Damavand-Shemiranat Earthquake of 27 March 1830, Ms=7.1

Damavand-Shemiranat Earthquake of 27 March 1830, Ms=7.1

On the morning of March 27, 1830, a major earthquake in southern Mazandaran almost totally destroyed the districts of Shemiranat and Damavand, east of Tehran. About 70 villages lying eastward of the Jajrud, along the routs via Damavand to Semnan and Damghan, were ruined and more than 500 people were killed in Damavand alone. Damage extended to Jajrud, where the caravanserai was shattered and in Tehran many old houses collapsed killing about 30 people. Not a single house in the capital escaped damage and part of the palace, together with many adjoining houses and part of the bazaar, were thrown down. The Arg, the Great Audience hall, a number of mansions, as well as the old British Embassy building, were badly damaged and garden walls were leveled with the ground. The loss of property in Tehran was estimated at halt of a million tomans. The shock caused some damage to a number of public buildings in Amol, Sari and Damghan and triggered rockfalls that blocked the passes on the Haraz and talar-rud roads to the north. The earthquake was felt at Baku and was followed by violent aftershocks that caused additional damage in the Shemiranat region and great panic in Tehran, where a large proportion of the population camped in tents. The royal court also encamped in the open courts of the Arg, The aftershock of 6 April totally destroyed the old caravanserai at Jajrud.