Current Time in Sari, Iran

Sari is the capital of Mazandaran province in northern Iran, set on a fertile coastal plain between the wall of the Alborz mountains and the Caspian Sea, whose shore lies about twenty kilometres to the north. The climate is unlike most of the country, humid and green, with mild winters and heavy rainfall that supports rice paddies, citrus groves and dense forests of oak, beech and boxwood on the slopes above the city.

Roughly three hundred and fifty thousand people live in Sari, making it the largest city on the Iranian Caspian coast and the administrative centre of a densely populated province. Agriculture underpins the regional economy, with rice, oranges, kiwi fruit, tea, cotton and timber grown nearby, alongside fishing and caviar production on the coast. Food processing, textiles, construction, administration and a fast growing domestic tourism industry provide the rest of its employment, since millions of Iranians travel north each summer to escape the heat of the plateau.

The city is very old. Persian tradition links its founding to legendary kings, and it was already prominent in the Sasanian period as a centre of Tabaristan, the historic name for this region. Under the early Islamic centuries it served as the capital of local dynasties, and it retained importance through the rule of the Bavandids and later under the Safavids, when Shah Abbas built the palace complex at nearby Farahabad on the Caspian shore. Its position at the meeting of mountain passes and the coastal road made it a natural seat of government, a role formalised in the twentieth century when it became provincial capital.

Landmarks reflect this long history. The tomb towers of Imamzadeh Yahya and Soltan Mohammad Taher, with their tiled domes and conical roofs, stand in the older quarters, and the shrine of Imamzadeh Abbas is an important place of pilgrimage. The clock tower on the central square, built in the early twentieth century, has become the emblem of the city, and the Kolbadi and Farahabad historic houses show traditional Mazandarani domestic architecture in wood and brick. The provincial museum displays finds from the region stretching back to prehistoric times.

Beyond the city, the attractions are natural. The Miankaleh peninsula and its lagoon form an internationally recognised wetland and a haven for migratory birds, the forests and waterfalls of the Alborz foothills are popular for hiking, and the terraced travertine springs of Badab-e Surt lie within reach to the south. Local culture is expressed in the Mazandarani language, in distinctive music played on flute and drum, in wrestling traditions and in a cuisine rich in rice, herbs, fish, walnuts and pomegranate.

Sari is served by Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, an agricultural sciences university and several other institutions that give it a substantial student population. The Trans-Iranian Railway, opened in the 1930s, links it to Tehran through spectacular mountain tunnels, and Dasht-e Naz airport and improved highways make the journey from the capital straightforward.

Sari is important as the historic capital of Tabaristan and as the gateway to the green Caspian region of Iran.