Iran is subdivided into thirty-one provinces, each governed from a local centre, usually the largest local city, which is called the capital of that province. The provincial authority is headed by a governor-general, who is appointed by the Minister of the Interior subject to approval of the cabinet.
The Saffarid dynasty was a Persianate dynasty of eastern Iranian origin that ruled over parts of Persia, Greater Khorasan, and eastern Makran from 861 to 1002. One of the first indigenous Persian dynasties to emerge after the Islamic conquest, the Saffarid dynasty was part of the Iranian Intermezzo. The dynasty's founder was Ya'qub bin Laith as-Saffar, who was born in 840 in a small town called Karnin (Qarnin), which was located east of Zaranj and west of Bost, in what is now Afghanistan. A native of Sistan and a local ayyār, Ya'qub worked as a coppersmith (ṣaffār) before becoming a warlord. He seized control of the Sistan region and began conquering most of Iran and Afghanistan, as well as parts of Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
A qanat or kārīz is a system for transporting water from an aquifer or water well to the surface, through an underground aqueduct; the system originated approximately 3,000 years ago in Iran. The function is essentially the same across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), but the system operates under a variety of regional names: qanat or kārīz in Iran, karez in Afghanistan and Pakistan, foggara in Algeria, qanat in Malta, khettara in Morocco, falaj in Oman and the United Arab Emirates, and uyūn in Saudi Arabia, etc. The largest extant and functional qanat systems are located in Afghanistan, Algeria, Iran, Oman, Pakistan, and the oases of the Turfan region in Xinjiang, Northwestern China.
Gonabad is a city in the Central District of Gonabad County, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
Kerman is a city in the Central District of Kerman County, Kerman province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district.
Tabas is a city in the Central District of Tabas County, South Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
Iran has been divided into regions in a number of different ways historically. It has been divided into five administrative regions since 2014.
Dasht-e Kavir or Kavir Desert, also known as Kavir-e Namak or the Great Salt Desert, is a large desert lying in the middle of the Iranian Plateau. It is about 800 kilometres (500 mi) long by 320 kilometres (200 mi) wide with a total surface area of about 77,600 km2 (30,000 sq mi), making it the world's 24th largest desert. The desert stretches from the Alborz mountain range in the north-west to the Dasht-e Lut in the south-east. It is spread across the Iranian provinces of Khorasan, Semnan, Tehran, Isfahan and Yazd.
Greater Khorāsān or Khorāsān or Khurāsān is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plateau between West and Central Asia that encompasses western and northern Afghanistan, northeastern Iran, the eastern halves of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, western Tajikistan, and portions of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
Birjand is a city in the Central District of Birjand County, South Khorasan province, Iran, and serves as capital of both the county and the district. The city is known for its saffron, barberry, jujube, and handmade carpet exports.
Sabzevar is a city in the Central District of Sabzevar County, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
A windcatcher, wind tower, or wind scoop is a traditional architectural element, originated in Iran (Persia), used to create cross ventilation and passive cooling in buildings. Windcatchers come in various designs, depending on whether local prevailing winds are unidirectional, bidirectional, or multidirectional, on how they change with altitude, on the daily temperature cycle, on humidity, and on how much dust needs to be removed. Despite the name, windcatchers can also function without wind.
Kashmar is a city in the Central District of Kashmar County, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Kashmar is near the river Shesh Taraz in the western part of the province, and south of the province's capital Mashhad, in Iran, from east to Bardaskan, west to Torbat-e Heydarieh, north to Nishapur, south to Gonabad. Until two centuries ago, this city was named Torshiz (ترشیز).
Ferdows is a city in the Central District of Ferdows County, South Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is about 345 kilometres (214 mi) south of Mashhad and 200 km northwest of Birjand. Ferdous is located on the main axis connecting Yazd, Kerman, Isfahan, Bushehr, Hormozgan and Fars provinces to Mashhad. Ferdows city is 1293 meters above sea level.
Northern Iran, is a geographical term that refers to a relatively large and fertile area, consisting of the southern border of the Caspian Sea and the Alborz mountains.
The Karai, Qarai, or Qara ("Black") Tartars are a Turkic tribe found in Khorasan, Azerbaijan, Kerman, and Fars.
Bojnord is a city in the Central District of Bojnord County, North Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is about 701 km (436 mi) from Tehran. and 237 km away from Mashhad, the capital of Razavi Khorasan province.
The Alborz range, also spelled as Alburz, Elburz or Elborz, is a mountain range in northern Iran that stretches from the border of Azerbaijan along the western and entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea and finally runs northeast and merges into the smaller Aladagh Mountains and borders in the northeast on the parallel mountain ridge Kopet Dag in the northern parts of Khorasan. All these mountains are part of the much larger Alpide belt. The Alborz range is divided into the Western, Central, and Eastern Alborz Mountains. The Western Alborz Range runs south-southeastward almost along the western coast of the Caspian Sea. The Central Alborz runs from west to east along the entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea, while the Eastern Alborz Range runs in a northeasterly direction, toward the northern parts of the Khorasan region, southeast of the Caspian Sea. Mount Damavand, the highest mountain in Iran measuring 5,610.0 m, is located in the Central Alborz Mountains. Mount Damavand is the 12th most prominent peak in the world and the second most prominent in Asia after Mount Everest.
Southern Iran consists of the southern mountain ranges of Zagros and Central Iranian Range, Khuzestan Plain and the northern coasts of Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
