Glimpse
Mashhad is the second most popular city in Iran and capital of Razavi Khorasan Province. It is located in the northeast of the country, close to the borders of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. It was a major oasis along the ancient Silk Road connecting with Merv in the East. The city is named after and revered for housing the shrine of Imam Reza, the eighth Shia Imam. Every year, millions of pilgrims visit the Imam Reza shrine and pay their tributes to Imam Reza. The Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid is also buried within the shrine. The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization named Mashhad as “cultural capital of the Muslim world” in Asia on 24 January 2017.
Mashhad on Map
Mashhad is Iran’s second largest automobile production hub. The city’s economy is based mainly on dry fruits, salted nuts, saffron, Iranian sweets like Gaz and Sohan, precious stones like agates, turquoise, intricately designed silver jewelry studded with rubies and emeralds, eighteen carat gold jewelry, perfumes, religious souvenirs, trench coats, scarves, Termeh, carpets and rugs.
History
This city has been governed by different ethnic groups over the course of its history. Many Arabs, Turkish, and especially Mongolian and Afghan tribes have brought great changes in the language, ethnicity and culture of the people each in their own time. Surprisingly, Mashhad enjoyed relative prosperity in its economy in the Mongol period. The ancient Parthian city of Patigrabana, mentioned in the Behistun inscription (520 BCE) of the Achaemenid Emperor Darius I, may have been located at the present-day Mashhad.
At the beginning of the 9th century, this city was a small village called Sanabad, which was situated 24 kilometres away from Tous. There was a summer palace of Humayd Ebn-e Qahtaba, the governor of Khurasan. In 808, when Harun al-Rashid, Abbasid caliph, was passing through there to quell the insurrection of Rafi Ebn-e al-Leyth in Tranosoxania, he became ill and died and was buried under the palace of Humayd Ebn-e Qahtaba. Due to this historical event, the Dar al-Imarah was known as the Mausoleum of Haruniyyeh. Several years later in 818 Ali al-Ridha was martyred by al-Ma’mun and was buried beside the grave of Harun. Although Mashahd is considered as the owner of cultural heritage of Tus (including its figures like Nezam al-Molk, Al-Ghazali, Ahmad Ghazali, Ferdowsi, Asadi Tousi and Sheikh Tousi). The earlier Arab geographers have correctly identified this city and Tous as two separate cities, which are now located about 19 km from each other. Mashhad was not considered a great city until Mongol raids in 1220, which caused the destruction of many large cities in Khorasan, leaving Mashhad relatively intact in the hands of Mongolian commanders because of the cemetery of Imam Reza and Harun al-Rashid. Thus, the survivors of the massacres migrated to this city.
During the Safavid era, Mashhad gained even more religious recognition, becoming the most important city of Greater Khorasan, as several madresah and other structures were built besides the Imam Reza shrine.
This city saw its greatest glory under Nader Shah, ruler of Iran from 1736 to 1747 and also a great benefactor of the shrine of Imam Reza, who made the city his capital.
Tripp Plans
- 1st day: Pilgrimage to the Holy Razavi Shrine of Imam Reza, visiting the architecture and monuments of the Razavi Shrine (Goharshad Mosque, Astan-e Quds Razavi Museums), visiting the Darougeh (treasury) House, vising the Naderi Tomb and Museum, visiting and shopping from the Almas-e Sharq (East Diamond), Vesal, Sepad and tourism collections markets and shopping centers.
- 2nd day: Vising Ferdowsi’s Tomb and the Historical Complex of Tous (Ferdowsi’s Tomb, Tous Museum, Monument to Harounieh and the Archaeological Museum), visiting the Vakil-Abad zoo and the Shandiz rural district and Virani Museum, Bustan-e Mellat and Shahr-e Bazi (Amusement Park)
- 3rd day: Visiting Carpet Old Bazar- Mahdi Qoli-beig bathhouse, Tomb of Amir Ghias al-din, House of Malek, Behesht Culture Center- Kouh-Sangi Cultural-entertainment complex- Khorasan Grand Museum, Torqabeh rural district- Handicraft Market, Dehkadeh, Tourist Trade Complex
- 4th day: Visiting Mashhad Aquatic Complex, Lovely Mashhad Exhibition, Mashhad Khorshid (Sun) Park
Top Hotels
| Name | Stars | Address | Tel |
| Ghasr Talaee International | Five Star | Imam Reza Blvd, Basij Square, Mashhad | +98 51 3878 3214 |
| Darvishi Royal | Five Star | Imam Reza St., Between 24 and 26, Mashhad | +98 51 3808 0000 |
| Ferdows | Four Star | Imam Reza St., Mashhad | +98 51 3854 0830 |
| Madinah Al-Javad | Four Star | Opposite the Holy Shrine, Between Shushtari 8 and 10, Navab Safavi Street, Mashhad | +98 51 3399 0000 |
Top Restaurants
- Shandiz Mashhad: Barbecue, Middle Eastern, Persian
- Pesaran Karim: Middle Eastern, Persian, Halal
- Lio Italian Restaurant: Italian, Pizza, Vegetarian
- Moeindarbari Restaurant: Persian, Middle Eastern
How to Get There
- Airplane: this city is served by the Mashhad International Airport, which handles domestic flights to Iranian cities and international flights, mostly to neighboring Arab countries.
- Bus: Imam Reza Bus Terminal is one of the largest passenger terminals in Iran. It has the capacity to handle 80,000 passengers and more than 2,000 buses daily.
- Train: this city is connected to three major rail lines: Tehran-Mashhad, Mashhad-Bafgh (running south), and Mashhad-Sarakhs at the border with Turkmenistan.
