Ahwaz
Āvāz
, also Ahwāz, city, capital of Khuzistan Province, south-west Iran. It is an important rail junction located at the head of navigation of the Kārūn River. Petroleum fields lie to the north, and several oil pipelines pass through the city. Manufactures include processed foods and textiles. It is the seat of a university and several technical institutes. Āvāz is a city of ancient origin; by the 4th century AD it was already an important city of the Persian Sassanian dynasty and was the seat of a bishop of the Nestorian Christian Church. During the 12th and 13th centuries it was an Arab agricultural and commercial centre though its importance subsequently declined. The city revived in the early 20th century after oil was discovered in the vicinity. Āvāz was the scene of heavy fighting during the war between Iran and Iraq in the early 1980s. Population (1986) 579,826.
