MASHHAD

'Mashhad' (, literally ''the place of martyrdom'') is the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the Shiah world. It is located 850 kilometers (500 miles) east of Tehran, Iran (Persia), at the center of the Razavi Khorasan Province. Its population is 2,387,734 people (2006).[5]

Contents

Geography and demographics

History and notable events

Current religious situation

Culture

Attractions

Transportation

Airport

Metro

Rail

Shopping

Consulates

Sports

Colleges and universities

Mashhad as capital of Persia and Independent Khorasan

Famous people from Mashhad

Sister cities

References

See also

External links

Geography and demographics

The city is located at 36.20º latitude and 59.35º east longitude, in the valley of the Kashaf River near Turkmenistan, between the two mountain ranges of Binalood and Hezar-masjed. The city benefits from the proximity of the mountains, having very cold winters, pleasant springs, mild summers, and beautiful autumns. It is only 1290 km (800 miles) from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
Greater Mashhad or Metropolitan Mashhad is composed of four municipalities 1)City of Mashhad which is further divided into 11 administration districts 2)Municipality of Torghabeh 3)Municipality of Razaviyeh and 4) Municipality of Ahmadabad. In the past, Greater Mashhad also included Chenaran, Fariman and Kalat-e-Naderi. However these three regions have been promoted to Shahrestan a major administrative center of an Iranian province.
Mashhad has a population of almost 3 million whose population consists mainly of people of Iranian descent. There are also over 20 million pilgrims who visit the city every year.

History and notable events

Mashhad is notably known as the resting place of the Imam Reza (Ali ibn Musa al-Rida). Before the passing of the Imam, Mashhad was a small village by the name of Sanabad, in the country of Tus. A shrine was later built there to commemorate the Imam, which in turn gave rise to increasing demographical development.
Among the first major structures built in Mashhad was a mausoleum built by Sultan Mahmood Ghaznavi. It was not considered a great city until Mongol raids caused the destruction of many large cities in the Greater Khorasan territories, leaving Mashhad relatively intact. Later on, during the Shahrokh era, it became one of the main cities of the Timurid dynasty. Reputedly, the wife of the Timurid emperor Shāh Rukh, Goharshad, funded the construction of an outstanding mosque beside the shrine. The mosque remains relatively intact to this date, its great size an indicator to the status the city held in the 15th century.
Shah Ismail I, founder of the Safavid dynasty, conquered Mashhad after the death of Husayn Bayqarah and the decline of the Timurid dynasty. Mashhad was later captured by the Uzbeks during the reign of Shah Abbas I, only to be retaken by the Shah Abbas in the year of 1597 after a long and severe struggle, defeating the Uzbeks in a great battle near Herat as well as managing to drive them beyond the Oxus River. Shah Abbas I wanted to encourage Iranians to go to Mashhad for pilgrimage: he himself is known to have walked from Isfahan to Mashhad. During the Safavid era Mashhad gained even more religious recognition, becoming the most important city of the Greater Khorasan as several Madrasah and other structures were built beside the shrine of the Imam Reza.
Besides its religious significance, Mashhad has played an important political role as well. It saw its greatest glory under Nadir Shah, ruler of Iran from 1736 to 1747 and also a great benefactor of the shrine of the Imam Reza, making the city his capital. It remained the capital of the Afsharid dynasty until Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar conquered the then larger region of Khorasan in 1796.
In 1912, the sanctuary of the Imam Reza was bombed by the Russian forces, causing widespread and persisting resentment in the Shiite Muslim world.
On June 20, 1994, an explosion from a bomb occurred in a prayer hall of the shrine of the Imam Reza^[1] The bomb that killed at least 25 people on June 20 in Mashhad exploded at Ashura.^[2] Mehdi Nahvi, a member of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MKO), an Iraqi-based opposition group, claimed responsibility. The MKO stated that the bombing was carried out to commemorate the anniversary of the group's founding on June 20, 1981. Although government blamed the Mujahedin-e-Khalq in a TV show to avoid sectarian conflict between Shia and Sunni, the Pakistani daily "News" of March 27, 1995 reported, "Pakistani investigators have identified a 24-year-old religious fanatic Abdul Shakoor residing in Lyari in Karachi, as an important Pakistani associate of Ramzi Yousef. Abdul Shakoor had intimate contacts with Ramzi Ahmed Yousef and was responsible for the June 20, 1994, massive bomb explosion at the shrine Imam Ali Reza in Mashhad."^[3]
Though primarily a Muslim city, Mashhad has harbored a number of religious minorities over the centuries. Among these were Jews, who in 1839 were forcibly converted to Islam. However, in truth they lived a double life: outwardly they conformed to Islamic ways, and were known as "Jadid al-Islam" or "New Muslims," but secretly they preserved a Jewish identity and Jewish traditions.
^[4]
The Baha'i Faith has a history of victory and religious persecutions in this city. The latest was the executions of two Baha'is in 1998.

Current religious situation

Today the holy shrine and its museum hold one of the most extensive cultural and artistic treasuries of Iran, in particular manuscript books and paintings. Several important theological schools are associated with the shrine of the Eighth Imam.
As a city of great religious significance, it is also a place of pilgrimage. It is said that the rich go to Mecca but the poor journey to Mashhad. Thus, even as those who complete the pilgrimage to Mecca receive the title of ''Haji,'' those who make the pilgrimage to Mashhad – and especially to the Imam Reza shrine – are known as ''Mashtee,'' a term employed also of its inhabitants. It is thought that over 20 million Muslims a year make the pilgrimage to Mashhad.

Culture

Long a center of secular as well as of religious learning, Mashhad has been a center for the arts and for the sciences. The large Ferdowsi University of Mashad, named after the great Iranian poet, is located here. The Madrassa of Ayatollah Al-Khoei, originally built in the seventeenth century and recently replaced with modern facilities, is the city’s foremost traditional centre for religious learning. The Razavi University of Islamic Sciences, founded in 1984, stands at the centre of town, within the shrine complex. The prestige of traditional religious education at Mashhad attracts students, known as ''talaban'', internationally.
Mashhad is also home to one of the oldest libraries of the Middle-East called the Central Library of Astan-e Quds Razavi with a history of over six centuries. The Astan-e Quds Razavi Museum, which is part of the Astan-e Quds Razavi Complex, is home to over 70,000 rare manuscripts from various historical eras. There are some six million historical documents in the foundation’s central library.
In 1569 (977 H), `Imad al-Din Mas`ud Shirazi, a physician at the Mashhad hospital, wrote the earliest Islamic treatise on syphilis, one influenced by European medical thought.
Kashmar rug is a type of Persian rug indigenous to this region.

Attractions

The second largest holy city in the world, Mashhad attracts more than 20 million tourists and pilgrims every year, many of whom come to pay homage to the tomb of Imam Reza (the eighth Shi'ite Imam). It has been a magnet for travellers since medieval times, when the famous world traveller Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Battuta visited the town.
Apart from a number of beautiful large parks and the tombs of historical celebrities in nearby Tus and Neyshabour, the tomb of Nadir Shah and Kooh Sangi park and mellat park that have modern attractions for children such as the 3rd biggest ferris wheel or fanfar (چرخ و فلک) in the world and Koohestan park e shadi complex that includes a zoo, where many wild animals are kept and which attracts many visitors to Mashhad. It is also home to the Mashhad Airbase (formerly Imam Reza airbase), jointly a military installation housing Mirage aircraft, and a civilian international airport.
Some points of interest lie outside the city: the tomb of Khajeh Morad, along the road to Tehran; the tomb of Khajeh Rabi' located 6 kilometers north of the city where there are some inscriptions by the renowned Safavid calligrapher Reza Abbasi; and the tomb of Khajeh Abasalt, a distance of 20 kilometers from Mashhad along the road to Neishabur. (The three were all disciples of Imam Reza).
Among the other sights are the tomb of the great poet Ferdowsi in Tus, 24 kilometers distance, and the summer resorts at Torghabeh, Torogh, Akhlamad, Zoshk, and Shandiz.
The Shah Public Bath, built during the Safavid era in 1648, is an outstanding example of the architecture of that period. It was recently restored, and is to be turned into a museum.

Transportation

Airport

Iran's holiest city is served by the Mashhad International Airport which handles domestic flights to Iranian cities and international flights to mostly Asia.

Metro

The Mashhad Urban Railway Corporation (MURCO) is constructing a metro system for the city of Mashhad. It is planned to be finished by 2008.

Rail

Mashhad is connected via rail to three major rail terminals: Tehran, Bandar Abbas and Almaty. Rail services are operated by Raja Trains.

Shopping

The major shopping precincts are:

★ Almas-e-Shargh Shopping Center

★ Zist-e-Khavar Shopping Center

★ Proma Shopping Center

★ Jennat Street Mall

★ International Bazaar Shopping Complex

★ Bazaar Reza

★ Bazaar Markazi

Consulates

Flag	Country	Address
	Afghanistan	Imam Khomeini Avenue Doshahid Street Sevom Isfand Sq. Mashad IranTel: +98-511-8544829, +98-511-8597552 Fax:+98-511-8544404,E-mail: Afghanistan_ge_con_mashad@samanir.net
	Iraq
	Kazakhstan	Rahnemai Street 10, 41 h. Mashad IranTel:+98-511-8417716 Fax: +98-511 8401293 E-mail: gcomrk@aftab.ws
	Kyrgyzstan	No.209,next to Gas station,Abkooh Ave. 91839 Mashhad IranTel:+98-511-8418444 Fax:+98-511-8418444
	Pakistan	Khyaban-e-Imam Khomeini Opposite Bagh-e- Milli P.O. Box No.91375-1733 Mashad IranTel:+98-511-2229845 Fax:+98-511-2227045 E-mail: pcmi@persiannet.net
	Tajikistan	Darvazeh Quchan Sq. 91379 Mashhad IranTel:+98-511-7275480 Fax:+98-511-7275480
	Turkmenistan	No.34,Konsoolgari Alley,10th Day Sq. 91386 Mashhad IranTel:+98-511-8547066 Fax:+98-511-8547073
	Saudi Arabia	No. 4 - Molavi St. Sajjad Blvd. Mashad IranTel:+98-511-6076276,+98-511-6076279 Fax:+98-511-6076273,+98-511-6076278

Sports

Defunct Football (Soccer) teams:

★ Aria F.C.

★ Adonis Mashhad

★ Partsazan Khorasan
Football (Soccer) teams:

★ F.C. Aboomoslem

★ Payam Mashhad

★ Pas Mashhad

★ Shahrdari Mashhad

★ Electric Khorasan

★ Turbo Mashhad

★ Bahman Mashhad

★ Ayat Mashhad

★ Fajr Khorasan

★ Tarbiyat Khorasan

★ Rahahan Mashhad

★ Taxirani Mashhad

★ Dokhaniyat Mashhad

★ Keshavarz Mashhad
Football (Soccer) stadiums:

★ Samen Stadium

★ Takhti Stadium

Colleges and universities

★ Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (FUM)

★ Mashad University of Medical Sciences

★ Islamic Azad University of Mashhad

★ Payame Noor University of Mashhad

★ Comprehensive University of Applied and Practical Sciences, Khorasan

★ Imam Reza (P.B.U.H.) University

★ Razavi University of Islamic Sciences

★ Sadjad Institute of Higher Education

★ Khayyam Institute of Higher Education

★ Samen Institute of Higher Education

Mashhad as capital of Persia and Independent Khorasan

The following Shahanshahs had Mashhad as their capital:

Kiyanid Dynasty

★ Malek Mahmoud Sistani 1722-1726

Afsharid dynasty

★ Nadir Shah

★ Adil Shah

★ Ebrahim Afshar

★ Shah Rukh of Persia

★ Nadir Mirza of Khorasan

Safavid Dynasty

★ Soleyman II 1750

Independent State of Khorasan

★ Mohammad Taghi Khan Pessyan

Famous people from Mashhad

★ Ferdowsi, poet

★ Nasir al-Din Tusi, scholar

★ Mehdi Akhavan-Sales, poet

★ Emad Khorasani, poet

★ Mohammad Taghi Bahar, nationalist politician and scholar

★ Seyed Ali Khamenei, Islamic Republic of Iran Leader

★ Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, Persian traditional singer

★ Anousheh Ansari, First Iranian in space

Sister cities

★ Great Neck, USA

★ Medina, Saudi Arabia

★ Najaf, Iraq

★ Kerbela, Iraq

★ Kazimain, Iraq

★ Samarra, Iraq

★ Santiago de Compostela, Spain

★ Lahore, Pakistan

★ - Verona, Italy

★ - Pula, Croatia

★ - Busan, South Korea

★ Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - declared sister cities on October 2006. ^[5]

References

1. ABC Evening News for Monday, Jun 20, 1994
2. Explosive circles: Iran. (Mashhad bombing)
3. SIPAH-E-SAHABA PAKISTAN, LASHKAR-E-JHANGVI, BIN LADEN & RAMZI YOUSEF
4. Jadid al-Islam: The Jewish "New Muslims" of Meshhed, , Raphael, Patai, Wayne State University Press, , ISBN 0-8143-2652-8
5. (3 October 2006). "Mashad-Kuala Lumpur Become Sister cities".''Kuala Lumpur News''

See also

★ Allahdad incident

★ The National Library of Astan Quds Razavi

External links

★ City of Mashhad Official website (in Persian)

★ e-Mashhad Mashhad Portal Official website (in Persian)

★ Mashhad

★ Mashhad

★ Mashhad

★ Imam Reza Network

★ 3D Holy Shrine of Imam Reza

★ ArchNet,Imam Reza Shrine Complex

★ E-pilgrimage: Imam Reza Calling You!

★ The Holiest of Shrines: The Astan Quds Razavi
April 5, 2000; Report of an American tourist]

★ Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

★ Islamic Azad University of Mashhad

★ Population estimates for Mashhad, Iran, 1950-2015