Razavi Khorasan province facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Razavi Khorasan Province استان خراسان رضوی
Province
From top to bottom and from left to right: Mashhad, Nishapur, Kalat, Chenaran, Sabzevar, Sarakhs, and Kashmar
Location of Khorasan-e Razavi province in Iran
Country	Iran
Region	Region 5
Capital	Mashhad
Counties	33
Area
• Total	118,884 km² (45,901 sq mi)
Highest elevation (Mount Binalud)	3,211 m (10,535 ft)
Lowest elevation (Sarakhs)	299 m (981 ft)
Population (2016)
• Total	6,434,501
• Estimate (2020)	6,871,000
• Density	54.12420/km² (140.1810/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Khorasani (Persian: خراسانی)
Time zone	UTC+03:30 (IRST)
Area code(s)	051
Main language(s)	Persian
HDI (2017)	0.781 high · 19th
Website	http://ostandari.khorasan.ir/

Razavi Khorasan Province (Persian: استان خراسان رضوی, Ostân-e Xorâsân-e Razavi) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, located in northeastern Iran. The city of Mashhad is the center and capital of the province. Razavi Khorasan is one of the three provinces that were created after the division of Khorasan province in 2004. In 2014, it was placed in Region 5 with Mashhad as the location of the region's secretariat.

At the time of the National Census of 2006, the province had a population of 5,515,980 in 1,426,187 households. The following census in 2011 counted 5,994,402 people in 1,716,314 households. At the latest census conducted in 2016, the population had risen to 6,434,501 in 1,938,703 households.

History

The Greater Khorasan has witnessed the rise and fall of many dynasties and governments in its territory throughout history. Various tribes of the Arabs, Turks, Kurds, Turkmens, and Mongols brought changes to the region time and time again.

Ancient geographers of Iran divided Iran ("Ērānshahr") into eight segments of which the most flourishing and largest was the territory of Greater Khorasan. Esfarayen, among other cities of the province, was one of the focal points for residence of the Aryan tribes after entering Iran.

The Parthian Empire was based near Merv in Khorasan for many years. During the Sassanid dynasty, the province was governed by a Spahbod (Lieutenant General) called "Padgošban" and four margraves, each commander of one of the four parts of the province.

Khorasan was divided into four parts during the Muslim conquest of Persia, each section being named after the four largest cities, Nishapur, Merv, Herat, and Balkh.

In the year 651, the army of the Rashidun Caliphate conquered Khorasan. The territory remained under the rule of the Abbasid Caliphate until 820, followed by the rule of the Iranian Tahirid dynasty until 873, and the Samanid dynasty in 900.

Mahmud of Ghazni conquered Khorasan in 994, and Tuğrul in the year 1037.

In 1507, Khorasan was occupied by the Uzbek tribes. After the death of Nader Shah in 1747, it was occupied by the Afghan Durrani Empire centered in Qandahar.

In 1824, Herat became independent for several years when the Afghan Empire was split between the Durranis and Barakzais. The Persians sieged the city in 1837, but the British assisted the Afghans in repelling them. In 1856, the Persians launched another invasion and briefly managed to recapture the city; it led directly to the Anglo-Persian War. In 1857 hostilities between the Persians and the British ended after the Treaty of Paris was signed, and the Persian troops withdrew from Herat. Afghanistan reconquered Herat in 1863 under Dost Muhammad Khan, two weeks before his death.

Khorasan was the largest province of Iran until it was divided into three provinces on 29 September 2004. The provinces approved by the parliament of Iran (on 18 May 2004) and the Council of Guardians (on 29 May 2004) were Khorasan-e Razavi, North Khorasan, and South Khorasan.

Tomb of Ferdowsi

Archaeological sites

Among the archeological sites discovered in this province:

Kohandezh hills

Excavations conducted by an American team between 1935 and 1940 in Nishapur discovered museum-worthy objects, which were shared with the government of the Shah. The Metropolitan Museum of Art's publications document its own Nishapur ceramics from those excavations. For half a century after 1945 the site of Nishapur was ransacked to feed the international market demand for early Islamic works of art. Nowadays, the Kohandezh hills reveal the remains from those excavations.

Shadiyakh

Shadiyakh was an important palace in old Nishapur up to the 7th century, and became more important and populated after that. The palace was completely ruined in the 13th century. It was the home of notables such as Farid al-Din Attar, whose tomb is found in Shadiyakh.

Administrative divisions

Razavi Khorasan Province Population History
Administrative Divisions	2006	2011	2016
Bajestan County¹	—	30,664	31,207
Bakharz County²	—	53,582	54,615
Bardaskan County	68,392	72,626	75,631
Chenaran County	108,533	125,601	155,013
Dargaz County	73,439	74,326	72,355
Davarzan County³	—	—	21,911
Fariman County	86,428	93,930	99,001
Firuzeh County⁴	—	42,739	37,539
Golbahar County⁵	—	—	—
Gonabad County	106,158	80,783	88,753
Joghatai County³	—	47,920	49,175
Joveyn County³	—	54,139	54,488
Kalat County	39,560	38,232	36,237
Kashmar County	146,536	157,149	168,664
Khaf County	108,964	121,859	138,972
Khalilabad County	44,993	49,111	51,701
Khoshab County³	—	37,914	37,181
Kuhsorkh County⁶	—	—	—
Mahvelat County	47,068	48,900	51,409
Mashhad County	2,848,637	3,069,941	3,372,660
Nishapur County	441,184	433,105	451,780
Quchan County	179,613	179,714	174,495
Roshtkhar County	57,247	60,632	60,689
Sabzevar County	429,187	319,893	306,310
Salehabad County⁷	—	—	—
Sarakhs County	85,524	89,956	97,519
Sheshtamad County³	—	—	—
Taybad County	143,205	108,424	117,564
Torbat-e Heydarieh County	261,917	210,390	224,626
Torbat-e Jam County	239,395	262,712	267,671
Torqabeh and Shandiz County⁸	—	58,483	69,640
Zaveh County⁹	—	71,677	67,695
Zeberkhan County⁴	—	—	—
Total	5,515,980	5,994,402	6,434,501
¹Separated from Gonabad County ²Separated from Taybad County ³Separated from Sabzevar County ⁴Separated from Nishapur County ⁵Separated from Chenaran County ⁶Separated from Kashmar County ⁷Separated from Torbat-e Jam County ⁸Separated from Mashhad County ⁹Separated from Torbat-e Heydarieh County

Cities

According to the 2016 census, 4,700,924 people (over 73% of the population of Razavi Khorasan province) live in the following cities: Ahmadabad-e Sowlat 8,326 ,Anabad 6,186, Bajestan 11,741, Bajgiran 594, Bakharz 9,044, Bar 3,765, Bardaskan 28,233, Bayg 3,545, Bidokht 5,501, Chapeshlu 2,374, Chekneh 1,381, Chenaran 53,879, Dargaz 36,762, Darrud 5,717, Davarzan 2,744, Dowlatabad 9,329, Eshqabad 1,993, Farhadgerd 8,442, Fariman 39,515, Feyzabad 18,120, Firuzeh 5,884, Golbahar 36,877, Golmakan 8,373, Gonabad 40,773, Hemmatabad 1,274, Jangal 6,650, Joghatai 9,268, Kadkan 3,719, Kakhk 4,625, Kalat 7,687, Kariz 11,102, Kashmar 102,282, Khaf 33,189, Khalilabad 12,751, Kharv 13,535, Kondor 6,460, Lotfabad 1,865, Mashhad 2,987,323, Mashhad Rizeh 10,105, Mashhad Zhaman 13,861, Mazdavand 1,241, Molkabad 2,056, Nashtifan 9,176, Nasrabad 7,460, Neqab 14,783, Nilshahr 7,371, Nishapur 264,375, Now Khandan 2,634, Qadamgah 3,010, Qalandarabad 4,880, Qasemabad 5,145, Quchan 101,604, Razaviyeh 8,850, Rivash 5,687, Robat-e Sang 1,551, Roshtkhar 7,514, Rud Ab 4,028, Sabzevar 243,700, Salami 7,555, Salehabad 8,625, Sangan 12,443, Sarakhs 42,179, Sefid Sang 6,129, Shadmehr 3,825, Shahrabad 2,083, Shahr-e Zow 3,745, Shandiz 13,987, Sheshtomad 3,108, Soltanabad 5,932, Taybad 56,562, Torbat-e Heydarieh 140,019, Torbat-e Jam 100,449, Torqabeh 20,998, and Yunesi 3,426.

The following sorted table lists the most populous cities in Razavi Khorasan according to 2016 Census results announced by Statistical Center of Iran. After Mashhad, Nishapur, Sabzevar, and Torbat-e Heydarieh are the most populous cities of the province.

Most Populous Urban Areas in Razavi Khorasan Province
Rank	City	County	Population
1	Mashhad	Mashhad	2,987,323
2	Nishapur	Nishapur	264,375
3	Sabzevar	Sabzevar	243,700
4	Torbat-e Heydarieh	Torbat-e Heydarieh	140,019
5	Kashmar	Kashmar	102,282
6	Quchan	Quchan	101,604
7	Torbat-e Jam	Torbat-e Jam	100,449
8	Taybad	Taybad	56,562
9	Chenaran	Chenaran	53,879
10	Sarakhs	Sarakhs	42,179

Culture

Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad

Attractions

This province contains many historical and natural attractions, such as mineral water springs, small lakes, recreational areas, caves and protected regions, and various hiking areas.

Besides these, Khorasan encompasses numerous religious buildings and places of pilgrimage, including the shrine of Imam Reza, Goharshad mosque and many other mausoleums and Imamzadehs which attract visitors to this province.

The Cultural Heritage of Iran lists 1179 sites of historical and cultural significance in all three provinces of Khorasan.

Some of the popular attractions of Khorasan-e Razavi are: