Babol, city in northern Iran, located near the Caspian Sea on the Babol River, in the province of Mazandaran. Babol is home to many small-scale manufacturing enterprises, as well as a bazaar that serves as a retail and wholesale center for the city and surrounding countryside. The nearby area is an intensively developed region of rice paddies and fruit orchards. Babol is 30 km (19 mi) east of Amol on the main paved highway from Tehran to the Mazandaran provincial capital of Sari. The major textile manufacturing center of Qa'emshahr is 20 km (12 mi) east of Babol, while the Caspian Sea beach resort of Babol Sar is 24 km (15 mi) north of the city. An airport is situated between Babol and Babol Sar.
Babol's most significant historical site is a 17th-century summer palace and landscaped garden constructed for Shah Abbas I. Babol was a favorite place of the second Qajar dynasty king, Fath Ali Shah (reigned 1797-1834). Several large houses and intricately decorated mosques that were built during his reign still survive in the city. Mazandaran University (founded in 1975) is located in nearby Babol Sar.
