Editing Provinces of Iran (section)

== Modern history ==
[[File:Iran Administrative Division (Eyalat and Velayat) map 1911 (1290 SH) - English.png|thumb|right|400px|Map of administrative subdivisions of Iran in 1911, [[Tehran]], ''eyalats'', and ''velayats'']]

Iran has held its modern territory since the [[Treaty of Paris (1857)|Treaty of Paris]] in 1857. Prior to 1937, Iran had maintained its feudal administrative divisional structure, dating back to the time the modern state was centralized by the [[Safavid dynasty]] in the 16th century. Although the boundaries, roles, and rulers changed often. On the eve of the [[Persian Constitutional Revolution]] in 1905, Iran was composed of [[Tehran]], being directly ruled by the monarch; four ''[[eyalet|eyalat]]s'' ({{langx|fa|ایالات}} ''elâyât'' pl., {{lang|fa|ایالت}} ''elayat'' sin.), ruled by [[Qajar dynasty|Qajar princes]]; and various ''[[velayat]]s'' ({{langx|fa|ولایات}} ''velâyât'' pl., {{lang|fa|ولایت}} ''velayat'' sin.). Nomadic tribal confederations, such as the [[Bakhtiari people]] and [[Qashqai people]], were largely independent of the domestic administrative divisions and were autonomous.

With the Constitutional Revolution, and the formation of the first [[National Consultative Assembly]], Iran's administrative subdivisions were legally defined in 1907.<ref name="1907Law">{{cite web|website=Laws and Regulations Portal of Islamic Republic of Iran| url=https://qavanin.ir/Law/TreeText/85504| title=The law on the formation of ''Eyalats'' and ''Velayats'' and the instructions of the governors, Passed on December 18, 1907| access-date=2023-02-08}}</ref> Any change in the boundaries of ''eyalats'', ''velayats'', or their respective sub-districts was banned as per the Iranian constitution, except with the passage of a new law by the assembly. As per the 1907 law, the following were defined:<ref name="1907Law"/>

{{Text and translation|'''.ماده ۱''' ــ مملکت محروسه ایران برای تسهیل امور سیاسی بایالات و ولایات منقسم می‌شود
'''ماده ۲''' ــ ایالت قسمتی از مملکت است که دارای حکومت مرکزی و ولایات حاکم‌نشین جزء است و فعلاً منحصر به چهار ایالت است: آذربایجان، کرمان و بلوچستان، فارس، خراسان
'''ماده ۳''' ــ ولایات قسمتی از مملکت است که دارای یک شهر حاکم‌نشین و توابع باشد اعم از اینکه حکومت آن تابع پایتخت یا تابع مرکز ایالتی باشد|'''Article 1''' – Guarded Domain of Iran, for the facilitation of political affairs, will be subdivided into ''Eyalats'' and ''Velayats''
'''Article 2''' – ''Eyalat'' is a part of the kingdom which includes a central government and subordinate governor-ruled ''Velayats'' and at the moment there only are four ''Eyalat'': Azerbaijan, Kerman and Baluchistan, Fars, Khurasan.
'''Article 3''' – ''Velayat'' is a part of the kingdom which includes a governor-residence city and subordinate areas, whether its governance is subordinate to the capital [Tehran], or to the capital of an ''Eyalat''.}}

On 22 October 1911, Iranian [[National Consultative Assembly]] passed another law, titled "The law of Election of National Consultative Assembly" ({{langx|fa|قانون انتخابات مجلس شورای ملی}}). This law presented a complete list of all ''Eyalats'' and ''Velayats'' of the country, as well as their constituent districts and cities. This list presented the grouping of various towns and districts into [[electoral district]]s for the purpose of the election. According to this law, in 1911, Iran was made up of 27 administrative subdivisions, the region of [[Tehran]], 4 ''eyalats'', and 22 ''velayats''.<ref name="1911Law">{{cite web |title=The law of Election of National Consultative Assembly, Passed on October 22, 1911 |url=https://qavanin.ir/Law/TreeText/115543 |url-status= |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=Laws and Regulations Portal of Islamic Republic of Iran}}</ref> Below is a list:

{{col-begin|width=50%}}
{{col-break}}
;Capital city
*[[Tehran]]
;''Eyalats''
#[[Azerbaijan (Iran)|Azerbaijan]]
#[[Fars province|Pars]]
#[[Carmania (region)|Kerman]] and [[Baluchistan]]
#[[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]] and [[Sistan]]
{{col-break}}
;''Provinces''
#[[Khuzestan]]
#[[Astarabad]] ([[Gorgan]])
#[[Damavand]]
#[[Gerrus province|Gerrus]] ([[Bijar (city)|Bijar]])
#[[Gilan]]
#[[Golpayegan]]
#[[Hamadan]]
#[[Persian Iraq|Iraq]] ([[Arak, Iran|Arak]])
#[[Isfahan]]
#[[Kashan]]
#Khamseh ([[Zanjan, Iran|Zanjan]])
#[[Kermanshahan]] ([[Kermanshah]])
#[[Ardalan|Kurdistan]]
#[[Luristan]]
#[[Malayer]]
#[[Mazandaran]]
#[[Qazvin]]
#[[Qom]]
#[[Saveh]]
#[[Semnan province|Semnan]] and Damghan
#[[Shahrud]] and Bastam
#[[Yazd]]
{{col-end}}

In 1937, Iran was reorganized to form ten numbered provinces with subordinate governorates: Gilan, Mazandaran, East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Kermanshah, Khuzestan, Pars, Kerman, Khorasan, and Isfahan.<ref name="statoid">{{cite web| url=http://www.statoids.com/uir.html| title=Provinces of Iran| first=Statoids website| last=Gwillim Law| access-date=2006-04-30| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161022043249/http://www.statoids.com/uir.html| archive-date=22 October 2016| url-status=live}}</ref>

Iran has had a historical claim to [[Bahrain]] as its 14th province: [[Bahrain province]], which was under British colonial occupation until 1971. Prior to 1957, Bahrain was placed under [[Fars province|Pars province]].<ref>{{citation|first1=Mansoureh|last1=Ebrahimi|first2=Masoumeh|last2=Rad Goudarzi|first3=Kamaruzaman|last3=Yusoff|title=The Dynamics of Iranian Borders: Issues of Contention|publisher=Springer|date=2018|isbn=9783319898360|page=106}}</ref> During [[Safavid Iran]], Bahrain was subordinate to [[Bushehr province|Bushehr governorship]] and [[Zubarah]] (located in modern-day country of [[Qatar]]) was its capital city. In 1737, under [[Afsharid dynasty]] Bahrain was made subject to Pars governorship.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Mojtahed-Zadeh|first=Pirouz|title=Security and Territoriality in the Persian Gulf: A Maritime Political Geography|publisher=Routledge|year=2013|isbn=978-0700710980|page=139}}</ref> This claim was reasserted by the new theocratic Iranian leadership after 1979 with the famous [[1981 Bahraini coup d'état attempt|1981 coup attempt]] that occurred.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.memri.org/reports/former-irgc-general-close-supreme-leader-khamenei-bahrain-province-iran-should-be-annexed-it |title=Former IRGC General Close To Supreme Leader Khamenei: 'Bahrain Is A Province of Iran That Should Be Annexed To [It&#93;' |publisher=MEMRI |date=2016-03-23 |accessdate=2022-03-15}}</ref>

From 1960 to 1981, the governorates were gradually raised to provincial status one by one. Since then several new provinces have been created, most recently in 2010 when the new [[Alborz province]] was split from Tehran province, and before that in 2004 when the province of [[Khorasan province|Khorasan]] was divided into three provinces.<ref name="jazeera">{{cite web| url=http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/2B2C2624-ECBE-473A-AF89-A62AF91E7550.htm| title=Iran breaks up largest province| first=Al-Jazeera Satellite Network| last=Online edition| access-date=2006-04-30| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060520194602/http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/2B2C2624-ECBE-473A-AF89-A62AF91E7550.htm| archive-date=20 May 2006| df=dmy-all}}</ref>
[[File:Country divisions in Iran to 1972 - 1351 Iranian calendar.jpg|600px|thumb|center|23 provinces of Iran in 1974]]
[[File:Map of Iran with province names and neighboring land.svg|600px|thumb|center|Map of the 31 provinces of Iran]]