Gorgan

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

For other places with the same name, see Gorgan (disambiguation).

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

"Astarabad" redirects here. For other uses, see Astarabad (disambiguation).
Gorgan
گرگان
Gorgan is located in Iran
Gorgan
Gorgan
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country  Iran
Province Golestan
County Gorgan
Bakhsh Central
Government
 • Governor of Gorgan Jaafar Gorzin
Area[citation needed]
 • 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 <phonos file="Gorgan.ogg">pronunciation</phonos> (Persian: گرگان‎‎;[2] formerly Astrabad or Astarabad (استرآباد),[3][4] is the capital of Golestan Province, Iran. It lies approximately Lua error in Module:Convert at line 272: attempt to index local 'cat' (a nil value). 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.[5]

Name

The Modern Persian word Gorgān (گرگان) is derived from Middle Persian Gurgān (𐭢𐭥𐭫𐭢𐭠𐭭), itself from Old Persian Varkāna (𐎺𐎼𐎣𐎠𐎴), the Achaemenid satrapy southeast of Caspian Sea (encompassed all of the present day Golestan Province, as well as some eastern parts of the Mazandaran province, and some southern parts of the modern-day Turkmenistan), which is reflected in Greek sources as Hyrcania (Ὑρκανία), Hyrcani or Hyrcana. The region is also mentioned in Avesta as Vəhrkāna (𐬬𐬆𐬵𐬭𐬐𐬁𐬥𐬀). The name is derived from the Proto-Iranian word *vrka-, meaning "wolf".

In post-Islamic Persia the city was known as Jurjān (جرجان), the Arabized form of the Persian word.

The Caspian form of the name is Wergen.

In modern times and until 1937 the city used to be known as Astarābād or Estarābād (استرآباد), which also can be read as Ester-ābād ("City of Esther"), based on which some has theorized that it refers to Esther, wife of the Persian king Xerxes I.

History

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

Main article: Hyrcania

There are several archaeological sites near Gorgan, including Tureng Tepe and Shah Tepe, in which there are remains dating to the Neolithic and Chalcolithic eras.

According to the Greek historian Arrian, Zadracarta was the largest city of Hyrcania and site of the "royal palace".[6] The term means "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.[7]

Hyrcania became part of the Achaemenid Empire during the reign of Cyrus the Great (559-530 BC), its founder, or his successor Cambyses (530-522 BC).

The Great Wall of Gorgan, the second biggest defensive wall in world, was built in the Parthian and Sassanian periods.

At the time of the Sassanids, "Gurgan" appeared as the name of a city, province capital, and province.[8]

Gurgan maintained its independence as a Zoroastrian state even after Persia was conquered by the invading Arab Muslims in 8th century.

The "Old Gorgan" was destroyed during the Mongol invasion in the 13th century, and the center of the region was moved to what was called "Astarabad", which is currently called "Gorgan".

Gurgan and its surrounding regions was sometimes considered as part of the Parthia (the Greater Khorasan) or the Tabaristan regions.

Astarabad was an important political and religious city during the Qajar dynasty.

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).

Some 150 km (93 mi) east of Gorgan is the Golestan National Park, home to a big portion of the fauna of Iran.

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)
Average 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

Demographics

The population of the city has been 329,536 as of 2011.

Majority of people of Gorgan speak Persian. A big portion of the city are migrants from nearby regions, including Mazanderanis, Azeris, people from Semnan and Khorasan provinces, as well as some Turkmens, and a small population of Kazakhs.

Gorgani, a dialect of Mazanderani language, was formerly spoken in the city, but it is extinct now, and only several of its words have remained in the accent of the Persian-speakers of the city.

Notable people

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

See also: List of people from Gorgan

Historical figures

Bust of Fakhruddin As'ad Gurgani

Contemporary figures

Mohammad Reza Lotfi
  • Mohammad Reza Lotfi, Traditional Persian musician.
  • Nader Ebrahimi, author, poet, director, and researcher.
  • Maryam Zandi, photographer.
  • Abdonnasser Mohaimeni (b. 1957), investegative journalist, instructor & translator of English language.
  • 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
  • Dr. Hameed Gholam Nezhad, Professor and international energy management consultant

Culture and art

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

Entertainment locations

  • Nahar Khoran Forest (ناهارخوران)
  • Alangdare Forest (النگدره)
  • Ziarat Village (روستای زیارت)
  • Hezarpich Hill (هزارپیچ)
  • Emadiyyeh School
  • Sorkhankalateh Hill (سرخنکلاته)
  • Ismail Shirine Sorkhankalateh
  • Qajar era underground bathroom, Sorkhankalateh
Cinemas

Capri Cinema (کاپری), Bahman Cinema (سینما بهمن), and Asr-e Jadid Cinema (سینما غصر جدید), formerly called Moulin-Rouge Cinema (سینما مولن‌روژ), are among the oldest cinemas in Gorgan.

Education

Mirdamad Cultural Institute (MCI)

Transportation

Gorgan Railway Station

Sports

Shahrdari Gorgan BC, which compete in the Iranian Basketball Super League, is particularly popular in Gorgan.

Currently the main football team of Gorgan is Etka Gorgan F.C., which competes in the Azadegan League.

Sister cities

See also

References

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

Cite error: Invalid <references> tag; parameter "group" is allowed only.

Use <references />, or <references group="..." />

External links

  1. ↑ http://www.citypopulation.de/Iran-MajorCities.html
  2. ↑ Also Romanized as Gorgān, Gurgān, and Gurgan. Persian pronunciation: [goɾˈgɒn]
  3. ↑ Also Romanized as Astarābād, Asterabad, and Esterabad. Persian pronunciation: [ʔæsˌtæɾɒːˈbɒːd]
  4. ↑ 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".
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Encyclopaedia Iranica, GORGĀN
  8. ↑ Bivar, A.D.H. "Gorgan" Encyclopædia Iranica online
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ KZ-Today September 11, 2006
Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Gorgan&oldid=56142"