Shahrud, Iran

Shahrud
شاهرود
city
Shahrud
Coordinates: 36°25′05″N 54°58′35″E / 36.41806°N 54.97639°E / 36.41806; 54.97639Coordinates: 36°25′05″N 54°58′35″E / 36.41806°N 54.97639°E / 36.41806; 54.97639
Country  Iran
Province Semnan Province
County Shahrud
Bakhsh Central
Government
  Mayor Hassan Mirfani
Elevation 1,345 m (4,413 ft)
Population (2015)
  Total 150,174
Time zone IRST (UTC+3:30)
  Summer (DST) IRDT (UTC+4:30)
Area code(s) +9823
Website http://shahrood.ostan-sm.ir/

Shahrud[1] (Persian: شاهرود, also Romanized as Shāhrūd, Shahrood, and Shahroud; also known as Shārūd) is a city in and capital of Shahrud County, Semnan Province, Iran. At the 2015 census, its population was 150,174, in 50,302 families.

Situated about an altitude of 4413 ft (1345 m), it is located at latitude 36°25'N, longitude 055°01'E. Now, it is the largest city of Semnan Province and also its county has same position in the province. The main launch site of the Iranian Space Agency is near Shahrud. It is also well known for unique types of grapes which are cultivated specially in Shahrud. Therefore, this city is called as Grapes-City.

Geography

Some 410 kilometers to the east of Tehran, half-way between the capital and Mashad, and at the junction with the Gorgan road, sits the modern city of Shahrud, which has grown to absorb the historic town of Bastam situated in the hills a few kilometers to the north.

From the north, it is surrounded by the Alborz mountains, and from the south by the arid salty deserts. The river of Tash, after crossing this town, reaches the south deserts. The weather on the mountainous areas is cold and it is somewhat temperate in other parts of the city.

Shahrud is located in the Damghan basin, a sub-basin of the Kavir basin which also contains the Great Salt Desert.

Climate

Shahrud has a cold desert climate (Köppen climate classification BSk) with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is very low, and mostly falls in winter and spring.

Climate data for Shahrud
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 19.0
(66.2)
20.0
(68)
29.0
(84.2)
31.4
(88.5)
36.0
(96.8)
39.0
(102.2)
42.0
(107.6)
42.0
(107.6)
37.0
(98.6)
32.0
(89.6)
24.0
(75.2)
19.2
(66.6)
42
(107.6)
Average high °C (°F) 5.8
(42.4)
8.4
(47.1)
14.3
(57.7)
21.1
(70)
26.5
(79.7)
31.3
(88.3)
33.5
(92.3)
32.4
(90.3)
29.2
(84.6)
22.3
(72.1)
15.1
(59.2)
8.2
(46.8)
20.67
(69.21)
Daily mean °C (°F) 1.0
(33.8)
3.4
(38.1)
8.6
(47.5)
15.1
(59.2)
20.3
(68.5)
25.0
(77)
27.3
(81.1)
26.0
(78.8)
22.1
(71.8)
15.3
(59.5)
9.0
(48.2)
3.1
(37.6)
14.68
(58.43)
Average low °C (°F) −3.6
(25.5)
−1.9
(28.6)
2.5
(36.5)
7.9
(46.2)
12.7
(54.9)
17.1
(62.8)
20.0
(68)
18.5
(65.3)
14.0
(57.2)
8.0
(46.4)
2.6
(36.7)
−1.5
(29.3)
8.03
(46.45)
Record low °C (°F) −14
(7)
−14.0
(6.8)
−8.8
(16.2)
−7.0
(19.4)
−1.0
(30.2)
6.0
(42.8)
10.0
(50)
8.0
(46.4)
2.0
(35.6)
−3.0
(26.6)
−10
(14)
−11
(12)
−14
(6.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 28.6
(1.126)
19.3
(0.76)
28.0
(1.102)
23.7
(0.933)
21.5
(0.846)
3.9
(0.154)
1.5
(0.059)
1.8
(0.071)
2.3
(0.091)
7.9
(0.311)
9.4
(0.37)
19.8
(0.78)
167.7
(6.603)
Average rainy days 7.1 6.8 8.3 8.2 9.1 3.6 1.8 1.5 1.9 4.8 4.5 6.0 63.6
Average snowy days 4.2 3.1 1.3 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.3 2.6 11.7
Average relative humidity (%) 65 59 51 45 42 37 36 37 39 48 52 64 47.9
Mean monthly sunshine hours 167.5 174.4 212.1 230.3 279.2 330.1 340.4 337.4 294.8 252.2 205.9 170.3 2,994.6
Source: NOAA (1961-1990) [2]

History

In 2006, traces of a prehistoric, 8,000-year-old settlements were found in Shahrud. The discoveries included ovens, craft workshops, and other evidence of settlements.

As a modern city, the city of Shahrud was merely a village before the reign of Fath Ali Shah of the Qajar dynasty, with two old castles and a small farm named "Shabdary". The surrounding areas however, such as Biarjomand, Miami and Bastam do have a distant history.

The old town of Bastam is located 6 kilometers north of Shahrood. Its pre-Islamic history is not clear, but according to some historians, it was built during Shapur II period (310-379 CE). During the Abbasid era, it was the second largest town (following Damghan) in the Qomis province.

The town was visited by Nasser Khosrow Qubadiani, the great Iranian poet of the 12th century, and mentioned by him as the center of the Qomis province. But Bastam declined during the Mongol era assaults, and Shahrud eventually took its place.

Attractions

Shahrud’s geographical location is very interesting, it has cloud forest in the north and from south it meets the central desert of Iran. The most interesting geographical and historical attractions of Shahrud are as follows:

Notable people

Higher education

References

  1. Shahrud, Iran can be found at GEOnet Names Server, at this link, by opening the Advanced Search box, entering "-3062042" in the "Unique Feature Id" form, and clicking on "Search Database".
  2. "Shahroud Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
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