Shirvan () is a city in the Central District of Shirvan County, North 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 has been significant industrially with sugar beet factories. It is also significant historically (Nader hill), geographically ( Honameh), and anthropologically (caves around the city).

Etymology

The name of this city stems from the old Persian word, ''shīr'' (شیر), "lion." It might be because of the mountain in the south of the city which looks like a big

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

at rest. The history of Shirvan is more than 7000 years old, as archaeologists found some graves in Gelian and Khanlogh (Villages of Shirvan) which are related to

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 ...

era. The city was fortified and strengthened as a fort city during the Safavid era to defend it against the raiding Turkmens.

Demographics

Population

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 82,790 in 20,878 households. The following census in 2011 counted 88,254 people in 24,353 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 82,689 people in 24,760 households.

Geography

Shirvan is located at an latitude of 37 degrees and 40 minutes and a longitude of 57 degrees and 93 minutes with an altitude of 1097 meters

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...

and an area of 3789 square meters. The city of Ashgabat is bounded on the north by the capital of

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ash ...

, on the south by the city of Esfarayen, on the east by the city of Farooj and on the west by Bojnourd. The city of Shirvan is near the Atrak River. Shirvan, 22 km away, is the closest city to Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan.

Universities

Shirvan Higher Education Complex Shirvan Health Higher Education Complex Islamic Azad University, Shirvan Branch Professor Hesabi Boys' Technical School

Notes

References

Populated places in Shirvan County Cities in North Khorasan province {{Shirvan-geo-stub pnb:شیروان (شہر)