Gorgan

Gorgan (Persian: گرگان, also Romanized as Gorgān and Gūrgān; Caspian: Vergen; formerly, Astarabad (Persian: اَستِر آباد, also Romanized as Asterābād),^[1] is the capital of Golestan Province, Iran. It lies approximately 400 km (250 mi) to the north east of Tehran, some 30 km (19 mi) away from the Caspian Sea. At the 2006 census, its population was 269,226, in 73,702 families.^[2]

Some 150 km (93 mi) east of Gorgan is the Golestan National Park. The city has a regional airport and several universities. Gorgan Airport was opened in September 2005.

Etymology

The city was named Hyrcania, Hyrcani or Hyrcana in ancient Greek records, which comes from Pahlavi Varkâna -- "Land of the Wolves". Although modern Gorgan is only a city and county (sharing the same name), ancient Hyrcania was the name of a greater region on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea (encompassing all of the present day Golestan province, as well as some eastern parts of the Mazandaran province, and some southern parts of the present day Republic of Turkmenistan). In modern times and until 1937 the city used to be known as Astarabad.

Geography and climate

The wide Dasht-e Gorgan (Plains of Gorgan) are located north of the city and geographically bounded by 37°00' - 37°30' north latitude and 54°00' - 54°30' east longitude, covering an area of about 1,700 square kilometres (660 sq mi).

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 °C (64.8 °F) and the annual rainfall is 600 millimetres (24 in).

History

The name Hyrcania is the ancient Greek equivalent of the local name in Old Persian, Varkâna. The Sanskrit word for "wolf", Vŗka (वृक) may be a cognate. The capital of Hyrcania was Zadracarta, the largest city and site of the "royal palace" of Hyrcania, probably located at the great mound of Qalʿa-ye Ḵandān, on the western fringe of present-day Gorgān city.^[3] At the time of the Sassanids, Gorgan appeared as the name of a city, province capital, and province.^[4]

Hyrcania became part of the Persian empire during the reign of Cyrus the Great (559-530 BC) - the first emperor the first Persian empire dynasty - or Cambyses (530-522 BC). It maintained its independence as a Zoroastrian state even after Persia was conquered by Arabs in 8th century and by Mongols in the 13th century.

Culture

Gorgan (as well as the whole Golestan province) has a world-famous carpet and rug industry, made by Turkmen. The patterns of these carpets are derived from the ancient Persian city of Bukhara, which is now in Uzbekistan. Jajim carpets are also crafted in this province.

Notables people

Entertainment locations

• Nahar khoran Forest
• Alangdare Forest
• Ziarat Village
• Hzarpych Hill
• Emadyh School
• Srkhnklath Hill
• Ismail Shrine Srkhnklath
• Qajar era underground bathroom Srkhnklath

Contemporary figures

• Mohammad Reza Lotfi, musician.
• Nader Ebrahimi, author, poet, director, and researcher.
• Maryam Zandi, photographer.
• Elaheh Yadegar, Chief of Special and Project Studies, California Department of Transportation, District 7.
• Abdol Ghayoom Ebrahimi (b. 1932), retired professor of Agricultural & Natural Resources University.
• Keyan Rafiee, Founder of Human Right Activist in Iran HRA-Iran.org

Historical figures

• Fakhroddin Asaad Gorgani, Poet.
• Abu Sa'id al-Darir al-Jurjani, 9th century astronomer and mathematician
• Abu Sahl al-Masihi al-Jurjani (al-Masihi), 10th century physician and teacher of Avicenna
• Abd al-Qāhir al-Jurjānī, 11th century grammarian and literary theorist
• Zayn al-Din al-Jurjani, 12th century royal physician
• Fażlu l-Lāh Astar-Ābādī, 14th century mystic and founder of Hurufism
• Rustam Gorgani, 16th century physician
• Mir Damad, 17th century Islamic scholar and Neoplatonic philosopher
• Mirza Mehdi Khan Astarabadi, 18th century chief minister to Nader Shah
• Bibi Khatoon Astarabadi, a notable writer, satirist, and one of the pioneering figures of the women's movement of Iran

Colleges and universities

• Islamic Azad University of Gorgan
• Golestan University of Medical Sciences ^[5]
• Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources
• Mirdamad Institute of Higher Education
• Lamei Gorgani Institute of Higher Education
• Hakeem Jorjani Institute of Higher Education

Sister cities

• Aktau, Kazakhstan^[6]

References

External links

• Gorgan Homepage by Tirdad Gorgani
• A Gorgani folk-song sung by Shusha Guppy in the 1970s: Lullaby.