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Gorgan
 

Gorgan (Persian: گرگان, Land of the Wolf) is the capital of the Golestan Province, Iran. It is approximately 400 km from Tehran. It had an estimated population of 241,177 in 2005. *

In ancient times the surrounding land was known as Hyrcania or Hyrcana (Old Persian: Varkâna, "Land of the Wolf". In modern times the city used to be knwon as Astrabad or Asterabad until 1937.

Some 150km east of Gorgan is the famous Golestan National Park. The city has a regional airport and several universities. Although modern Gorgan is only a city and county (sharing the same name), ancient Hyrcania was the name of a region on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea (encompassing present day Golestan, Mazandaran, Gilan and parts of Turkmenistan).

Geography and climate

The wide Dasht-e-Gorgan (the Plains of Gorgan) are located north of the city of Gorgan and is geographically bounded by 37°00' - 37°30' north latitude and 54°00' - 54°30' east longitude and covers an area of about 1,700 square kilometres.

In general, Golestan has a moderate and humid climate known as "the moderate Caspian climate." The effective factors behind such a climate are: Alborz mountain range, direction of the mountains, height of the area, neighborhood to the sea, vegetation surface, local winds, altitude and weather fronts. As a result of the above factors, three different climates exist in the region: plain moderate, mountainous, and semi-arid. Gorgan valley has a semi-arid climate. The average annual temperature is 18.2 degrees Celsius and the annual rainfal is 556

Ancient history

The name "Hyrcania" is the ancient Greek record of the local name in Old Persian name Varkâna.

Hyrcania became part of the Persian empire during the reign of Cyrus the Great (559-530 BC) or Cambyses (530-522 BC). It was conquered by Arabs in 8th century and by Mongols in 13th century.

Culture

Handicrafts

Gorgan (and in general, Golestan province), has a world famous carpet and rug industry, made by Turkmans. The patterns of these carpets are derived from the ancient Persian city of Boxârâ (Buchara). Jajim carpets are also crafted in this province.

Notables from Gorgan

Contemporary artists:

Hostorical figures

Attractions

Historical Attractions

  • Gorgân's Defense Wall(155 km long and 6 to 10 m wide) is one of the most outstanding and gigantic architectural monuments in Dashte Gorgan and Gonbad Steppes (Gorgan Plain) history.
This wall, which is the largest defensive wall in the world after the Great Wall of China, starts from the Caspian coast, circles north of Gonbade Kavous, continues towards the northwest, and vanishes behind the Pishkamar Mountains. A logistical archaeological survey was conducted regarding the wall in 1999 due to problems in development projects, especially during construction of the Golestan Dam, which irrigates all the areas covered by the wall. At the point of the connection of the wall and the drainage canal from the dam, architects discovered the remains of the above wall. At parts, this wall is 6 m wide and in other parts the width is 10 m, which proves that the thickness of the wall differs in various regions, according to the natural features and soil configuration. Castles have been built at different distances. The longest distance between castles is 50 km and the shortest is 10 km.The 40 identified castles vary in dimension and shape but the majority are square fortresses. Due to many difficulties in development and agricultural projects, archaeologists have been assigned to mark the boundary of the historical find by laying cement blocks. The Gorgan Wall has been named Alexander Dam, Anushirvân Dam, Firuz Dam and Qazal Al'an in various historical texts. Dr. Kiani who led the archeological team in 1971 believes that the wall was built during the Parthian dynasty simultaneously with the construction of the Great Wall of China and it was restored during the Sassanid era (3-7th c. A.D.).
  • Gorgan has many traditional buildings, with tiled sloping roofs and wooden balconies such as Emarat-e-Agha Mohammad Khani and the Friday Mosque which dates back to the Seljuk era.

Natural Attractions

Colleges and universities

Trivia

  • Gorgan is Arabicized to Jorjan.
  • The current local governor of Golestan province is Mohammad Ali Shaeri.

External links

Ancient Iranian provinces | Archaeological sites in Iran | Cities in Iran | Iranian provincial capitals

Gorgan | Hirkanio | Gorgan | Гиркания | Gorgan

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Gorgan".

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