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In
the 16th century,
three Safavid dynasty rulers established Shi'ite Islam for the whole territory.
The shrine was restored, enlarged, and a Ghoharshad mosque was built.
These rulers made pilgrimages to the site and since then it has become
the most holy Shi'ite pilgrimage in Iran. It
reached its greatest glory in the 18th century, when Nadir
Shah made Mashhad the capital of Persia. The city took on strategic
importance in the late 19th century because of its proximity
to the Russian and Afghan borders.
The bombing of the sanctuary of the Imam Riza by the Russians in 1912
caused widespread resentment in the Shiite Muslim world.
Pronounced as ‘mδsh-hδd’ (1991 pop. 1,759,155), the city is an industrial and trade centre and a transportation hub. Manufactures include carpets, textiles, and processed foods.
Khorasan
Province In
the past Khorasan was a large expanse of land, located in north east of
Iran and consisted of: Amu Darya, Hindu Kush, Mavaraonnahr,
Sejestan and Qohestan. In the Sasanids period, the Great Khorasan was
ruled by 4 frontiersmen with the king's order, each responsible for one
of the four parts which were: 1- Marv Shahjan 2- Balkh and Tokharesfan 3-
Harat, Bushani Badghis and Sejestan 4- Mavaraonnahr. In the Qaiar period,
this land was smaller than half of the ancient Khorasan and the remainder
is located in Afghanistan and the former U.S.S.R. Khorasan had always a
great role in revival of
Persian language and literature, and moreover to great poets and writers
such as: Rudaki, Ferdowsi, Onsori, Sonaei, Khayyam, |
Mashhad
City is not very old, but Nughan and Sanabad have more historical
precedence. This city was named Mashhad due to the martyrdom of
Hazraf-e-Emam Reza, (in Persian Mashhad means place of martyrdom) 817 AD.
In the past Mashhad City was a part of the ancient Tus City, which 
