Babol (Pers. بابل (inf.)‎, Maze. بابل; until 1930 – Barforush) is a city in northern Iran, in the province of Mazandaran.
Population – 204,878 people (2005).

Geography
It is located 24 km south of the coast of the Caspian Sea, on the left bank of the Babol River.

History
The city of Babol appeared in the 16th century, grew noticeably under the rule of Feth Ali Shah (1797-1834). Shah Abbas I (1587-1629) built himself a beautiful palace in the modern city of Babol, which has survived only partially to this day. Babol today plays a very important role in the development of Mazandaran. Initially, it received the name Mamteir, but in the 18th century, due to the fact that crowded markets appeared there, they began to call it “Bar-e forush” (meaning “goods for sale”, from the Persian words bar – cargo and forush – sale). In 1932, it was decided to give this city the name Babol, which is associated with the Babol River, located in its western part.

Sights
In the vicinity of the city of Babol there is a waterfall Derazkesch (Persian letters: Stretching for a long distance). First, the waterfall flows into the lake, which has a fairly large area, and then, in the form of a river, continues its course towards the north. The largest volume of the waterfall is observed every spring. The waterfall is surrounded by the magnificent and untouched nature of the local forest. The waterfall stretches for 7 meters in height, and if you look at its height above sea level, it is 360 m. The Lyafur forest, located in the mountains north of Babol, should also be mentioned. It boasts an abundance of trees (80 species), waterfalls, springs, and therefore is one of the most remarkable and interesting forests not only in the vicinity of Babol, but throughout Mazandaran. A lot of tourists visit Lafur with pleasure in spring and summer. There is a forest park with an area of ​​716 hectares near the Babol administration building. The non-freezing Kalyarde River flows through it, and near it you can see beautiful mountain peaks, rice fields, gardens and the steppe. In the city of Babol itself, there is a mosque called Chahar-Sukh (lit.: Four Markets), built during the Safavid period. She has a small yard, but a fairly large southern chapel. In the south of Babol, in the garden of Mosfaya, there is the Soltanati palace (lit.: Sultan, royal), dating back to the Pahlavi period. It currently houses the Faculty of Medicine University of Mazandaran. The palace has two floors, and a huge number of its rooms and halls have very remarkable stucco decorations. The palace is richly and interestingly decorated outside.

Demographic dynamics
Information on the population dynamics of Babol can be obtained from the last three Iranian censuses: 1996, 2006 and 2011. According to them, in 1996 there were 158,346 people in Babol, in 2006 – already 201,335 people, and in 2011 – 219,467 people. The average annual rate of general population growth during this time has significantly decreased: if in 1996-2006. they amounted to 2.43% (this is a very high rate), then by 2006-2011. fell to 1.74% per year. This indicates a fairly rapid decline in the birth rate of the inhabitants of Babol, which, however, reflects the general Iranian trends. If in 1996 the population of the city did not quite reach the population of the second largest city in the province, Amol, then in 2006 Babol managed to overtake him, but in 2011 he again gave way to him, albeit with a minimal margin. Babol’s population growth curve is logistic (growth with saturation and gradual stabilization). The share of the city in the population of the entire Mazandaran province jumped from 6.1 to 6.9% in 1996-2006, but then the growth rate of the share fell sharply, and it rose only to 7.1%.