Rasht (Persian: رشت‎, romanized: Rašt [ɾæʃt] (listen); Gilaki: Rəšt; also romanized as Resht and Rast, and often spelt Recht in French and older German manuscripts)[2] is the capital city of Gilan Province, Iran. Also known as the "City of Rain" (شهر باران, Ŝahre Bārān), it had a population of 956,971 as of the 2016 census[3] and is the most densely populated city of Iran.

Rasht is the largest city on Iran's Caspian Sea coast. It is a major trade center between Caucasia, Russia, and Iran using the port of Bandar-e Anzali. Rasht is also a major tourist center with the resort of Masouleh in the adjacent mountains and the beaches of Caspian as some of the major attractions.

Historically, Rasht was a major transport and business center which connected Iran to Russia and the rest of Europe, and because of this was known as the "Gate of Europe". The city has a history that goes back to the 13th century but its modern history dates back to the Safavid era during which Rasht was a major silk trade center with numerous textile workshops.