Tabas-e Masina

Tabas-e Masina is a city in Gazik District of Darmian County, South Khorasan province, Iran, serving as the administrative center for Tabas-e Masina Rural District.

History

In the Middle Ages, the town was known as Tabas al-Unnab to distinguish it from the nearby Tabas al-Tamr ; together the two towns gave their name to the district of Tabasayn. In the 10th century, Ibn Hawqal described it as a middling town of clay bricks, but with ruined fortifications and no castle; while Qazvini in the 13th century mentions a castle in the nearby village of Iravah. Medieval geographers noted the relatively abundant water supply of the town, in marked contrast to the surrounding countryside. In the 19th century, the town was inhabited almost entirely by Afghan Sunnis, whence it was also known as Sunni-Khanah.
The city contains a castle dating back to the Parthian Empire.

Demographics

Population

At the time of the 2006 National Census, Tabas-e Masina's population was 3,776 in 779 households, when it was a village in Tabas-e Masina Rural District. The following census in 2011 counted 4,133 people in 979 households, by which time the village had been elevated to the status of a city. The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 4,596 people in 1,072 households.