Deh-Zamin Hassanabad

Deh-Zamin Hassanabad is a small village 36 kilometres south-east of Sabzevar in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. Locals claim that the village has been inhabited and its surrounding fields cultivated for over 2000 years. As such, the local cemetery has graves that predate the Islamic expansion into Khorasan and various artifacts from the Parthian era have been uncovered in the area.

Geography

Hassanabad is one of the many villages that compromise what is known as Kooh-mish (sheep mountain) region. The fields are fed by an old spring to the south and the village itself has an intricate system of qanats. Closer to the springs, there are the bagha (orchards) where farmers grow grapes, pears, plums, berries, cotton, apricots, almonds, walnuts, figs and vegetables. The fields were historically dedicated to watermelons, melons, wheat and barley but there has been a great increase in the cultivation of saffron as a cash crop. Over the past two decades, Hassanabad has been severely impacted by the drought conditions that have affected most of Khorasan, and there is a real need for improved agricultural methods and better water management.

Significance

Historically, Hassanabad has had more access to water resources than some of the neighbouring villages. Because of this, the village became a refuge for those impacted by severe droughts elsewhere in Kooh-mish during the early 20th century. Furthermore, an old road that connects Sabzevar, Bardaskan and Kashmar runs past the village. However, the past century has seen a rise in the population and importance of another village, Shishtamad, which is now the centre of the county.

Challenges

Aside from the common problem of drought that has impacted most of khorasan in the past two decades, Hassanabad suffers from an ageing and declining population. According to local estimates, the population has dropped by 80% and there are less than 500 people left in the village. This problem is also common among many other villages of the region as most young villagers move to Sabzevar, Mashhad and other cities in the search of employment and higher standards of living. However, with the introduction of Saffron as a cash crop in the early 2000s there has been some seasonal immigration to the village. Moreover, the baghha have become a favoured spot for vacationing urbanites.

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