Mashhad is a city located in the northeast of Iran, the center and capital of Razavi Khorasan Province and the second largest populated city after Tehran. Mashhad was chosen as Iran’s Capital during the reign of Nader Shah Afshar. Every year several million people visit Mashad, tourist attractions and the absolute majority of them (over 20 million) are religious travelers going there for pilgrimage. There is one major religious sight in Mashad to which all Iranian and non-Iranian Shiites go and it is the Shrine of Imam Reza. As he has been martyred there, the name of the city is Mashhad, which means the place of martyrdom in Arabic.
Mashad is the birthplace of several Iranian literary figures and artists including Firdowsi, the Iranian poet and the author of Shahnameh (Book of Kings), which is the world’s longest epic poem created by a single poet, and the national epic of Greater Iran. Ferdowsi is celebrated as the most influential figure in Persian literature and one of the greatest in the history of literature.
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 sohaan, 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.
The city features a temperate and variable climate. Generally it is dry and hot in summer days and gets relatively cold in winter days. Cool year round temperature is the highlight of the city’s weather. Summer nights here can be very cool and travelers to the city must carry light sweaters. The city can be very cold in the winter with the necessity for the appropriate warm clothing.
A tourist city with accommodation options for all budgets, pleasant springs, mild summers, large beautiful parks, sites and summer resorts all make Mashhad a great place to visit.