Gonabad () is a city in the Central District of Gonabad County, Razavi Khorasan Province,

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

, serving as capital of both the county and the district. The city is best known as the home of the Gonabadi Dervishes and also for its '' qanat''s, (known also as ''kariz''). It is one of the most important producers of saffron in Iran. Other agricultural products include: Grape, Pistachio and pomegranate. The shrine the Ni'matullāhī Gonabadi dervish order is located in Beydokht, a village in the Gonabad county.

History

The famous ancient Battle of the Twelve Combats ( Davazdah Rokh) between the rival empires of Iran and Turan (Central Asia) took place at Zibad Castle in this city - as memorably related in the epic

Shahnameh The ''Shahnameh'' (, ), also transliterated ''Shahnama'', is a long epic poem written by the Persian literature, Persian poet Ferdowsi between and 1010 CE and is the national epic of Greater Iran. Consisting of some 50,000 distichs or couple ...

. The construction of this city is attributed to the Achaemenid kings and during the

Seljuk Empire The Seljuk Empire, or the Great Seljuk Empire, was a High Middle Ages, high medieval, culturally Turco-Persian tradition, Turco-Persian, Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim empire, established and ruled by the Qiniq (tribe), Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. ...

and

Khwarazmian dynasty The Anushtegin dynasty or Anushteginids (English: , ), also known as the Khwarazmian dynasty () was a Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic peoples, Turkic ''mamluk'' origin from the Begdili, Bekdili clan of the Oghuz Turks. The Anushteg ...

periods (fifth to seventh centuries AH) it was Shahrabadi. Gonabad has also been recorded in Arabic and Islamic sources as Janabd, Kanabd, and Yanabd.The Yasemi family is one of the oldest families living in Gonabad.

Demographics

Population

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 34,563 in 9,789 households. The following census in 2011 counted 36,367 people in 10,389 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 40,773 people in 12,037 households.

Geography and climate

The city of Gonabad is in the south of Khorasan Razavi province on the Brakuh plateau. The city is located on a flat plateau and is 24 km away from the Barakuh mountain range. The highest peak of Barakuh is called Tirmehi Mountain or Zibad Mountain. The city of Gonabad is located in an

arid Aridity is the condition of geographical regions which make up approximately 43% of total global available land area, characterized by low annual precipitation, increased temperatures, and limited water availability.Perez-Aguilar, L. Y., Plata ...

and semi-desert climate on the edge of the desert. This city has been facing a serious drought crisis in recent years. The city of Gonabad is located on the plain and plateau of Siah Kooh or Ghahestan mountain range. Ghahestan mountain range in Gonabad region is more known as Brakuh, Siah Kooh and Zibad mountain.

Historical sites, ancient artifacts and tourism

Forud Castle

Forud Castle is a historical

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

located in Gonabad County in Razavi Khorasan Province, The longevity of this fortress dates back to the

Parthian Empire The Parthian Empire (), also known as the Arsacid Empire (), was a major Iranian political and cultural power centered in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD. Its latter name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, who led the Parni tribe ...

Zibad Castle

Zibad Castle is one of the four historical monuments of Zibad, Iran. In 2001, the castle was registered as a national property in Iran, which is related to the history of pre-Islamic Iran, and is located in Gonabad city, Kakhk district, in the residential area of Zibad. It has been registered as national heritage. In addition to the castle of Zibad, there are also the royal castle of Zibad nationally registered under the name of Shahab Castle in 2002.

Jameh Mosque of Gonabad

The Jameh Mosque of Gonabad is related to

and is located in Gonabad.

Qanats of Gonabad

The Qanats of Ghasabeh, also called Kariz Kai Khosrow, is one of the world's oldest and largest networks of qanats (underground aqueducts). Built between 700 and 500 BCE by the

Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire, also known as the Persian Empire or First Persian Empire (; , , ), was an Iranian peoples, Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid dynasty in 550 BC. Based in modern-day Iran, i ...

in what is now Gonabad, Razavi Khorasan Province,

, the complex contains 427 water wells with a total length of . The site was first added to

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

's list of tentative

World Heritage Sites World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

in 2007, then officially inscribed in 2016, collectively with several other qanats, as "The Persian Qanat".

Education and culture

Higher education

Gonabad can be considered the most student city in Khorasan Razavi province. According to unofficial statistics, about 30% of the city's population (equivalent to about 12,000 people) are indigenous and non-indigenous students. The most important higher education centers in Gonabad: * Gonabad University of Medical Sciences * Islamic Azad University, Gonabad Branch * University of Gonabad

Gallery

File:Ghanat970.jpg, Qanats of Gonabad File:قنات قصبه.jpg, Qanats of Gonabad File:KarizZibad.jpg, Qanats of Gonabad File:گناباد 4.jpg, Anthropological Museum File:گناباد 5.jpg, Anthropological Museum File:گناباد 6.jpg, Anthropological Museum File:گناباد 7.jpg, Anthropological Museum File:گناباد.jpg, Anthropological Museum File:گناباد 9.jpg, Anthropological Museum File:گناباد 11.jpg, Anthropological Museum File:گناباد 12.jpg, Anthropological Museum File:گناباد 16.jpg, Anthropological Museum File:قسمتی دیگر از راه قلعه فرود (rotated, cropped).jpg, Forud Castle File:گردشگران در قلعه فرود.jpg, Forud Castle File:Castle of zibad from the top of shahneshin castle of the last shelter of yazdgerd3.JPG, Zibad Castle File:Zibad Castle 1.jpg, Zibad Castle File:مسجد جامع قصبه شهر، گناباد.jpg, Jameh Mosque of Gonabad File:در ورودی مسجد جامع قصبه شهر گناباد.jpg, Jameh Mosque of Gonabad

Notes

References

{{Gonabad County, state=collapsed Cities in Razavi Khorasan province Populated places in Gonabad County Achaemenid cities Parthian cities Sasanian cities