Article Name: Gito Plain (Part 1)
Author: Vali Ollah Shamshirbandi

Mr Valiollah Shamshirbandi was born in Arak in 1939 . He graduated from Tehran university in history in 1969 and he started teaching in Arak high schools . While teaching he works in painting and directed many Iranian and foreign plays . and also he helped to new artists by holding exhibition .He lives in Tehran now .

At sunset, if you look at Gito from the tops of high Shahbaz, it feels like looking through a green-green circle holding more than one hundred and fifty villages sleeping in its arms. A plain with such ravishing shades of colors, as peahen-feather. It is fascinating, wavy and colorful, and all over prevailing the color “green”, all the way.

In the south of Arak (A central town of Iran) there is a vast plain which is located between Lorestan province and central Iran. A fertile plain, with fountains and flowing streams, covered by willow and pine trees and the fabulous weather that lightens and refreshes every newcomer.

This vast plain named “Gito” is surrounded by central mountains of Iran. The word “Gito” is taken out from “Gity” which means “littile World” in Persian .In the north, Arak, south Doroud, Aligoudarz and Azna, east Qomein and Mahallat and in the west Malayer and Boroujerd enclose it. The seventh refinery and Arak’s large petrochemical factory is situated in the north-west of Gito. Despite economical advantages, it has done great damage to the environment.

Gito plain looks like a milled edge tray, disharmonious mountains surround the plain, some are high ,strongand snowy and some are worn out short and dry.

In spring and summer, there is some absolutely beautiful scenery green into green velvet filled by pure freshness .Lovely and delicate birds’ flights as pigeons, partridges, beautifies this land and when you hear the frightened and fragile voices of the birds escaping from hawks you feel quite strange.

Gito Plain - Panje Ali  - Photographer : Vali Ollah Shamshirbandi

From the north Gito is surrounded by Rasvand mountfrom the north, with shiny and snowy mountains. Rasvand mounth is a branch of Zagros mount which connects Alvand mount in Hamedan province to mountains in Mahallat, Delijan and Karkas mount in the centre ofIran. Due to the felicity and blessing of height of these mountains , at anytime of year you find Gito covered by beautiful flowers and fountains. In winter from the foot of mountains to the top is filled by winter snow. The sunshines on curves of the mountain that sounds like aneye-catcher diamond –cut. In May, company of winters now and spring lawn makes magical scenery. Between valleys is a good pasturage for flocks of sheep. Athirst days of spring flocks of sheep set for this place from Oshtoran Mountains, and those who have survived return to their winter quarters .A wide western part of Gito –called “Cham Gito” was a huge pasturage and train horse(a place for training and cherishing horses) for governmental horses.

Shazand, Bitting heart of Gito plain

In September, 1938, the last train station of Iran railway was established named Fouzieh who was mohammadreza pahlavie’s wife (the prine of that days and the king of future years). It is 1830 meters height from the sea which is the highest train station in Iran andis located in the south of “Edris Abad”, A villagethat was renamed to “Shazand” after train station opening and changed into a town, gradually. Felicity of this railway brought Shazand pleasant changes .Asinstance, low efficiency of sugar factory in Mazandaran province, caused it being transferred tonewly-established Shazand. This Factory named“ eshkura” was established by Check’s (the nationality of check and Foslovaki) engineers and started working in November, 1938.Still, its products are one of the best sugar products in Iran.

Shazand is the bitting heart of Gito that is laid under the shadow of high and snowy Shahbaz Mountain.As Shazand was renamed, was also refreshed, thus itbecame a cultural, economical and political center among Arak’s and Boroujerd’s (a province) towns. Now a day Shazand has a population of 140000.

Astaneh, sacred place and promenade

Astaneh (or Kraj Aboudalaf) is an old village in thesouth of Shazand .Sahlebne Ali (Aliebne abitaleb’s son) tomb is located in Astaneh .At first it was called Sahlebne ali’s Astaneh and in Safavieh (a kingdome in iran) age was turned into Astaneh. Ebne Houghal in his book Aljebal Volume 2, writes this way about Astaneh : “ BeforeIslam Karaj (Astanah) was constructed (this was a very old old language) and in Islamic age it was developed during Isabne Edris reign who was Aboudalafe Ajali’s sons and since then it was called “KarajAboudalaf. He ordered to construct huge buildings and palaces in there. The town is made of clay andsun-dried bricks. It consists of two bazzares (a place for shopping) and one great mosque (like your cathedral) which is situated next to one bazzare. Between two bazzares there’s a vast place which contains of houses and bath-houses. Its tribute is 303000 derham and the people are prosperous. “Hamdollah Mostofi in his book Noz’hatolgholoub says: “Karaj is the forth region ((this is an old language)). and it was build by Aboudalaf Ajali (a ruler) in Harounorashid Kingdome. Rasmand mountain is in the north and at the foot of mountain there is a such great fountain, which is called “Keikhosro Fountain”. there is a wide prairie names Gito with astrong castle that is called Farzin. The people in there are prejudiced and governmental fees in there is 10 toomans and 2000 dinar (again old language)

As we said Karaj was renamed to Astaneh gradually.Since Safavieh age the people belived in “shieh” (an Islamic orientation) and they still do .

In alebouyeh (one of the rulers) age some buildings and commercial officeswere built to comfort the pilgrims. There is a dome with 20 meters height on central shrine court-yard. Around it there is an eight-sided (with eight angles) porch with 50 meter diameter that besides building firmness, is a place for to rest for pilgrims who have come from a long-distance. Thick walls, high ceiling and latticed doors hold pilgrims like a ring stone.

In the shrine court-yard there is a one-thousand year old mulberry tree. In the neighborhood there are some other sacred places names Talebebne ali, Jafarebne ali, Fazlebnejafar and to ghanetork (Gholam) that attracts their willing pilgrims.

Gito Slope is from east to west. Various fountains which connect them to each other and make a watery river named Kazzaz, which has given such beauty to this land.

Kazzaz River lives (makes it alive) Gito plain and waters many villages. Fountain-head is the Emarat Lake located in the eastest part of the plain.

Emarat Lake

Shazand -Emarat Lake - Photographer : Hossein Alborzi

Emarat Lake is about 2 hectares. The water surfaces filled by marine flowers. Around the lake you can

See plenty of willow and pine trees. A bushy reedy has grown in the river-basin and it is a good place for ducks who immigrates at the end of autumn. No one remembers this lake shallow at any time of the year. Most of the water jumps out of a rock split violently flows in a riverside hill. The rock is fenced with stones and a brook has been made. Right there they have built a mosque and you can see the water that passes in between it.

Native wise men reckon five conical mountains as fountain –head, the mountains which are faded away in the east horizon and are set in one row. Due to their similarity to Hamedan Mounts, they are called little Alborz. Valleys in Little Alvand are so fresh and the pleasant plain seems like heaven.

There are not many inhabitants living in this area, but it is covered in nature's beauty. The valleys are passages for flocks of sheep passing by and get to tropical areas from Lorestan. Little Alvand’s mountain was being excavated for having underground metal sources. There are some deserted pits and long passage ways that are called Shaddadi mines.

There is a dreadful whirlpool in Emarat Lake. Sands wondering in the air make the whirlpool look like a turbid emerald. No one has measured depth of the water but some old stories remembered by old people

says that some young proud guys have bet on diving into the lake and never come back.

They say ,at moonlight nights, when the round moonlights up, limpidly, a couple of big fish jump out of the water leap and fell into the water again. Old people narrate that a newly groom in his wedding night dived into the water in order to catch two fish. Times passed and the groom did not come back. His relatives attempted to do something but did not manage. Finally, with consulting village’s wise men, crying for joy and beating a kettledrum, they brought his bride by the lake with henna (covered and colored henna) hands. *Dropping dark coin into the water and burnt espand on fire, kept waiting. In the village people were whispering that the groom might had been drowned. Everyone was praying for the groom to return and was anxious to see the flames with white smoke. It was a custom for villagers to set a fire at the time of reporting important news to further people. If the fire was set with fresh leaves, the flames were dark and the news was also bitter and dark. On the contrary, fire set with dried leaves and white smoke reported good news, happily.

At sunrise, people lost their hopes when they saw a black smokes on the roofs and wanted the newly groom rest in peace.

Eventually the whirlpool flung the body of the groom, when people were mourning.

This story is told by old villagers in order to hinder Young guys from nearing the whirlpool .

In a shaddidi long Passage-way an event occurred and became aby-word. (proverb)

Many years ago Hajabastajare’s flock of sheep we removing along to Garmsir. One of the goats got lost, shepherd started searching and found a deep pit. When he wanted to drink some water his wooden bowl fell into water. Embarrassed and hasty, his sheep-dog dived into the water to find the bowl. Distressed shepherd, threw some blades of straw to find the water flow.

After 11 days, little girls taking water from Emarat lake found the wooden bowl and blades of straws coming out of a split stone of the mosque. Since then nobody saw the dog-sheep. In that area when the people are intend to curse somebody they say : Go where

Hajabas’ sheep-dog went! (God take you there as a curse)