Gorgan

For other places with the same name, see Gorgan (disambiguation).
Gorgan
Gorgān
Gorgan
Coordinates: 36°50′19″N 54°26′05″E / 36.83861°N 54.43472°ECoordinates: 36°50′19″N 54°26′05″E / 36.83861°N 54.43472°E
Country  Iran
Province Golestan
County Gorgan
Bakhsh Central
Government
 • Governor of Gorgan Jaafar Gorzin
Area
 • Total 1,700 km2 (656 sq mi)
Elevation 1,350 m (4,430 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Total 329,536[1]
Time zone IRST (UTC+03:30)
 • Summer (DST) IDST (UTC+04:30)
Gorgan at GEOnet Names Server

Gorgan  pronunciation  (Persian: Gorgān‎, also Romanized as Gorgān and Gūrgān; Caspian: Wergen; formerly, Esterabad or Astarabad (Persian: Astarābad‎, also Romanized as Asterābād),[2] is the capital of Golestan Province, Iran. It lies approximately 400 kilometres (250 mi) to the north east of Tehran, some 30 km (19 mi) away from the Caspian Sea. In the 2006 census, its population was 269,226, in 73,702 families.[3]

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 'Esterabad. Historians believe that Khashayar Shah created the ancient city of Esterabad in memory of his Jewish wife that was called her Esther which means star.

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).

Climate data for Gorgan
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 29
(84)		 32.4
(90.3)		 35
(95)		 39
(102)		 43
(109)		 45
(113)		 44
(111)		 44
(111)		 41.6
(106.9)		 39
(102)		 36
(97)		 29.2
(84.6)		 45
(113)
Average high °C (°F) 12.4
(54.3)		 13.1
(55.6)		 15.3
(59.5)		 21.2
(70.2)		 26.9
(80.4)		 30.9
(87.6)		 32.6
(90.7)		 32.7
(90.9)		 29.9
(85.8)		 24.8
(76.6)		 18.8
(65.8)		 14.3
(57.7)		 22.74
(72.93)
Average low °C (°F) 3.4
(38.1)		 3.8
(38.8)		 6.1
(43)		 10.7
(51.3)		 15.5
(59.9)		 19.9
(67.8)		 22.8
(73)		 22.9
(73.2)		 19.6
(67.3)		 13.9
(57)		 8.9
(48)		 5.2
(41.4)		 12.73
(54.9)
Record low °C (°F) −10
(14)		 −6
(21)		 −3.2
(26.2)		 0
(32)		 2.8
(37)		 10
(50)		 15
(59)		 13
(55)		 9
(48)		 3
(37)		 −2
(28)		 −7
(19)		 −10
(14)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 55.0
(2.165)		 55.8
(2.197)		 79.4
(3.126)		 52.8
(2.079)		 44.1
(1.736)		 33.4
(1.315)		 22.2
(0.874)		 27.3
(1.075)		 38.9
(1.531)		 66.1
(2.602)		 68.5
(2.697)		 57.5
(2.264)		 601
(23.661)
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 7.4 8.0 10.5 8.0 6.1 4.2 3.7 4.2 5.2 5.7 6.7 6.8 76.5
Average relative humidity (%) 73 73 74 72 67 64 65 68 69 70 73 74 70.2
Mean monthly sunshine hours 135.3 128.1 132.3 164.6 207.6 220.4 221.9 220.5 196.3 196.4 151.1 132.8 2,107.3
Source: Synoptic Stations Statistics

History

Main article: Hyrcania
Gorgan Ceramic
Gorgan Ceramic in Tabriz Museum

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.According to Arrian, this was the largest city of Hyrcania.[4] The term signifies, " the yellow city "; and it was given to it from the great number of oranges, lemons, and other fruit trees which grew in the outskirts of that city.[5] At the time of the Sassanids,Gorgan appeared as the name of a city, province capital, and province.[6]

Hyrcania became part of the Persian empire during the reign of Cyrus the Great (559-530 BC) - the first emperor of the first Persian imperial dynasty, the Achaemenids - or his successor 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.

Notable people

Entertainment locations

Contemporary figures

Historical figures

Colleges and universities

Sister cities

References

  1. ↑ http://www.citypopulation.de/Iran-MajorCities.html
  2. ↑ Gorgan can be found at GEOnet Names Server, at this link, by opening the Advanced Search box, entering "-3064853" in the "Unique Feature Id" form, and clicking on "Search Database".
  3. ↑ "Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1385 (2006)". Islamic Republic of Iran. Archived from the original (EXCEL) on 2011-11-11.
  4. ↑ Arrian (1884). "Chapter XXV: March to Bactra.—Bessus Aided by Satibaezanes.". The Anabasis of Alexander 3. Translated by E.J. Chinnock. London: Hodder and Stoughton. p. 191-193.
  5. ↑ Encyclopaedia Iranica, GORGĀN
  6. ↑ Bivar, A.D.H. "Gorgan" Encyclopædia Iranica [www.iranicaonline.org online]
  7. ↑ "Golestan University of Medical Sciences- دانشگاه علوم پزشكي گلستان - Golestan University of Medical Sciences - دانشگاه علوم پزشكي گلستان". GOUMS. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
  8. ↑ KZ-Today September 11, 2006

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gorgan.