Esfarayen

For the administrative subdivision, see Esfarayen County.

Esfarayen اسفراین
—  city  —
Esfarayen Location of Esfarayen in Iran
Coordinates: 37°04′35″N 57°30′36″E / 37.07639°N 57.51°E / 37.07639; 57.51Coordinates: 37°04′35″N 57°30′36″E / 37.07639°N 57.51°E / 37.07639; 57.51
Country	Iran
Province	North Khorasan
County	Esfarayen County
Bakhsh	Central
Government
– Mayor
Population (2006)
– Total	51,321
Time zone	IRST (UTC+3:30)
– Summer (DST)	IRDT (UTC+4:30)
Esfarayen at GEOnet Names Server

Esfarayen (Persian: اسفراین, also Romanized as Esfarāyen; formerly, Meyanābād, Mīānābād, and Mīyānābād)^[1] is a city in and the capital of Esfarayen County, North Khorasan Province in Iran. At the 2006 census its population was 51,321, in 13,376 families.^[2]

Esfarayen is one of the focal points for residence of Aryan tribes after entering into Iran.

History

After the Islamic conquest of Persia, Esfarayen flourished greatly; after the fall of the Abbasid caliphate, in spite of attacks and destruction, was reconstructed.

The town was completely ruined at the time of ruler Ebrahim Afshar.

Sport

Esfarayen is home to a wrestling tournament called Bachokheh. This tournament is unique because it is held in the open air. Because of the rain, spectators assembled in the local wrestling hall, but when the weather changed the whole crowd moved to the arena in open air.

References

1. ^ Esfarayen can be found at GEOnet Names Server, at this link, by opening the Advanced Search box, entering "-3062173" in the "Unique Feature Id" form, and clicking on "Search Database".
2. ^ "Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1385 (2006)" (Excel). Islamic Republic of Iran. http://www.amar.org.ir/DesktopModules/FTPManager/upload/upload2360/newjkh/newjkh/28.xls.