Khonj

For the administrative subdivision, see Khonj County. For the village in Isfahan Province, see Khanj, Isfahan. For the village in South Khorasan Province, see Khonj, South Khorasan.

Khonj خنج
city
Downtown Khonj Downtown Khonj
Khonj
Coordinates:
Country	Iran
Province	Fars
County	Khonj
Bakhsh	Central
Elevation	670 m (2,200 ft)
Population (2006)
• Total	20,012
Time zone	IRST (UTC+3:30)
• Summer (DST)	IRDT (UTC+4:30)

Khonj (Persian: خنج‎‎, also known as Khunj and Khunji) is a city in and the capital of Khonj County, Fars Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 20,012, in 3,362 families. It is located at an altitude of 670 metres (2,200 ft). Khonj was traditionally part of the region of Larestan. The people of Khonj are native Persian (Aryan) of Zoroastrian origin who converted to Sunni Islam.

Khonj is located 270 kilometres (170 mi) south of Shiraz. Its history goes back to 2000 years and were known to be the followers of Zoroastrianism. Khonjis refer to themselves as Khodmooni, a term literally meaning "part of ourselves" but figuratively used to refer to people from Gerash, Lar, Evaz, Khonj and other neighboring cities that share a common language known as "Achomi". The ancient names for Khonj has always been Hong and konj (corner in Persian) and over time it was changed to Khonj. Its residents are Sunni unlike most of the rest of the country, and are famous as traders. The city has historical significance as it was the home for many Muslim scholars and great architectures before and after Islam. Ibn Battuta the great Moroccan explorer wrote about his travels to Khonj in great detail.

File:Monar2.JPG

Monar of Sheikh Danial

Khonj agriculture is made of wheat, oat and Dates and khonj has the least amount of rain than any part of province of Fars.

File:Gate of Khonj.JPG

Dargah (Gate) this is a gate to Shaykh Haji Mohammad complex including the mosque and the shrine

External links

• Khonjema.com (In Persian)