Rasht

Rasht (Persian: رشت, romanized: Rašt [ɾæʃt] ^ⓘ; Gilaki: Rəšt) is a city in the Central District of Rasht County, Gilan province, in Iran. The city serves as the capital of the district, the county and the province. The city is also known as the "City of Rain" (شهر باران, Šahr-e Bārān) and, with a population of 679,995 in 2016, is the most populous city of northern Iran.

Rasht is the largest city on Iran's Caspian Sea coast. Due to being between the coast and the mountains, the local environment is rainy with humid subtropical and mediterranean influences. It also has temperate rainforest to its south, contrasting to the mostly arid Iran.

It is a major trade center between Caucasia, Russia, and Iran using the port of Bandar-e Anzali. Rasht is also a major tourist center with the resort of Masouleh in the adjacent mountains and the beaches of Caspian as some of the major attractions.

Historically, Rasht was a major transport and business center which connected Iran to Russia and the rest of Europe, and because of this was known as the "Gate of Europe". The city has a history that goes back to the 13th century but its modern history dates back to the Safavid era during which Rasht was a major silk trade center with numerous textile workshops. In 2015, this city joined the network of creative cities of the world as a creative gastronomy city under the supervision of UNESCO.