Razavi Khorasan Province

Infobox Iran Province
province_name = Razavi Khorasan
ostan_name = خراسان رضوی
loc_

capital = Mashhad
latd = 36.2980
longd = 59.6057
area = 144,681
pop = 5,593,079 (According to consensus in late 2006)
pop_year = 2005
pop_density = 36.0
sub_provinces = 19
language= Persian, Kurdish, Turkmen

Razavi Khorasan (in Persian: خراسان رضوی) is a province located in northeastern Iran. Mashhad is the centre and capital of the province.

Other cities and townships are Ghouchan, Dargaz, Chenaran, Sarakhs, Fariman, Torbat-e Heydarieh, Torbat-e Jam, Taybad, Khaf, Roshtkhar, Kashmar, Bardaskan, Neyshabour, Sabzevar, Gonabad, Kalat, Khalil Abad and Mahvalat.

Razavi Khorasan is one of the three provinces that were created after the division of Khorasan in 2004.

History

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

Ancient geographers of Iran divided Iran ("Iran-Shahr") into eight segments of which the most flourishing and largest was the territory of Greater Khorasan.

The earliest known evidence for Lower Paleolithic occupation of Iran comes from Kashafrud basin at east of Mashad.The famous Parthian empire was based near Merv in Khorasan for many years.

During the Sassanid dynasty the province was governed by an "Espahbod" (Lieutenant General) called "Padgoosban" and four margraves, each commander of one of the four parts of the province.

Khorassan was divided into four parts during the Islamic Conquest of Iran and each section was named after the four large cities, such as Neyshabour, Merv, Herat, and Balkh.

In the year 651 CE, the army of Islamic Arabs invaded Khorasan. The territory remained in the hands of the Abbasid clan until 820 CE, followed by the rule of the Iranian Taherid clan in the year 896 CE and the Samanid dynasty in 900 CE.

Sultan Mohmud Qaznavi conquered Khorasan in 994 CE and in the year 1037 CE Toqrol, the first of the Seljuqian rulers conquered Neyshabour.

Mahmud Qaznavi retaliated against the invaders several times, and finally the Qaznavi Turks defeated Sultan Sanjar. But there was more to come, as in 1157 CE Khorasan was conquered by The Khwarazmids and because of simultaneous attacks by the Mongols, Khorasan was annexed to the territories of the Mongol Ilkhanate.

In the 14th century, a flag of independence was hoisted by the Sarbedaran movement in Sabzevar, and in 1468 CE, Khorasan came into the hands of Amir Teimoor Goorkani (Tamerlane) and the city of Herat was declared as capital.

In 1507 CE, Khorassan was occupied by Uzbek tribes. After the death of Nadir Shah Afshar in 1747 CE, Khorasan was occupied by the Afghans.

During the Qajar period, Britain supported the Afghans to protect their East India Company. Herat was thus separated from Persia, and Nasereddin Shah was unable to defeat The British to take back Herat. Finally, the "Paris Treaty" was concluded in 1903 and Iran was compelled not to challenge The British for Herat and other parts of what is today Afghanistan.

Finally Khorasan was divided into two parts: the eastern part, which was the most densely populated region came under British occupation, and the western section remained part of Iran.

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

Archaeologyical sites

Among arccheological sites have been discovered in this province, some important ones include the following:

Kohandezh hills

excavations conducted by Americans in 1935 to 1940 in Neyshabur which led to discovery of museum-worthy trophies that they shared with the government of the Shah, the Metropolitan's publications were limited to its own Nishapur ceramics. The site of Nishapur has been ransacked for half a century since World War II, to feed the international market demand for early Islamic works of art. Nowadays, Kohandezh hills have been remained from those excavations.

hadiyakh

Shadiyakh was an important palace in old Neyshabur up to the second century after Islam and became more and more important and populated after that. It was the home of notables such as Farid al-Din Attar lived there. Attar's tomb is nowadays in that region. This palace was completely ruined in 13th

Excavations began in 2000 there and continued for around two years.

Khorasan today

The major ethnic groups in this region are the Persians, Khorasani Turks, Turkmens, Kurds and Balochs . There is also a sizeable Afghan community in the province due to the influx of Afghan refugees coming from Afghanistan in recent years.

Attractions

This province envelopes 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 his 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 Razavi Khorasan are:
*Tus, where Ferdowsi, Persia's Homer is buried.
*Neyshabour, where Farid al-Din Attar, Omar Khayyám, and Kamal-ol-molk are buried.
*Goharshad mosque and the vast shrine-complex of Imam Reza that forms the heart of Mashhad
*Khaneh Khorshid
*Shandiz and Torghabeh (famous for their riverside restaurants)
*Tomb of Nadir Shah Afshar in central Mashhad
*Akhangan (Akhanjan) tower, north of Tus
*Haruniyeh dome in Tus, where the famous mystic Imam Mohammad Ghazali is buried.
*Tus citadel
*Bazangan lake, in Sarakhs district
*Kooh Sangi, a notable hill in Mashhad
*Akhlamad
*Band-e-Golestan (Golestan dam)
*Jaghargh
*Zoshk, a country village west of Mashhad
*Kang, a scenic stepped village
*Noghondar
*Kardeh Dam
*Vakilabad and Mellat parks in Mashhad
*Zari, Hendelabad, Mozdooran, Moghan and Kardeh caves.
*Robat Sharaf (a relatively grand caravanserai ruin in Sarakhs district)
*Tomb of Khajeh Abasalt, Khajeh Morad, Ravi (famous Iranian Gnostics) and mausoleum of Sultan Mahmood Ghaznavi.
*Yahya and Khajeh Rabi mausoleum at the northern edge of Mashhad city*Sabz (green) dome in a roundabout in Mashhad.

Colleges and universities

* Ferdowsi University of Mashhad ( [http://www.um.ac.ir/ website] )
* Mashhad University of Medical Sciences
* Islamic Azad University of Mashhad
* [http://www.medsab.ac.ir/ Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences]
* [http://www.sttu.ac.ir/ Sabzevar University of Tarbiat Moallem]
* Islamic Azad University of Torbat e Jam
* [http://www.iaus.ac.ir/ Islamic Azad University of Sabzevar]
* Islamic Azad University of Neishabur
* Islamic Azad University of Ghoochan
* Islamic Azad University of Torbat Heidariyeh
* [http://www.isatc.ac.ir/ Comprehensive University of Applied and Practical Sciences, Khorasan]
* [http://www.imamreza.ac.ir/ Imam Reza University]
* [http://www.sadjad.ac.ir Sadjad Institute of Higher Education]
* Payame Noor University of Mashhad
* [http://www.gmu.ac.ir/ Gonabad University of Medical Sciences]
* [http://iau-gonabad.ac.ir/ Islamic Azad University of Gonabad]

ee also

*Khorasan
*Greater Khorasan
*South Khorasan
*North Khorasan
*History of Iran

External links

* [http://www.moi.gov.ir/news.aspx?id=4999 The text of the law for division of Khorasan into three provinces (in Persian)]
* [http://www.khorasanmiras.ir/ Cultural Heritage Foundation of Khorasan]
* [http://sabzevar.khedu.ir/ Razavi Khorasan Province Department of Education] (in Persian)
* [http://www.aqrazavi.org/ Imam Reza Shrine Official website]
* [http://www.mashhad.ir/ Mashad Mayor's Office]
* [http://www.aqlibrary.org Central Library of Astan Quds Razavi Official website]