Razavi Khorasan province

Razavi Khorasan province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, located in northeastern Iran. Its capital is the city of Mashhad, the second-most-populous city in Iran.
Razavi Khorasan is one of the three provinces that were created after the division of Khorasan Province in 2004. In 2014, it was placed in Region 5 with Mashhad as the location of the region's secretariat.

History

The Greater Khorasan has witnessed the rise and fall of many dynasties and governments in its territory throughout history. Various tribes of the Arabs, Turks, Kurds and Turkmens brought changes to the region time and time again.
Ancient geographers of Iran divided Iran into eight segments of which the most flourishing and largest was the territory of Greater Khorasan. Esfarayen, among other cities of the province, was one of the focal points for residence of the Aryan tribes after entering Iran.
The Parthian Empire was based near Merv in Khorasan for many years. During the Sassanid dynasty, the province was governed by a Spahbod called "Padgošban" and four margraves, each commander of one of the four parts of the province.
Khorasan was divided into four parts during the Muslim conquest of Persia, each section being named after one of the four largest cities, Nishapur, Merv, Herat, and Balkh.
In the year 651, the army of the Rashidun Caliphate conquered Khorasan. The territory remained under the rule of the Abbasid Caliphate until 820, followed by the rule of the Iranian Tahirid dynasty until 873, and the Samanid dynasty in 900.
Khorasan was the largest province of Iran until it was divided into three provinces on 29 September 2004. The provinces approved by the parliament of Iran and the Council of Guardians were Khorasan-e Razavi, North Khorasan, and South Khorasan.

Demographics

Population

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the province's population was 5,515,980 in 1,426,187 households. The following census in 2011 counted 5,994,402 people in 1,716,314 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the province as 6,434,501 in 1,938,703 households.

Ethnicity

The major ethnic group in this region are Persians, there are other sizeable communities such as Khorasani Kurds, Khorasani Turks, Turkmens and Khorasani Baloch.

Religion

According to the 2016 census, the Muslim population of Razavi Khorasan was 6,409,180, most of whom are followers of Shia Islam, with the shrine of the 8th Shi'ite Imam being located in Mashhad. A significant Sunni population also inhabit the province, forming the majority in cities such as Torbat-e-Jam and Taybad. Additionally, the 2016 census recorded that there were 7,159 Christians, 961 Zoroastrians and 135 Jews living in the province, with an additional 1,073 being recorded as following other faiths, and a further 15,993 not stating their religion.

Administrative divisions

The population history and structural changes of Razavi Khorasan province's administrative divisions over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table.

Counties	2006	2011	2016
Bajestan	—	30,664	31,207
Bakharz	—	53,582	54,615
Bardaskan	68,392	72,626	75,631
Chenaran	108,533	125,601	155,013
Dargaz	73,439	74,326	72,355
Davarzan	—	—	21,911
Fariman	86,428	93,930	99,001
Firuzeh	—	42,739	37,539
Golbahar	—	—	—
Gonabad	106,158	80,783	88,753
Joghatai	—	47,920	49,175
Joveyn	—	54,139	54,488
Kalat	39,560	38,232	36,237
Kashmar	146,536	157,149	168,664
Khaf	108,964	121,859	138,972
Khalilabad	44,993	49,111	51,701
Khoshab	—	37,914	37,181
Kuhsorkh	—	—	—
Mahvelat	47,068	48,900	51,409
Mashhad	2,848,637	3,069,941	3,372,660
Miyan Jolgeh	—	—	—
Nishapur	441,184	433,105	451,780
Quchan	179,613	179,714	174,495
Roshtkhar	57,247	60,632	60,689
Sabzevar	429,187	319,893	306,310
Salehabad	—	—	—
Sarakhs	85,524	89,956	97,519
Sheshtamad	—	—	—
Taybad	143,205	108,424	117,564
Torbat-e Heydarieh	261,917	210,390	224,626
Torbat-e Jam	239,395	262,712	267,671
Torqabeh and Shandiz	—	58,483	69,640
Zaveh	—	71,677	67,695
Zeberkhan	—	—	—
Total	5,515,980	5,994,402	6,434,501

Cities

According to the 2016 census, 4,700,924 people live in the following cities:

City	Population
Ahmadabad-e Sowlat	8,326
Anabad	6,186
Bajestan	11,741
Bajgiran	594
Bakharz	9,044
Bar	3,765
Bardaskan	28,233
Bayg	3,545
Bidokht	5,501
Chapeshlu	2,374
Chekneh	1,381
Chenaran	53,879
Dargaz	36,762
Darrud	5,717
Davarzan	2,744
Dowlatabad	9,329
Eshqabad	1,993
Farhadgerd	8,442
Fariman	39,515
Feyzabad	18,120
Firuzeh	5,884
Golbahar	36,877
Golmakan	8,373
Gonabad	40,773
Hemmatabad	1,274
Jangal	6,650
Joghatai	9,268
Kadkan	3,719
Kakhk	4,625
Kalat	7,687
Kariz	11,102
Kashmar	102,282
Khaf	33,189
Khalilabad	12,751
Kharv	13,535
Kondor	6,460
Lotfabad	1,865
Mashhad	2,987,323
Mashhad Rizeh	10,105
Mazdavand	1,241
Molkabad	2,056
Nashtifan	9,176
Nasrabad	7,460
Neqab	14,783
Nilshahr	7,371
Nishapur	264,375
Now Khandan	2,634
Qadamgah	3,010
Qalandarabad	4,880
Qasemabad	5,145
Quchan	101,604
Razaviyeh	8,850
Rivash	5,687
Robat-e Sang	1,551
Roshtkhar	7,514
Rud Ab	4,028
Sabzevar	243,700
Salami	7,555
Salehabad	8,625
Sangan	12,443
Sarakhs	42,179
Sefid Sang	6,129
Shadmehr	3,825
Shahrabad	2,083
Shahr-e Zow	3,745
Shandiz	13,987
Sheshtomad	3,108
Soltanabad	5,932
Taybad	56,562
Torbat-e Heydarieh	140,019
Torbat-e Jam	100,449
Torqabeh	20,998
Yunesi	3,426

The following sorted table lists the most populous cities in Razavi Khorasan according to 2016 Census results announced by Statistical Center of Iran. After Mashhad, Nishapur, Sabzevar, and Torbat-e Heydarieh are the most populous cities of the province.

Rank	City	County	Population
1	Mashhad	Mashhad	2,987,323
2	Nishapur	Nishapur	264,375
3	Sabzevar	Sabzevar	243,700
4	Torbat-e Heydarieh	Torbat-e Heydarieh	140,019
5	Kashmar	Kashmar	102,282
6	Quchan	Quchan	101,604
7	Torbat-e Jam	Torbat-e Jam	100,449
8	Taybad	Taybad	56,562
9	Chenaran	Chenaran	53,879
10	Sarakhs	Sarakhs	42,179

Archaeological sites

The main archeological sites discovered in this province include:

Kohandezh hills

Excavations conducted by an American team between 1935 and 1940 in Nishapur discovered museum-worthy objects, which were shared with the government of the Shah. The Metropolitan Museum of Art's publications document its own Nishapur ceramics from those excavations. For half a century after 1945 the site of Nishapur was ransacked to feed the international market demand for early Islamic works of art. Nowadays, the Kohandezh hills reveal the remains from those excavations.

Shadiyakh

Shadiyakh was an important palace in old Nishapur up to the 7th century, and became more important and populated after that. The palace was completely ruined in the 13th century. It was the home of notables such as Farid al-Din Attar, whose tomb is found in Shadiyakh.

Attractions

This province contains many historical and natural attractions, such as mineral water springs, small lakes, recreational areas, caves and protected regions, and various hiking areas.
Besides these, Khorasan encompasses numerous religious buildings and places of pilgrimage, including the shrine of Imam Reza, Goharshad mosque and many other mausoleums and Imamzadehs which attract visitors to this province.
The Cultural Heritage of Iran lists 1179 sites of historical and cultural significance in all three provinces of Khorasan.
Some of the popular attractions of Khorasan-e Razavi are: