Fuman is the capital of Fuman County in Gilan Province, Iran. At to the 2006 census, its population was 27,763 in 7,728 families. Rice has been cultivated in this region for many years, where some indigenous cultivars were conventionally bred by farmers. Fuman also produces popular cookies known as koluche. Fuman's koluche is thinner and larger than its brethren in Lahijan. The city is also known for its statues, including the statue of the ancient Iranian goddess Anahita and the statue of the Four Girls.
Location
Fuman is only 21 kilometres to the west-southwest of Rasht, and 356 kilometres away from the national capitalTehran. It is situated near the foothills of the Talysh Highlands. Fuman is on the road to the historical city ofMasuleh and as a result receives a sizeable number of tourists.
History
From 660 to 760, Fuman functioned as the seat of the ZoroastrianDabuyid rulers. During the period of the Mongol occupation of Iran, Fuman and Lahijan were among the main towns of Gilan. The local ruler of Fuman at that time, who was reportedly the "only Shafi'ite among the rulers of Gilan", was able to generate a large amount of revenue through lucrative silk trade. According to Hamdallah Mustawfi, Fuman was a large city, and the center of a wealthy region which produced large quantities of "wheat, rice and silk". Fuman continued to function as the capital of the Bia-pas region until 1572–1573, when ruler Jamshid Soltan made Rasht the capital. From the reign of King Sultan Husayn to Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, the local rulers of Fuman were involved in a fierce rivalry with the local rulers of neighboringShaft. John Elton, who had been prominent under Nader Shah, was killed in 1751 on the order of one of these rulers, Agha Jamal Fumani. In 1805, during the reign of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, Fuman was reportedly "still a small, open town with about a thousand houses and a very lively market". However, the situation changed when Hajji Mohammad Khan abandoned Fuman for Rasht during the early reign of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar. In the subsequent period, Fuman "fell into decay". According to Grigorii Melgunov, who visited Fuman in 1860, it was little more than a village consisting of just 140 houses surrounding the palace of the local ruler. Fuman has regained importance since the mid-20th century.
