Mashhad

Mashhad (Persian: مشهد) is a city in the Razavi Khorasan Province in Iran. Mashhad is the second largest city in Iran. It is close to Iran's border with Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.

Mashhad Persian: مشهد ‹Mašhad›
Nickname:  Mashhad
Motto:  City of paradise (Shahre behesht)
Mashhad Location of Mashhad in Iran
Coordinates: 36°18′N 59°36′E
Country	Iran
Province	Razavi Khorasan
County	Mashhad
Bakhsh	Central
Mashhad-Sanabad-Toos	818 AD (Martyrdom Of Imam Reza)
Government
• Mayor (Ŝahrdār)	Ghasem Taghizadeh Khamesi
Area
• City	458 km2 (177 sq mi)
• Metro	3,946 km2 (1,524 sq mi)
Elevation	985 m (3,232 ft)
Population  (2016)
• City	3,001,184
• Population Rank in Iran	2nd
	Over 25 million pilgrims and tourists per year[1]
Time zone	UTC+3:30 (IRST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+4:30 (IRDT)
Website	http://www.mashhad.ir

Mashhad is primarily known as the resting place of Imam Reza and also the great Persian poet, Ferdowsi.

History

Before the 9th century, Mashhad was a small village but became prosperous after imam Reza was killed and buried there by Al-Ma'mun the Abbasid caliph. Mashhad turned into a famous town, in the time of Shah Ismail I of the Safavid dynasty (1501) and later Nader Shah of his Empire chose Mashhad as his capital. Mashhad has remained one of Iran's most important cities to this day even with the relocation of the capital to Tehran.

Related pages

• List of cities in Iran