Country Iran Bakhsh Central Website esfarayennews | County Esfarayen County Time zone IRST (UTC+3:30) Province North Khorasan Province | |
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Esfarayen (Persian: اسفراین, also Romanized as Esfarāyen; formerly, Meyanābād, Mīānābād, and Mīyānābād) is a city in and the capital of Esfarayen County, North Khorasan Province in Iran. At the 2006 census its population was 60,372, in 17,334 families.
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Map of Esfar%C4%81yen, North Khorasan Province, Iran
The largest ethnic groups of the Esfarayen city are Kurmanjs and Tats.
Esfarayen is one of the focal points for residence of Aryan tribes after entering Iran.
Etymology
According to the medieval Arab geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi, the original name of Esfarayen was Asbarayin, which meant "the shield-bearers".
History
After the Islamic conquest of Persia, Esfarayen enjoyed a period of great prosperity,which came to an end with the fall of the Abbasid caliphate, when it fell victim to attacks and eventual destruction, although it was, eventually, rebuilt.
The town was in a completely ruinous state at the time of the ruler Ebrahim Afshar.
Sport
Esfarayen is home to a Koshti Pahlevani (traditional Iranian wrestling) tournament called Bachokheh or Koshti Bachokheh. This tournament is held in the open air.