Shiraz
, Shiraz has a population of 1,700,665 the majority of whom are Persian. Most of the population of Shiraz are Muslims. Shiraz also was home to a 20,000-strong Jewish community, although most emigrated to the United States and Israel in the latter half of the 20th century. Along with Tehran and Esfahan, Shiraz is one of the handful of Iranian cities with a sizable Jewish population, and more than one active synagogue. Though officially Muslims, many Shirazis privately practice Zoroastrianism or at least hold it in high regard.
History of Shiraz
There is mention of a city at Shiraz during the Sassanid era, (2nd to 6th century AD) in the 10th century geographical treatise "Hudud ul-'alam min al-mashriq ila al-maghrib", which reports the existence of two fire temples and a fortress called "Shahmobad". In the 14th century the "Nozhat ol-Qolub" of Hamdollah Mostowfi confirmed the existence of pre-Islamic settlements in Shiraz.