Khorassan
Shrine of Imam Reza

The historical and the famous province of Khorassan is the country's largest province with an area of 314,000 square kilometers. It is bounded on the north by the Republic of Turkmenistan, on the east by Afghanistan, on the south by the provinces of Kerman and Sistan & Baluchistan, and on the west by the provinces of Yazd, Isfahan, Semnan and Mazandaran. The word Khorassan means "where the sun rises", i.e., the East. It is a land of mountains and deserts with endless horizons and a unique enchanting tranquility and splendour. There are various types of hunting animals, protected environments, a national park and on the whole an intact natural setting in this province. The natural setting here is a spectacular dual entity with the continuation of the Alborz range and the mountains of Binaloud, Hezar Masjid and Aladagh on one hand and the vast salt desert of Lut and endless plains on the other; so that the altitude is 300 meters above sea level in Sarkhs plain and 3,520 meters on the peak of Mount Binaloud. The climate in different areas varies from hot and dry to cold highland weather; or to mild and temperate, but generally with little rain and humidity. The most well known rivers of Khorassan are Atrak, Kashaf Roud and Ghara Sou. The province's economy is based on agriculture (grains, beet, saffron, cotton and fruits), animal husbandry, light and heavy industry and rich mineral resources including natural gas (in Sarakhs). According to the latest population census, Khorassan has a population of over five million people who are generally muslim and Persian speaking. Local dialects are alaso spoken in parts of the province. Other languages spoken sporadically in the area are Turkish, Kurdish and some Arabic. There are really few religious minorities in this province and they speak their own languages.