past millennia.
Behshahr consists of three towns: Behshahr, Rostam- Kola and Galoogah, and three districts: Central (with two hamlets of Miyankaleh and Koohestan), Galoogah and Yaneh-Sar (with Shohada and ʻAsharestaq hamlets).
……….Tourist Attractions……….
Natural Attractions
Miyankaleh Peninsula
Covering an area of 68800 hectares, it is located on the southeastern edge of the Caspian Sea and the northeastern edge of Behshahr. Miyankaleh Peninsula has an altitude of 20 meters below free sea level.This habitat is a collection of coastal sands, marshy land, ponds, woodland areas covered with tamarisk shrubs, sandy hills, Anarestan forest and raspberry bushes. Some 126 species of aquatic birds have been reported in the area 40 species of which are internationally significant in terms of regeneration of egret, herons, swallows and glareola in the summer. In addition to the birds, reference can be also made to mammals such as the jackal, boar, forest cat and the Caspian seals.
- Sembi Waterfall:Yakh-Kesh village
- Sang-e Now Tourist Attraction:4Km south of Behshahr, after Farrash-Mahalleh District
- Zagh-e Marz Seaside: 8Km of the center of Behshahr
- Public Forest of Mehraban-Rood: Rostam-Kola, forest area
- Forest of Pasand: Behshahr
- Forest of Sorkh-e Ou: Khalil-Shahr, 14Km of the city center
- Forest of Yaneh-Sar: Behshahr, 5Km of the city center
- Fadak Seaside Park: Rostam-Kola
- Mountains: Mountains of the southern edge of Behshahr are Darab (284 m), Torshido (2600 m), Andarak (2225 m), Sardarreh (1851 m) and Badeleh (3211 m).
……….Historical and Cultural Attractions……….
Historical Complex of ʻAbbas-Abad
Located southeast of Behshahr, 7Km of the city center, the complex includes a building, a dam, a bath, a brick tower, the Gol-Bagh garden and cobblestone-paved road. In addition, there are equipped restaurants, playing park, a museum,prayer hall and pedaling boats. Limited by the sea and the central Alborz region, it is in the middle of a lush forest. The historical complex was built upon the order of Shah ʻAbbas, the first Safavid monarch.
An elaborate water distribution system exists in the different areas of this garden. Covering an area about 10 hectares, the lake of the complexhas an altitude of 400 meters above the Caspian Sea level. It is one of the cultural and natural attractions in Mazandaran, which many tourists visit every year.
Safiabad Palace
Safi-Abad Palace is currently in military use and thus cannot be visited. Built upon the order of the Safavid monarch, it is located southwest of Behshahr, on a mountain overlooking a plain. It was developed during the reign of Shah Safi, the grandson of Shah ʻAbbas, but Shah ʻAbbas himself was most interested in it. Located in a beautiful garden, it is a two-story-high building with a square plan. Access to the first floor is gained through five steps. Its main entrance is located on its northern side. The first floor includes several chambers accessed through a corridor and an octagonal vestibule. The second floor also houses beautiful chambers and a corridor. According to chronicles, the interior walls were decorated with different paintings, which have not remained. It is made of stone, fired brick, plaster and tile. The palace was damaged during the Afghansʼ invasion. It was restored once by order of Nader Shah and again in the Qajar period. It was also restored thoroughly in the recent century.
Park Mellat (Bagh-e Shah)
Today this building houses the city hall of Behshahr. Built upon the order of the Safavid monarch, Shah ʻAbbas, it is located in the city center. Having several hundred years old cypress trees, stone-paved streams and basins, it is one of the tourist attractions of Mazandaran province. According to chronicles, the present-day building was successively called Divan-Khaneh and Chehel-Sotoon.
Gohar Tappeh International Museum Site
Gohar Tappeh (hill) which from the late Neolithic era (6000 years ago) gradually developed from a village into a town in the 3rdmillennium B.C. (5000 years ago). It is located 2Km of Rostam-Kola, near Behshahr. Archeological surveys indicate that Gohar Tappeh was one of the most ancient residences of human beings in this area, in the 3rdmillennium BC. The ancient town was abandoned in the Iron Age.
- Cheshmeh-Emarat (Building): Behshahr, Pasdaran street
- Hoto and Kamarband Caves: Behshahr, Shahid-Abad village
- Mausoleum of Amir Kamal-ed-Din and Amir Jamal-ed-Din: 3Km west of Behshahr, Assiyab- Sar village
- Remains of Koosan Fire Temple:3Km west of Behshahr, Assiyab-Sar village
- Remains of the Safavid Mills: 3Km west of Behshahr, Assiyab-Sar village
- Siyami Building: 5Km west of Behshahr, Gorji- Mahalleh village
- Holy Shrine of Emamzadeh Mohammad: Behshahr, Rostam-Kola
- Behshahr Martyrs Museum: Behesht-e Fatemeh Graveyard, 3Km of thecity center
