فارسی
Evolution of the name
Golpaygan is one of the counties of Isfahan Province, Iran, bordered by Mahallat and Khomein to the north, Meymeh to the east, Khansar to the south, and Aligudarz to the west. According to some researchers, including Kasravi, the original name of Golpaygan was Verdpatekan (Vard + Pat + Kan). “Verd” means red rose and has been transformed into “Gol” due to linguistic changes. In the late Sasanian period and the early Islamic era, it was called Kardpatekan, and after the advent of Islam, it was called Jarpateghan and Jarfadheghan, until the name of the city finally became Golpaygan.
Prosperity and Decline
The construction of Golpaygan is attributed to Homay Bent Bahman Kiyani. After the Seljuks and the Khwarizmids, this city lost its former prosperity. However, during the Safavid era, it regained its prominence and prosperity because of its strategic location on the road between Arak and Isfahan. Numerous mosques and bazaars were built during that time. After the Safavids, the city suffered considerable damage during the Afghan invasion. Its prosperity also declined during the Zand period due to its distance from the capital. In the Qajar era, when it became the center of the Threefold Government (comprising Golpaygan, Khansar, and Khomein), the city experienced significant destruction, reaching its lowest point.
First Jewish Settlement
To determine when Jews began residing in Golpaygan, we need to explore the history of Jewish settlement in Isfahan, beccause it is believed that the Jews of Golpaygan originally migrated from Isfahan. Jews arrived in Iran during the Achaemenid period and settled in various cities. Isfahan and its suburbs have been among the oldest centers of Jewish life in the country.
Jewish Persecution and Migration to Golpaygan
Mongol massacre
One notable account states that after the Mongol invasion and during the Timurid era, a widespread massacre of Jews occurred in Isfahan, accompanied by the imposition of harsh laws against them. Tombstones in significant Jewish cemeteries in Isfahan, dating back to the Mongol era, indicate that no one was buried there for several centuries. This suggests a genocide occurred during that period, leading to the absence of Jews in the area for a long time. Consequently, the surviving Jews of Isfahan relocated to surrounding provinces and other cities.
Safavid and Qajar persecution
The persecution of Jews did not end with the Mongols. During the Safavid and Qajar periods, Jews faced significant pressure and harsh laws. In the Qajar era, there was a strong push to convert Jews to Islam. Evidence of Jews that were forced to convert can be found in surviving synagogues that were converted into mosques, customs that are specific to Judaism but persist among some non-Jews, the use of a unique Jewish dialect among non-Jews, and symbols like the six-pointed star on doors.
Today, the descendants of these Jewish communities can be found in several areas. These include Zefreh (between Isfahan and Yazd), the surrounding areas of Kashan such as Aran, Bidgol, and Abyaneh, and the villages of Hizan, Perishan, and Baneh Isfahan near Isfahan, as well as the village of Gaz, located approximately 17 km (10.5 miles) from Isfahan.
Most of the Jews from Golpaygan may have migrated to this city during the Timurid era. Some Jews might have relocated from Golpaygan to Tehran or other larger cities during the Qajar period due to prevalent prejudice.
Jewish Statistics in Golpaygan and Khansar
The earliest statistical report on the Jews of this region comes from Habib Levi around 1960. At that time, the Jewish population in Khansar and Golpaygan was about 800 people, comprising 100 households. The Jewish population in Khomein was recorded as 60 people. Khansar and Golpaygan had three synagogues and a bathhouse.
Medicine
Before this period, Khansar and Golpaygan were known for their centers of traditional Jewish medical education and had notable Jewish physicians.
Loyalty to tradition
Habib Levi reports that the Jews of this area have preserved their history for up to 500 years. Many of them were itinerant and displaced. Some left their homes and moved to Aligudarz, Jahlogh, and Sardrud. They have three tombs, two of which are old and one is new. One of these tombs has a mausoleum that is said to belong to Rabbi Zebulun. Inside, there are two stones, one side of which is inscribed with Kufic script and is still readable, while the other side is in Arabic, but the letters are unclear. The Kufic script dates to 114 AH, corresponding to 732 AD.
Behind this mausoleum, there was once a synagogue, and beneath it, there is a spring known as the Knesset Pool, used for ritual purification. Locals could predict famine for each year based on the fluctuations of the spring. It is said that during one famine year, only three families out of 300 survived, and a poem was written about it:
“Out of 300 houses, only a few remained,
Benjamin, Khodad, and Ibrahim Saghi.”
Jewish tombstones
The Jewish tombstones in this city, covered by a lot of soil, only show dates up to the Hebrew year 5412, corresponding to 1652 AD. However, some have claimed to have seen tombs from 500 years earlier, asserting that the Jews of this region were taken captive during Timur’s era.
Synagogue evidence
In one of the synagogues, there is a stone indicating that repairs were made by Mr. Raphael Jacob in the Hebrew year 5505, corresponding to 1745 AD, and that his death occurred in the Hebrew year 5574.
There is also a Menorah or candlestick made of porphyry stone (a kind of granite), dated to the Hebrew year 5390, which corresponds to 1630 AD. The inscription on its Hekhal (the Torah Ark) dates to the Hebrew year 5410, corresponding to 1650. Habib Levi reports these details from Mr. Eleazar Davoud.
Khomein
Regarding the Jews of Khomein, Eleazar Davoud states that they have been residing there since 1890 and their numbers have gradually increased, mainly originating from the inhabitants of Golpaygan. However, Habib Levi himself believes this information to be incorrect and argues that Jews inhabited Khomein much earlier.
Evidence from a photograph
Another piece of evidence of Jewish presence in Golpaygan is a photograph from 1941 showing the Cohen family in a neighborhood of Golpaygan. The photo features Rabbi Shmuel Cohen, his sons, and his grandchildren in his personal library. The books in this library were transported from Iraq to Iran by camel. The family’s seating position in the photo is reminiscent of the Kohanim during prayer in the synagogue. This photo highlights the movement of Jews between Golpaygan and Iraq, indicating the migration of some Arab-Jewish people to Golpaygan.
Before mass migration to Tehran
Before the mass migration to Tehran, which began around the late Qajar period, the Jewish population in Golpaygan was estimated to be between 8,000 and 10,000 people. The Jewish neighborhood was distinct, located south of the Jami’ Mosque (the city’s Great Mosque), and connected to the neighborhood bazaar (market). Jews were primarily engaged in professions such as drapery, cloth trading, and dealing in antiques, kharmohre (a ceramic artwork), and herbal and traditional medicines. Some poor Jewish families were involved in the production and sale of alcoholic beverages. Kharmohre, also known as beads of mehr, is a sort of ceramic art originating from more than 6,000 years ago. It is also known as Iranian Blue.
Several renowned Jewish doctors resided in the area. Among them were Hakim Harun and Hakim Ravaghi, also known as Mirza Babai, who were not only skilled physicians but also honorable and contented individuals. In Khomein, Hakim Shaban was a well-known eye specialist and surgeon, attracting patients from all over Iran. Other Jewish doctors and healers also lived in Golpaygan, Khomein, and Khansar, contributing significantly to the medical field in these regions.
Golpaygan 1986
According to the 1986 census by the Statistical Center of Iran, Golpaygan had a population of 35,276 people. The city’s predominant religion was Twelver Shia Islam, with the exception of five Jewish families. The census also reported that Khomein had three Armenian families and two or three Jewish families, while Khansar had no Jewish residents that year.
Today, Golpaygan no longer has any Jewish residents. The last Jewish resident was a doctor who was well-known for his kindness among the people.
The traces of Jewish culture can still be seen in the remaining synagogues and the houses that once belonged to Jews. The author’s grandfather, born in Khomein and raised in Golpaygan, often spoke about the strict religious practices of the Jewish rabbis and the religious intolerance of the Muslim population towards Jews in the city. Despite this, he frequently shared stories about the miraculous abilities of the Jewish doctors there.
Source:
Notes of Lea Danialy