Iran Tourism Attraction/North%20Khorasan%20Province

North Khorasan Province

North%20Khorasan%20Province tourist information

North Khorasan Province is a province located in northeastern Iran . Bojnord is the centre of the province . In 2014 it was placed in Region 5 .

Other counties are Shirvan , Esfarayen , Maneh and Samalqan , Jajarm , Faroj and Garmeh .

North 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 , Kurds , 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 . 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 . In Parthians times , Esfarayen was one of the important villages of Nishapur .

During the Sassanid dynasty the province was governed by a Spahbod (Lieutenant General) called "Padgoosban" 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 , Heart , and Balkh .

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

Mahmud of Ghazni conquered Khorasan in 994 and in the year 1037 Tuğrul Beg , the first of the Seljuq empire rulers conquered Nishapur .

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 Khorasan was conquered by the Khwarazmids . In 1220 was annexed by the Mongols of Chiggis Qa'an . When in 1226 the great conqueror finally died , the Khorasan was inheriter by his son Tolui and then by the son of this , who's named Hulegu , the first emperor of the mongolic Ilkhanate of Persia .

In the 14th century , a flag of independence was hoisted by the Sarbedaran movement in Sabzevar , and in 1368 , Khorasan came into the hands of Tamerlane .

In 1507 , Khorasan was occupied by Uzbek tribes . After the death of Nader Shah in 1747 , it 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 Nasser-al-Din Shah was unable to defeat the British to take back Heart . 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 other western section remained part of Iran .

Khorasan was the largest province of Iran until it was divided into 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 .

 

North Khorasan today

Northern Khorasan province is one of the most diverse territories in Iran today , largely reflecting the ethnic makeup of Iran . Kurdish speakers make up 46.1% , forming the relative majority (plurality) of the population . The next largest group is Persian speakers which makeup 27.8% of the population , Khorasani Turks makeup 20.6% and Turkmens make up about 3.3% and other Iranians make up 2.2% of the population . There used to be a sizeable population of Lurs who used to inhabit this province , however most returned to their native area in western Iran as there are no signs of them in the province today .

Previously there used to be a sizeable community of Arabs who settled in the area during the Arab invasion of Iran , however by 1875 they had intermarried so extensively with Persians and Turks that they were undistinguishable in feature and language , having largely abandoned the Arab language and culture in favour of the local one .

 

Main sights

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 . Most of the historical relics are from the Qajar era , as earthquakes continue to ravage older relics .

The Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran lists 1,179 sites of historical and cultural significance in all three provinces of Khorasan .

Some of the popular attractions of North Khorasan are :

·         Tepe Pahlavan , near Jajarm , A prehistoric archeological site

·         Jalalal-din castle , Jajarm

·         Miandasht wildlife refuge , living place of Asiatic Cheetah

·         petroglyphic site from Bronze Age in Jorbat (10 km north of Jajarm)

·         Sari Gol protected area

·         Hasanabad , Ghaisar and Solak old castles

·         Noshirvan and Ebadatgah caves

·         Faghatdezh castle

·         Tomb of Sheikh Ali Esfarayeni

·         Saloog Protected Area

·         Besh Qardash (five brothers) and Baba-Aman springs

·         Bidag , Konegarm , Konjekooh , Armadloo and Seyed Sadegh caves

·         Mofakham mirror house (image) , built during the Qajar era

·         Baba Tavakol mausoleum

·         Imamzadeh Sultan Seyed Abbas

·         Salook Protected Area

·         Bazkhaneh valley

·         Ayyub mineral water spring

·         Ruwin village

 

Colleges and universities

·         University of Bojnurd

·         Islamic Azad University of Bojnurd

·         Eshragh Institute of Higher Education (Bojnurd , North Khorasan)

·         Islamic Azad University of Shiravan

·         Hakiman Institute of Higher Education (Bojnurd , North Khorasan)

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