ĀḠĀJĀRĪ, town in Ḵūzestān and district (bakš) in the county (šahrestān) of Behbahān, situated seventy-eight km to the northwest of the city of Behbahān. The name derives from that of the tribe, Aḡāč Erī, that used to winter there. The district is bounded on the north by the Mārūn river, on the east by the Behbahān district, on the south by the Hendīǰān district, and on the west by the Āsyāb subdistrict (dehestān) of Ḵorramšahr county. The town is the only populated place of the district, which owes its status as a district to its important oil wells. The Anglo-Iranian Oil Company began drilling in the area in 1305 Š./1926. Lurs, Arabs, and Turks gathered to seek employment and a hamlet came into existence. Oil was struck in 1317 Š./1938, and currently the town’s population has passed 18,000. There are now forty wells in operation; the oil is transported from Āḡāǰārī through seven pipelines to the Ābādān refinery and the ports of Karḵ and Bandar Māhšahr. The district is mountainous, extremely hot, and lacks agriculture. Azerbaijan and Qazvīn contain six other places named Āḡāǰarī, Āqāǰarī, or Āqčarī, names that also derive from that of the tribe.
Bibliography:
Razmārā, Farhang IV, p. 37; VI, pp. 17-18.
L. M. Pāyān, ed., Farhang-e ābādīhā-ye Īrān, Tehran, 1339 Š./1960, pp. 8, 10.
National Oil Company of Iran, “Kronoložī-e yakṣad o hīǰda sāla-ye naft-e Īrān,” Barrasīhā-ye tārīḵī, 8/1-2, 1352 Š./ 1973.
(J. Qāʾem-Maqāmī)
Originally Published: December 15, 1984
Last Updated: July 28, 2011
This article is available in print.
Vol. I, Fasc. 6, p. 606
J. Qāʾem-Maqāmī, “ĀḠĀJĀRĪ,” Encyclopædia Iranica, I/6, p. 606; an updated version is available online at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/agajari-town-in-kuzestan (accessed on 15 March 2014).
