History of Khorasan

Regarding the name Khorasan There are a few promises:

1- Khorasan is actually "easy eating" and is made up of two words. Khor, which is abbreviated and means the sun, and easy, which here means to come, to appear and to be visible.. Because this province was the easternmost province of Iran and they see the sunrise earlier than other places, it got this name..

Of course, the other points mean the points that see the sunrise later than Khorasan, that is, they are located in the west of Khorasan..

In the culture of Moin and the decisive proof of Khorasan, it has come to mean East.

2- Khorsan means like the sun, and it is related to it and they say Khorasani and Khorasani.

3Khorasan is the same as Khor Ayan in the Pahlavi language, which means east, and because this region was in the east of Iran, it was called Khor Ayan, then Khor Asan, and then Khorasan..

4- Some have also mentioned the old name of Khorasan, Kuromitran or Khorumitran, which is a combination of the words Khor and Mehr.. Miter or Mitran in Pahlavi means seal and the names of many places and people are made with this word which means faith, love and sun..

5Khorasan and Haytal, the two sons of Alam bin Sam bin Noah, entered in one day and each entered a place that is still named after them..

…

It is stated in the Dehkhoda dictionary that the word "Khorasan" is a Pahlavi word that in old texts means the East. (the east) against the west (Bakhtar) has been used.[۶] And in other sources, Khorasan is used in the old Persian language to mean the East.[۷]

Fakhreddin Asad Gorgani says this in the story of Weiss and Ramin:

Anyone who knows the Pahlavi language of Khorasan means "Khor Asad" there.

Khorasan means the tributary of Ayan, where does the tributary come to Iran?

Historical events and incidents in different periods

Historical background

In ancient times, Khorasan was considered one of the great pillars of Iran. This region was one of the wide satraps that is mentioned in the inscription of Dariush Kabir in Biston and other inscriptions of Achaemenid kings.. This vast province, which eventually became the headquarters and country of the Parthians and Ashkanians, attracted the Medes at the beginning of the history of ancient Iran..

The Greek geographer Strabo says:

"Because the general poverty and unfavorable natural factors of this province were incompatible with the royal majesty and the luxurious life of the Achaemenid kings of Iran, whenever they came to this land, they tried to leave the land of the Parthians as soon as possible..

But these adverse natural factors made the Parthians a hardworking, tolerant and brave people, and these moral characteristics made their name famous.. During the decline of the Achaemenid government, from this area of ​​Ashk Nam, which is known as the founder of the Ashkan dynasty, he dismantled the Seleucid government or the successors of Alexander the Great, and founded a new dynasty.

Sassanid period

During the period of the Sasanian kingdom, when feudalism was dismantled, ancient Khorasan or Parthian satrapy became one of the important provinces of Iranshahr.. Muslim scholars and writers, including Ibn Raste Esfahani, Ibn Khordad Beh Tabari, Istakhari, Ibn Hawqal, Moghdisi, Yaqut Hamavi, Sarzamin Iran. (Iranshahr) in terms of political divisions and natural parts in the Sassanid period into eight climates (State), and in terms of directions, they have divided into a central part and four regions, north, south, east and west, which are as follows.:

The first climate: Khuzestan.

The second climate: Pars (Fars province).

The third climate: Iraq (From the border between Nahrin to Ray and Isfahan to the center of Hamadan).

The fourth climate: the mountain (Qahestan) or (Mountain region).

The fifth climate: Surestan (Iraq means the Mesopotamia).

The sixth climate: Tabaristan (Tabaristan) A scavenger.

The seventh climate: Azarabadgan and Armenia.

The eighth climate: Khorasan.

Apparently, dividing the country of Iran into eight regions in this order was common until the end of the Sassanid era.

Ibn Raste says about Khorasan and its major cities:

"The parts of Iranshahr each contain several furnaces (City) and it is a village and it is one of the parts of Iranshahr, Khorasan and Sejstan and the furnaces of Khorasan are: Tabsin, Qahestan, Neishabur, Herat, Bushanj (cover), Badghis, Tus, Nasa, Sarkhs, Abivard, Marv al-Roud, Taleghan, Faryab, Jawzjan, Balkh, Takhiristan, Termez, Bukhara, Samarkand, Kesh, Nassaf, Chach, Ferghana and Ashrosna and its surroundings from the Caspian gates near the beginning. It passed through the Alborz mountains and the Atrak valley and extended to Dergz, then it reached Jihun and Pamir through the Tajen and Merv deserts, and from there along Jihun to the peak of Hindukash and from that point to the west along the mountain range. The mentioned mountains turned south and passed through the region of Herat, Kashmar and Khawf, and cut off the region of Kahistan and joined the Caspian gates again.

Khorasan after the Arab conquest

Arabs looked towards Khorasan from the moment they set foot on Iranian soil. However, the conquest of the large and rich region, which, according to one of the Islamic geographers, boasts of having mines of wire and gold, turquoise, pure horses, gold-woven clothes, and healthy and strong people, did not come easily.. From the beginning of the caliphate of Umar to the middle of the caliphate of Uthman, that is, within twenty years, despite the continuous efforts of the Arab generals, the land of Khorasan remained untouched by the Muslim soldiers until in the year 31 A.H. Abdullah bin Amer was commissioned by Uthman to conquer that area. The first city that was opened in Khorasan by one of Abdullah's generals was Tabas, and thus the inhabitants of Tabas converted to Islam before the people of other areas of Khorasan abandoned their ancestral religion.. The conquest of the vast land of Khorasan took place during the reign of the Rashidin Caliphs, and after the Rashidin Caliphs, the Bani Umayyad Caliphs gained control over that land and ruled there..

During the caliphate of Marwan, the government of Bani al-Abbas took the seedlings in Khorasan and in the year 129 A.H. Abu Muslim of Khorasani rose up from the city of Marv and captured all of Khorasan and overthrew the Bani Umayyad government, and during the Caliphate of Ma'mun Abbasi, Tahiri kings appeared and captured all of Khorasan..

Taherian period

For one hundred and fifty years, when Khorasan was governed directly by the representatives of the Caliphs of Baghdad, either the situation was not favorable for the establishment of men who demanded independence in that land, or the movements that were formed did not bear fruit.. The first opportunity that appeared for the realization of that long-standing dream was the dispute between Amin and Mamun, the sons of Harun al-Rashid, over the issue of succession..

In this conflict, Mamun asked for help from the commander of Khorasan army, Tahir bin Hossein, known as Dhul-Yiminin, and battles between the two armies took place, and finally Mamun, with the help of Tahir bin Hossein, in the year 198 He besieged Baghdad and conquered that city. Mamun for the sacrifices and battles of Tahir in the year 205 He gave him the government of the eastern part of Khorasan. Thus, San Tahir, who was only nominally the representative of the Abbasid caliph in Khorasan, moved the capital from the city of Merv to Neishabur and laid the foundation of the dynasty, which is considered the first independent dynasty of Iranian rulers after the invasion of the Tajiks.. There is no reason to consider the population and wealth of Khorasan during the Taherian era to be less than during the Sassanid dynasty..

Samanian period

The era of Taherian rule over Khorasan, which was the beginning of the independence of this region from Iran, while it had exceeded half a century, finally by Yaqub Laith Safari, the founder of Safari dynasty, by capturing the city of Neishabor in the year 259 AH their rule ended. But the reign of the Saffarians was also short-lived; Because their territory fell into the hands of Ismail Samani and what had been known as Eastern Khorasan since the reign of Mamun Abbasi was again joined to the land of Warz-Rud or Mawara-an-Nahr.. During the reign of the Samanids, the Persian language found a new life. At this time, the translation of Tabari's history and Tafsir of Tabari was completed, and it was during this period that the greatest poet of our literary history, Abu Abdullah Jafar, known as Rudaki, built Persian poetry on a new foundation..

One hundred and thirty years of rule of the Saman dynasty (261 until the 389 H.Q) On Khorasan and across the river, it forms one of the most brilliant historical chapters of Iran. When this vast land fell into the hands of the Ghaznavids, they also followed the example of Saman's children and became interested in promoting science and literature and encouraging Persian poets and writers.. The most important event of two hundred and thirty years (351 until the 581 H.Q) Ghaznavid rule was the division of ancient Khorasan into two parts in the year 451 H.Q (That is, thirty years after the death of Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi) done. A large part that included today's Afghanistan and its capital was the city of Ghazni remained in the hands of the Ghaznavids, and the rest of Khorasan belonged to the Seljuks.. The territory of the Seljuk kings also after one hundred and twenty three years (552 ـ 429 H.Q) It fell into the hands of the Khwarazmshahs, and after a century and a half, the Khwarazmshahs government was dismantled by the Mongol armies, and finally, Khorasan, which enjoyed relative security for more than six hundred years, suddenly became the kick of Genghis Khan's hooves..

Khorasan during the Mongol era

Herat is one of the oldest cities of ancient Khorasan, which, like many other cities, suffered a lot of damage during the Mongol invasion.. Apparently, at the beginning of the 8th century AH, this city had become one of the largest and most prosperous cities in Khorasan, and also Neishabur, after being razed to the ground due to the Mongol invasion, had become so prosperous after one hundred and twenty years that it was called a small Damascus.. Balkh and Merv, like Herat and Neishabur, were devastated by the Mongol armies in the first twenty years of the 7th century AH, and did not see a settlement until two centuries later.. Balkh or the city of Bakhtar was considered one of the most important cities of Khorasan until the invasion of the Arab armies. The largest shrine known as Nobahar was located in this city. Nobahar was the time of Zoroastrian settlement. When Genghis's soldiers entered Balkh, the Adina mosque was damaged more than any other building. The effects of destruction and looting of Marv were far more severe and long-lasting than the destruction of Balkh. The name Marv was applied to two cities located by the Marghab River, the distance between which was thirty-two miles.. The smaller one was called Marv Rood and the other was called Marv Shahgan. Marv Shahgan, which was the largest Muslim ruling center in Khorasan for the first time during the Caliphate of Mamun Abbasi, was the owner of the largest and most valuable libraries in the Islamic world, which were completely destroyed during the invasion of the Mongols..

Timurid period

A number of cities in Khorasan and across the Nile, one hundred and sixty-six years after the abolition of Genghis Khan, faced the invasion of Timur's army.. The damage caused to the people of the cities of Khorasan due to this new disaster was much lighter and less harmful.. Tourists who have passed through Khorasan have left interesting travelogues, the study of which sheds light on the situation in Khorasan at the beginning of the 9th century.. They say that Bukhara is the same city that was sacked and destroyed by the Mongol armies at least three times, and according to Ibn Battuta, its people lived in utter humiliation and there were only a small part of its mosques and markets left, in less than It had grown so much since seventy years that it was considered one of the prosperous and populous cities according to the testimony of Clavijo.. Samarkand was the only city that reached its peak of prosperity and fame during Timur's reign. This city was located in the east of Bukhara and near the Zarafshan River, which was considered one of the four paradises on earth.. It should be mentioned that Samarkand was one of the most prosperous and richest cities of ancient Khorasan before the invasion of Genghis.. This city began to develop from the beginning of the 9th century when Timur made Samarkand his capital..

The beginning of the Uzbek attack on Khorasan

The period of rule of Timur's successors over Khorasan and Varzrud for one hundred years (807 ـ 913 H.Q) invaded and during this century most of the cities in this part of Iran enjoyed relative peace. Sultan Abu Sa'id, the grandson of Timur, who reigned for seventeen years (855 ـ 872 H.Q) He ruled over Khorasan in the war with Amir Hasan Bey, known as Uzon Hasan, the head of the Baindri dynasty or Turkman Agh Quyunlu was killed.. Simultaneously with the uprising of Shah Ismail Safavi due to his father's bloodlust, in Khorasan, Sultan Hossein Baiqara, one of the survivors of Abu Said, reigned.. The reign of the successors of Sultan Hossein Bah 913 After Khorasan fell into the hands of Shibek Khan of Uzbek. The domination of Shibak Khan Uzbek, the descendant of Genghis, over the lands of Khorasan, started countless aggressions that caused many damages and damages to the cities of Herat, Neishabur, and Tus. (Mashhad) became. The hard-heartedness, pride and arrogance of Shibek Khan Uzbek was not compatible with the temperament of the young Shah Ismail, who considered himself entrusted by his ancestors with a great duty of promoting Shiite votes.. According to the writings of one of the historians, when Shibek Khan heard about the claim of Ismail Javan's kingship in Merv, he wrote to him in a letter.:

"At this time, the claim of kingship by mothering you, when you were allowed to be the mother of Dahr, was not Sultan bin Sultan's son like me." The purpose of this phrase was that as long as the descendant of Genghis is alive, a young person who considers himself related to the Bayandri family from his mother's side, that is, the daughter of Uzon Hassan and the wife of Sheikh Haider Safavi, has no right to reign.. Ismail's hatred for the insolence of such an opponent was so great that three years after Shibek Khan's domination over the Nahr and Khorasan, he sent an army to that area and killed Shibek Khan in the village of Mahmud Abad near Marv, and in this way he captured the entire territory of Khorasan. The Safavids fell and Imami Shia religion became the official religion of the people of this region. The danger of the Uzbek attack on Khorasan continued after the death of Shibak Khan, and since Herat became an important position in the vast Safavid territory, Shah Ismail ordered the fortification of that city..

In the year 921 A.H. Shah Ismail sent his son Tahmasb to Herat city as the ruler of Khorasan. In order to save Khorasan from the sudden attack of Azbakan, Shah Tahmasab decided to pay three hundred tomans a year to Shibek Khan's successor in Marv.. But after the chaos that broke out after the death of Tahmasab and the short reign of Ismail II, the aforementioned provision was also cut off.. For this reason in the year 986 A.H. Jalal Khan, the son of Din Muhammad Khan Uzbek, led an army to Khorasan; But the end of Jalal Khan's work did not bring him anything but death.

Despite all this, in the next twenty years (986 until the 1006 H.Q) When Shah Abbas completely defeated the Uzbeks near Herat, the cities of Khorasan suffered a lot from the attacks of this rebellious people and from internal disturbances.. In the wars between supporters and opponents of Abbas Mirza, Mashhad, Neishabur and Torbat were under siege for about four months each.. of the year 989 A.H., who installed the son of Muhammad Khodabande on the throne behind the wall of Nishabur Abbas Mirza, it became customary to recite sermons in the name of Shah Abbas throughout that vast province.. During the reign of Shah Abbas the Great, the prestige and prosperity of the city of Mashhad increased. The ancient courtyard of Astan Quds was developed during this time. Also, at this time, a highway was built between Isfahan, Mashhad and Herat.

Afshariya period

Because the people of Khorasan and especially the residents of Mashhad believed that without Nader's presence, it would not be possible to get rid of the invading Afghans and Uzbeks easily, they considered themselves grateful to Nader, and Nader, Rezaqli Mirza, had commissioned his son to do everything possible. He provided the welfare of the people and population of Mashhad city. From all parts of Iran, groups of artists and merchants came to Mashhad, so that at the beginning of the second half of the 12th century, the trade of Khorasan flourished.. But within three years of 1153 until the 1156 A.H., the situation in Iran became so bad due to the greed and greed of Nader Shah and the tyranny of his officials and tax students that the general trade fell from prosperity and Mashhad, a city that was desired and liked by Nader, started to decline like other cities in Iran.. of the year 1156 until the 1160 H.Q (That is, the year when Nader was killed by some of his generals) The situation was the same.

Qajar period

In the year 1210 The province of Khorasan was conquered by Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar and the Qajar government was established in this region.. After the death of Agha Mohammad Khan in the year 1211 AH, Fath Ali Shah came to power. During his time, Khorasan province was limited to Jihun and Balkh land in the northeast and east, Kabul and Sistan in the south, and Iraq and Astarabad in the west.. At this time, the vast Khorasan of the era of Shah Abbas the Great and the reign of Kameh Nadir had been greatly reduced. Mohammadwali Mirza, the son of Fath Ali Shah, was nominally the ruler of Khorasan, but actually had influence only in Mashhad, Nishabur, Tarshiz, Tun, Tabas and its provinces.. During thirty years, that is, from 1220 AH until the death of Abbas Mirzai, the Crown Prince in 1249, Khorasan was subject to continuous riots, as a result, Fath Ali Shah's influence in that vast province was limited or declining.. One of the factors that contributed to the chaos in Khorasan was the tyranny and stupidity of Prince Mohammadwali Mirza, who ruled that province.. The behavior of this prince in a short period of time caused the resentment of the Khans and amirs of Khorasan and provided the ground for sedition of the rulers of Herat, Haji Firuzaldin Mirzai Afghani..

In the year 1222 Haji Firouz provoked one of the appointees of the Iranian government, Yusuf Ali Khan, who was the ruler of Ghorian, to enmity with Prince Mohammadwali Mirza.. But this sedition did not last and with the defeat of Haji Firouz and Yusuf Ali Khan, this group fell asleep.. But as long as the causes of dissatisfaction were available, the opponents used the smallest opportunity that was available, as four years later (1226 H.Q) Haji Firouz started a rebellion again and incited other Iranian officials to fight with the governor of Khorasan.. Because this time the fire of sedition became much more intense and scared Fath Ali Shah, Shah Qajar removed Muhammad Wali Mirza from the government of Khorasan and installed his brother Hasan Ali Mirza in his place.. During the time of Hasan Ali Mirza, known as Shuja al-Sultaneh, all the rebels were suppressed and Khorasan was safe for at least twelve years.. In the year 1246 The powerful rioters of Khorasan had reached the peak of intensity. In order to put to sleep the sedition of these rebels, especially the governor of Khwarezm, Fath Ali Shah called his brave son Abbas Mirza Naib al-Sultaneh from Azerbaijan.. In a short period of time, Abbas Mirza secured the whole of Khorasan, Yazd and Kerman, and he easily took Quchan, Ferkhs and Tarshiz out of the hands of the rebels, pushed back the Turkmens, and frightened the governor of Herat, Kamran Mirza, the son of Mahmud Shah Afghan.. Although the siege of Herat was easily possible; But Abbas Mirza, who was suddenly called to the capital, could not finish that important task. In the absence of the crown prince, his son Mohammad Mirza was assigned to keep Herat under siege and follow the war. Because the siege of Herat dragged on for a long time, Kamran Mirza saw no choice but to accept Abbas Mirza's proposals.. Yar Mohammad Khan, the minister of Kamran Mirza, came to Mashhad to determine the amount of tribute, and there were fruitless negotiations that made Abbas Mirza extremely angry.. In this way, the war started again and the siege circle narrowed around Herat, and there was nothing left for this process to lead to the victory of the Iranian army and the defeat of Kamran Mirza, when Abbas Mirza died of an illness in Mashhad..

With the death of Abbas Mirza, his son Mohammad Mirza was forced to compromise and accept the peace terms of Kamran Mirza on the verge of victory.. One year after this event, Fath Ali Shah, who nominated his grandson Mohammad Mirza for the position of crown prince, died. Mohammad Mirza, who put the crown on the head of the institution in the name of Mohammad Shah, had only one thought in his head and that was the conquest of Herat, which did not happen due to the intervention of the British government.. The victory of British diplomacy in Afghanistan (Heart) It was short-lived because less than four years after the political defeat of Mohammad Shah, Kamran Mirza was killed by Yar Mohammad Khan, and Yar Mohammad Khan called himself the representative and subordinate of the king of Iran and minted coins in the name of Mohammad Shah Qajar.. At the end of the reign of Mohammad Shah Qajar, the unrest in Khorasan still continued and the danger of disintegration of this province had reached a definite degree.. A group of Turkmen, Uzbek and Afghan rebels with the help of the Russians and the British over the big cities of this kingdom such as Bukhara, Merv and Herat and… They threw up their hands and raised the flag of independence. Meanwhile, the rebellion of Hasan Ali Khan Salarbar started around Mashhad and Sarkhs and captured the city of Mashhad.. The government of Mohammad Shah Qajar took several measures to suppress him, but was unsuccessful. Bar owner for several years in a part of Khorasan (Mashhad and its functions) ruled until during the reign of Naser al-Din Shah and the chancellery of Amir Kabir, in the year 1256 A separate army was sent to Khorasan under the command of Hossam al-Sultaneh, and it was repeatedly deposed from this region..

Khorasan in the year of famine

During the years 1288 And 1289 The suffering people of Khorasan suffered from unprecedented poverty due to the great famine that engulfed most parts of Iran.. It can be deduced from the situation in Khorasan that era. that the winter rains of the year 1288 AH started earlier than the specified date. During the summer, the abundance of fruits and vegetables prevented the first signs of famine from appearing. But with the arrival of the fall season, crowds of sick and hungry people poured into the cities from all sides, and since all the gates were closed to new arrivals, first begging and then cholera became stronger outside the gates of the cities.. There are no accurate statistics and information about the casualties that occurred due to famine in Iran in general, and in Khorasan province in particular.. However, some foreign tourists have estimated the number of victims in Mashhad to be around 20,000 and the number of victims in Khorasan province to be around 100,000..

Dr. Bellew, an employee of the border commission, in his travelogue, according to the words of Sultan Murad Mirza Hossam al-Sultaneh, wrote the number of casualties in Khorasan as one hundred and twenty thousand people, and it is claimed that according to the British representative in Mashhad, more than half of the nine thousand houses in the said city were uninhabited. It was in the winter 1288 Hundreds of people of Mashhad had died in the slums, huts, and alleys due to extreme cold and hunger, and the situation had reached a point where the bodies of the dead remained unburied on the ground for weeks.. The same author mentioned that we did not see any babies or young children along the way from Qain to Tehran because almost all the children had died due to famine.. In some parts of Khorasan, the decrease in population and damage caused by famine was more noticeable than in other parts of that province, so that the population of Torbat Haidarieh was reduced to twenty thousand people.. It is necessary to mention that Birjand and Qain and the surrounding villages of these two cities were the only areas of Khorasan that were affected during the year's famine. 1288 A.H. saw relatively less damage and loss.