Located in northwestern Iran, Zanjan Province has contributed to the cause of the Islamic Revolution of Iran, as 2,886 of its residents were martyred during the Iran–Iraq War.

Also known as the Zanjan Plateau, the province lies in the central part of northwestern Iran. It borders Ardabil and Gilan provinces to the north, Qazvin to the east, Hamedan to the south, and Kurdistan, West Azerbaijan, and East Azerbaijan to the west and southwest—making it one of the provinces adjacent to seven others.⁠[1]

Zanjan is a cold, mountainous province, yet it contains diverse ecosystems including plains, deserts, wetlands, rivers, forests, shrublands, high mountains, and rolling hills. More than 70 percent of its area has a cold semi-arid climate, while the remaining 30 percent shows significant climatic diversity.⁠[2]

According to the latest administrative divisions, there are 8 counties, 16 districts, 19 cities, 46 rural districts, and 927 inhabited villages in Zanjan Province. Its main counties include Khodabandeh, Khorramdarreh, Abhar, Tarom, Mahneshan, Zanjan, Ijrud, and Soltaniyeh.⁠[3] Major permanent rivers are the Qezel-Ozan, Zanjanrud, Abharrud, and Shahroud.⁠[4] Based on the 2016 national census, the province had a population of 1,057,461 (534,849 men and 522,612 women).⁠[5]

The native language of the inhabitants is a blend of Turkic dialects (including Azerbaijani and Chagatai influences) and Persian, with some Kurdish vocabulary as well.⁠[6]

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution and following a call by the central command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the IRGC of Zanjan Province—then including Qazvin—was formed. Later on, the decree appointing its commander and central council was issued, and the newly established force was stationed in the Teachers Training College building in Zanjan.⁠[7]

With the onset of unrest in western Iran, the first IRGC unit of Zanjan, commanded by Sadeq Rostami, was deployed to Bijar in April 1980 and took part in clearing operations in Mahabad and Baneh.⁠[8]

One day after the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War, 40 IRGC personnel from the province were sent to Khuzestan. Stationed in Dobb-e Hardan, they participated in divisionary operations along the Khorramshahr–Ahvaz Road. Over time, deployments became more organized, eventually leading to the formation of combat units that took part in major operations from Operation Thamen al-Aemmah (as) to Operation Beit al-Muqaddas.⁠[9]

After Operation Beit al-Muqaddas (May 24, 1982), the IRGC of Zanjan came under IRGC Regional Command No. 1 and, together with forces from Markazi and Semnan provinces, joined the 17th Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) Brigade of Qom, thereby forming the core of the Vali-e Asr (as) and Imam Hassan (as) battalions. During this period, they participated in operations such as Ramazan, Muharram, Valfajr 3, Valfajr 4, and Kheibar.⁠[10]

After Operation Kheibar (1984), Zanjan IRGC forces—except those from Qazvin—separated from the 17th Ali ibn Abi Talib (as) Brigade of Qom and joined the 31st Ashura Division (East Azerbaijan). They participated in some operations, including Badr, Valfajr 8, Karbala 4, Karbala 5, Karbala 8, and Nasr 7.⁠[11]

Following Operation Nasr 7 (August 6, 1987), the Zanjan IRGC forces formed the 36th Ansar al-Mahdi (as) Brigade⁠[12] and participated in operations Valfajr 10 and Mersad.⁠[13]

Throughout the war, Zanjan IRGC forces were deployed in defensive positions across multiple fronts, including Dar Khovein–Salmaniyeh, Marivan, Soumar, Sardasht, Baneh, Rabt, Majnoon Islands, Zayd Post, Salt Factory, Lari Heights, Basra-Al-Faw Road, Shalamcheh, Halabja, Koushk, Balkeh-Sourkuh, and Garmab-Donis-Neerva.⁠[14]

Another major military unit from the Zanjan Province was the 2nd Armored Brigade of the Army, which engaged in the Iran-Iraq War. Even before the war, in 1979, following the outbreak of anti-revolutionary activities in western Iran, first a team and then a combat group from this brigade, commanded by Gholamreza Mokhberi (later martyred), were deployed to Mahabad.

On April 25, 1980, the 114th Mechanized Infantry Battalion, the 251st Chieftain Tank Battalion, the 254th Chieftain Tank Battalion, and the 355th Artillery Battalion of the 2nd Armored Brigade were deployed along the Bijar–Divandarreh–Saqqez axis under the command of Colonel Muhammad-Karim Houshyar to confront anti-revolutionary elements.⁠[15] After the war began, on October 17, 1980, the brigade was stationed near Dez Dam, Andimeshk. The first military operation this brigade engaged in was carried out on March 9, 1981, in southern Iran, where the Iranian forces succeeded in halting the Iraqis’ advance along the Reqabiyeh–Mishdagh axis toward the Shush–Ahvaz Road and pushed them back to the heights near Raghabiyeh Pass.

The Army forces of Zanjan also participated in other operations, including Thamen al-Aemmah (as) (September 27, 1980), Tariq al-Quds (November 29, 1981), Fath al-Mubin (March 22, 1982), Beit al-Muqaddas (April 30, 1982), and Valfajr Muqaddamati (January 23, 1981).⁠[16]

Other deployments of the 2nd Armored Brigade of Zanjan during the Iran–Iraq War included defensive operations in the Chezhabeh area (1981–1984), Piche-Angizeh (1984–1987), and Mehran (1987 until the end of the war). In the years following the war, the brigade’s forces carried out various missions, including sealing the Iran–Iraq border from the Zhaleh-Panah Outpost (Qasr-e Shirin, Kermanshah) to Abu Gharib (Dehloran, Ilam), and reinforcing the border along the general Fakkeh axis (Dasht-e Azadegan, Khuzestan).⁠[17]

In addition to the province’s military forces, the Jahad-e Sazandegi personnel of Zanjan were also active in the warzones. With the outbreak of the Iran–Iraq War, they were first stationed in Dezful and later in Saqqez,⁠[18] and provided engineering support to combat units in operations Valfajr 4, Karbala 10, Fath al-Mubin, Beit al-Muqaddas, Valfajr Muqaddamati, Kheibar, Valfajr 3, Valfajr 5, Qader, Badr, Valfajr 9, Ashura 1, Valfajr 8, Karbala 4, Karbala 5, Beit al-Muqaddas 2, Karbala 10, Fath, Nasr 1, Nasr 5, Nasr 4, Nasr 7, Nasr 8, Beit al-Muqaddas 3, and Beit al-Muqaddas 6. Building the Seyyed al-Shuhada (as) Road in the Majnoon Islands and the Seyyed al-Shuhada (as) Bridge during Operation Karbala 10 are among the most notable activities of Zanjan Jahad-e Sazandegi.⁠[19] Civilian volunteer groups also supported frontline troops with food, clothing, and equipment in cooperation with the IRGC, the Army, and Jahad-e Sazandegi. The Water Organization warehouse in Zanjan city was the main center of these activities in Zanjan Province.⁠[20]

During the war years, Zanjan Province was targeted 31 times by Iraqi air and missile strikes, resulting in the martyrdom of 267 people.⁠[21] One of the most tragic airstrikes occurred on January 22, 1987, when Iraqi aircraft bombed the Navab Safavi Girls’ Middle School and the 22 Bahman Boys’ Middle School, located in the city center of Zanjan on Binesh Alley, Saadi Street. Because the attacks took place without any air raid warning sirens or even anti-aircraft fire, and coincided with the school shift change between morning and afternoon, the schoolyard and classrooms were full of students, resulting in a high number of martyrs—28 students were martyred.⁠[22]

In total, 2,883 residents of Zanjan Province were martyred during the Iran-Iraq War—about 2,000 from the IRGC, Basij, and Jahad-e Sazandegi; 800 from the Army; and the rest from police forces and civilians.⁠[23]

After the war, the province’s military units continued their missions, and two servicemen were later martyred while engaged in combat against extremist groups in Syria.⁠[24] To commemorate the sacrifices people of Zanjan have made during the Iran-Iraq War, the Zanjan Sacred Defense Museum Complex was built on a five-hectare site in the Gavazang area.⁠[25] At the 16th Commemoration Ceremony of the Literature of Jihad and Resistance in Zanjan (October 20, 2024), the Supreme Leader’s commendation of “Paeez Aamad (The Autumn Came)” was unveiled. The book contains the memoirs of Fakhr al-Sadat Mousavi, wife of Brigadier General Martyr Ahmad Yousefi, commander of the IRGC Combat Engineering Unit in Zanjan, and was published by Soure Mehr Publications.⁠[26]