Gorgan ( fa, گرگان ; also

romanize Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...

d as ''Gorgān'', ''Gurgān'', and ''Gurgan''), formerly Esterabad ( ; also romanized as ''Astarābād'', ''Asterabad'', and ''Esterābād''), is the capital city of Golestan Province,

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. It lies approximately to the north east of

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

, some away from the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...

. In the 2006 census; its population was 269,226, in 73,702 families.

History

There are several archaeological sites near Gorgan, including

Tureng Tepe Tureng Tepe ( fa, تورنگ تپه, "Hill of the Pheasants"; alternatively spelled in English as Turang Tappe/Tape/Tappa/Tappeh) is a Neolithic and Chalcolithic archaeological site in northeastern Iran, in the Gorgan plain, approximately 17 ...

and

Shah Tepe Shah Tepe is a prehistoric archaeological site located in the Gorgan plain of Northeastern Iran, about 13 km north – northwest from the city of Gurgan and 20 km east of the Caspian Sea. Topographically, it is an oval mound with a longi ...

, in which there are remains dating from the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

and Chalcolithic eras. Some other important Neolithic sites in the area are

Yarim Tepe Yarim Tepe is an archaeological site of an early farming settlement that goes back to about 6000 BC. It is located in the Sinjar valley some 7km southwest from the town of Tal Afar in northern Iraq. The site consists of several hills reflecting th ...

, and

Sange Chaxmaq Sang-i Chakmak (''Tappeh Sang-e Chakhmaq, Sange Chaxmaq, Chakhmagh'') is a Neolithic archaeological site located about north of the village of Bastam in the northern Semnan Province of Iran, on the southeastern flank of the Elburs Mountains. T ...

. Also, the nearby

Shahroud Shahrood ( fa, شاهرود, also Romanized as Shâhrūd, and Shahroud; also known as Shârūd) is a city and capital of Shahrood County, Semnan Province, Iran. Situated about an altitude of 1345 m, it is located at latitude 36°25'N, longi ...

Plain has many such sites. The number of confirmed Neolithic sites on the

Gorgan Plain The Gorgan Plain, or Dasht-e Gorgan ( fa, دشت گرگان), is situated in northeastern Iran in Golestan Province. It extends from the lower slopes of the Alborz and Kopet Dag mountain ranges to the steppes of Turkmenistan. The River Gorgan flow ...

now totals more than fifty. According to the Greek historian

Arrian Arrian of Nicomedia (; Greek: ''Arrianos''; la, Lucius Flavius Arrianus; ) was a Greek historian, public servant, military commander and philosopher of the Roman period. ''The Anabasis of Alexander'' by Arrian is considered the best ...

, Zadracarta was the largest city of

Hyrcania Hyrcania () ( el, ''Hyrkania'', Old Persian: 𐎺𐎼𐎣𐎠𐎴 ''Varkâna'',Lendering (1996) Middle Persian: 𐭢𐭥𐭫𐭢𐭠𐭭 ''Gurgān'', Akkadian: ''Urqananu'') is a historical region composed of the land south-east of the Caspia ...

and site of the "royal palace". The term means "the yellow city", and it was given to it from the great number of oranges, lemons, and other fruit trees which grew in the outskirts of that city. Hyrcania became part of the

Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Based in Western Asia, it was contemporarily the largest em ...

during the reign of

Cyrus the Great Cyrus II of Persia (; peo, 𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁 ), commonly known as Cyrus the Great, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, the first Persian empire. Schmitt Achaemenid dynasty (i. The clan and dynasty) Under his rule, the empire embraced ...

(559–530 BC), its founder, or his successor

Cambyses Cambyses may refer to: * Cambyses I, King of Anshan 600 to 559 BCE * Cambyses II, King of Persia 530 to 522 BCE * Cambyses, ancient name of the Iori river in the South Caucasus * ''Cambyses'', a tragedy (published 1569) by Thomas Preston (writer) ...

(530-522 BC). The

Great Wall of Gorgan The Great Wall of Gorgan is a Sasanian-era defense system located near modern Gorgan in the Golestān Province of northeastern Iran, at the southeastern corner of the Caspian Sea. The western, Caspian Sea, end of the wall is near the remains o ...

, the second biggest defensive wall in the world, was built in the

Parthian Parthian may be: Historical * A demonym "of Parthia", a region of north-eastern of Greater Iran * Parthian Empire (247 BC – 224 AD) * Parthian language, a now-extinct Middle Iranian language * Parthian shot, an archery skill famously employed by ...

and

Sassanian The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...

periods. At the time of the

Sassanids The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...

, "Gurgan" appeared as the name of a city, province capital, and province.Bivar, A.D.H. "Gorgan"

Encyclopædia Iranica ''Encyclopædia Iranica'' is a project whose goal is to create a comprehensive and authoritative English language encyclopedia about the history, culture, and civilization of Iranian peoples from prehistory to modern times. Scope The ''Encycl ...

br>online
/ref> Gorgan maintained its independence as a

Zoroastrian Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic on ...

state even after Persia was conquered by the Muslim Arabs in the 8th century. In 1210, the city was invaded and sacked by the army of

Kingdom of Georgia The Kingdom of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს სამეფო, tr), also known as the Georgian Empire, was a medieval Eurasian monarchy that was founded in circa 1008 AD. It reached its Golden Age of political and economic ...

under command of the brothers Mkhargrdzeli. "Old Gorgan" was destroyed during the

Mongol invasion The Mongol invasions and conquests took place during the 13th and 14th centuries, creating history's largest contiguous empire: the Mongol Empire ( 1206- 1368), which by 1300 covered large parts of Eurasia. Historians regard the Mongol devastati ...

in the 13th century, and the center of the region was moved to what was called "Astarabad", which is currently called "Gorgan". Gorgan with its surrounding regions was sometimes considered as part of the

Tabaristan Tabaristan or Tabarestan ( fa, طبرستان, Ṭabarestān, or mzn, تبرستون, Tabarestun, ultimately from Middle Persian: , ''Tapur(i)stān''), was the name applied to a mountainous region located on the Caspian coast of northern Iran. ...

region. Astarabad was an important political and religious city during the

Qajar dynasty The Qajar dynasty (; fa, دودمان قاجار ', az, Qacarlar ) was an IranianAbbas Amanat, ''The Pivot of the Universe: Nasir Al-Din Shah Qajar and the Iranian Monarchy, 1831–1896'', I. B. Tauris, pp 2–3 royal dynasty of Turkic peoples ...

Geography and climate

The wide Dasht-e Gorgan (Plains of Gorgan) are located north of the city and geographically bounded by 37°00' - 37°30' north latitude and 54°00' - 54°30' east longitude, covering an area of about . Some east of Gorgan is the

Golestan National Park Golestan National Park ( fa, پارک ملی گلستان), commonly known as the Golestan Jungle (), is an Iranian National Park in Golestan Province, northeastern Iran. Geography The park is located in the eastern Alborz (Elburs) Mountains ra ...

, home to a large portion of the

fauna of Iran The wildlife of Iran include the fauna and flora of Iran. One of the most famous wildlife of Iran is the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus venaticus''), which today survives only in Iran. History The wildlife of Iran first ...

. Gorgan has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''Cfa'',

Trewartha Trewartha and Andrewartha are Cornish family names (and placename, Dexter). There are places called Trewartha in the parishes of Merther, St Agnes, St Neot and Veryan. According to the ''Handbook of Cornish Names'' by G. Pawley White, "Trew ...

: ''Cf''), with hot, humid summers and cool, wet winters. In general, Golestan has a moderate and humid climate known as "the moderate Caspian climate." The effective factors behind such a climate are:

Alborz The Alborz ( fa, البرز) range, also spelled as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran that stretches from the border of Azerbaijan along the western and entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea and finally runs nort ...

mountain range, direction of the mountains, height of the area, neighborhood to the sea, vegetation surface, local winds, altitude and weather fronts. As a result of the above factors, three different climates exist in the region: plain moderate, mountainous, and semi-arid. Gorgan valley has a semi-arid climate. The average annual temperature is and the annual rainfall is .

Notable people

Historical figures

House of Karen House of Karen (Middle Persian: ''Kārēn'', Parthian: ''𐭊𐭓𐭍𐭉 Kārēn,'' fa, کارن ''Kārin'' or ''Kāren''), also known as Karen-Pahlav (''Kārēn-Pahlaw'') was one of the Seven Great Houses of Iran during the rule of Parthian an ...

, an aristocratic feudal family first attested in the Arsacid era, belonged to the region of Hyrcania. * Fakhroddin Asaad Gorgani, 11th-century Persian poet and the composer of ''

Vis and Ramin Vis, ViS, VIS, and other capitalizations may refer to: Places * Vis (island), a Croatian island in the Adriatic sea ** Vis (town), on the island of Vis * Vis (river), in south-central France * Vis, Bulgaria, a village in Haskovo Province * Vis ...

''. *

Abu Sa'id al-Darir al-Jurjani Abu Sa'id al-Dharir al-Jurjani (), also Gurgani, was a 9th-century Persian mathematician and astronomer from Gurgan (Jurjan), Iran. He wrote a treatise on geometrical problems and another on the drawing of the meridian. George Sarton considers him ...

, 9th century astronomer and mathematician *

Al-Masihi Abu Sahl 'Isa ibn Yahya al-Masihi al-Jurjani ( fa, ابو سهل عيسى‌ بن‌ يحيى مسيحی گرگانی) was a Christian Persian physician,Firoozeh Papan-Matin, ''Beyond death: the mystical teachings of ʻAyn al-Quḍāt al-Hamadhān ...

, 10th century physician and teacher of

Avicenna Ibn Sina ( fa, ابن سینا; 980 – June 1037 CE), commonly known in the West as Avicenna (), was a Persian polymath who is regarded as one of the most significant physicians, astronomers, philosophers, and writers of the Islamic G ...

* Abd al-Qāhir al-Jurjānī, 11th century grammarian and literary theorist *

Zayn al-Din al-Jurjani Zayn al-Din Sayyed Isma‘il ibn Husayn Gorgani (c. 1040–1136), also spelled al-Jurjani, was a Persian 12th century royal Islamic physician from Gorgan, Iran. In addition to medical and pharmaceutical sciences, he was also an adept in theologi ...

, 12th century royal physician *

Bahram al-Da'i Bahram al-Da'i ( ar, بهرام الداعي, "Bahram the '' da'i'' issionary) or Bahram of Astarabad was a 12th-century Persian Nizari Ismaili who was the Chief ''Da'i'' and leader of the Assassins in Syria from after 1113 through 1128. Although ...

, 12th-century Nizari Ismaili missionary and military leader in Syria *

Fazlallah Astarabadi (Naimi) Fażlu l-Lāh Astar-Ābādī ( fa, فضل‌الله استرآبادی, 1339/40 in Astarābād – 1394 in Nakhchivan), also known as Fażlullāh Tabrīzī AstarābādīIrène Mélikoff. ''Hadji Bektach: un mythe et ses avatars : genèse et évo ...

, 14th century mystic and founder of

Hurufism Hurufism ( ar, حُرُوفِيَّة ''ḥurūfiyyah'', Persian: حُروفیان ''hōrufiyān'') was a Sufi movement based on the mysticism of letters (''ḥurūf''), which originated in Astrabad and spread to areas of western Iran (Persia) ...

Rustam Gorgani Rostam Gorgani was a mid-16th century Persian physician who lived in India. Rostam Gorgani was the court physician of two of the rulers of the Deccan sultanates, Malik Ahmad Shah I (1490–1510) and Burhan Shah I (1510–1553), in the city of Ah ...

, 16th century physician *

Mir Fendereski ''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...

, philosopher, poet and mysti *

Mir Damad Mir Damad ( fa, ميرداماد) (c. 1561 – 1631/1632), known also as Mir Mohammad Baqer Esterabadi, or Asterabadi, was a Twelver Shia Iranian philosopher in the Neoplatonizing Islamic Peripatetic traditions of Avicenna. He also was a Suhra ...

, 17th century Islamic scholar and Neoplatonic philosopher *

Mirza Mehdi Khan Astarabadi Mirza Mehdi Khan Astarabadi ( fa, میرزا مهدی خان استرآبادی), also known by his title of Monshi-ol-Mamalek (), was the chief secretary, historian, biographer, advisor, strategist, friend and confidant of King Nader Shah Afshar ...

, 18th century chief minister to

Nader Shah Nader Shah Afshar ( fa, نادر شاه افشار; also known as ''Nader Qoli Beyg'' or ''Tahmāsp Qoli Khan'' ) (August 1688 – 19 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian h ...

Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi Bibi Khānoom Astarābādi ( fa, بی بی خانم استرآبادی)‎ (1858/9 – 1921) was a notable Iranian writer, satirist, and one of the pioneering figures in the women's movement of Iran. Biography Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi was born ...

, a notable writer, satirist, and one of the pioneering figures of the women's movement of Iran *

Firishta Firishta or Ferešte ( fa, ), full name Muhammad Qasim Hindu Shah Astarabadi ( fa, مُحَمَّد قاسِم هِندو شاہ), was a Persian historian, who later settled in India and served the Deccan Sultans as their court historian. He was ...

, historian *

Sardar Rafie Yanehsari Sardar Rafie Yanehsari (1856-1930) was the Wali (administrative title), Wali of Wilayah, velayat of Gorgan, Astarabad and Governor of Gorgan from the time of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, Naser el-Din Shah to Reza Shah and was a member of Yanehsari Dyn ...

, Governor of Astarabad * House of Bagheri, a historical house with 7 yards from 18th century that currently has been used as a boutique hotel, Haft Paykar

Contemporary figures

Iraj Etesam Iraj Etesam ( fa, ایرج اعتصام; 21 January 1931 – 19 December 2022) was an Iranian contemporary architect, educator, and author. He was the designer and architect of the Mellat Park of Tehran and the Cyrus Park, as well as a professo ...

, Iranian contemporary

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, educator, and author; born in Gorgan. *

Nader Ebrahimi Nader Ebrahimi ( fa, نادر ابراهیمی; April 3, 1936 – June 5, 2008) was an Iranian writer, screenwriter, photographer, director, actor, songwriter, and an outstanding contemporary novelist. Son to Ata-ol-molk Ebrahimi, who was a des ...

, author, poet, director, and researcher *

Hossein Khanzadi Hossein Khanzadi ( fa, حسین خانزادی) is an Iranian hovercraft pilot in the regular military (''Artesh'') who served as the Commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy from November 2017 to August 2021. On 17 August 2021, Rear Admir ...

, admiral in the

Iranian Navy , ''Daryādelān''"Seahearts" , patron = , motto = fa, راه ما، راه حسین است, ''Rāh-e ma, rāh-e hoseyn ast''"''Our Path, Is Hussain's Path''" , colors = , ...

Mohammad Reza Lotfi Mohammad-Reza Lotfi ( fa, محمدرضا لطفی; 1 January 1947 – 2 May 2014) was an Iranian classical musician renowned for his mastery of the tar and setar. He collaborated with singers such as Mohammad-Rezā Shajarian, Hengameh Akhavan, ...

, Traditional Persian musician *

Maryam Zandi Maryam Zandi (born 1946 in Gorgan, Iran) is an Iranian documentary photographer and author. She is best known for her photographs during the Iranian Revolution. Biography She spent her school years in Gorgan and then graduated from University ...

, photographer

Education

* Golestan University * Golestan University of Medical Sciences * Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources * Islamic Azad University of Gorgan

Sports

Shahrdari Gorgan Shahrdari Gorgan Basketball Club is an Iranian professional basketball club based in Gorgan, Iran. They compete in the Iranian Basketball Super League. Established in 1969, the team plays its home games in the Gorgan Eagles Castle. Shahrdari has ...

competes in the

Iranian Basketball Super League The Iranian Basketball Super League (IBSL) is a professional men's basketball league in Iran. It was founded in 1998. The current champions is Shahrdari Gorgan. The league follows the promotion and relegation system in which the worst two teams ...

. Currently the main football team of Gorgan is

Etka Gorgan F.C. Etka Gorgan ( fa, اتكا گرگان ) was an Iranian football club based in Gorgan, Iran. History Etka Gorgan was founded in 2008 and was placed in the Azadegan League. Etka had several mid table finishes until the 2012-2013 season, where the ...

, which competes in the

Azadegan League The Azadegan League ( fa, ليگ آزادگان, ''Lig-e Âzâdegân''), also known as League 1 ( fa, لیگ یک, ''Lig-e Yek''), is the second highest division of professional football in Iran. It was the top-level football league in Iran from ...

Sister cities

Aktau Aktau ( kk, Aqtau, Ақтау , russian: Актау) is a city in Kazakhstan, located on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea. Its current name means "white mountain" in Kazakh, which may be due to its cliffs that overlook the Caspian. From 1964 to ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

KZ-Today
September 11, 2006 *

Samsun Samsun, historically known as Sampsounta ( gr, Σαμψούντα) and Amisos (Ancient Greek: Αμισός), is a List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, city on the north coast of Turkey and is a major Black Sea port. In 2021, Samsun reco ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

(2006)

References

External links

{{Authority control Cities in Golestan Province Hyrcania Iranian provincial capitals