Time zone IRST (UTC+3:30) Population 150,174 (2015) | County Shahrud Elevation 1,345 m (4,413 ft) Area code(s) +9823 Local time Friday 12:13 PM | |
 | ||
Weather 16°C, Wind SW at 16 km/h, 42% Humidity University | ||
Shahrud (Persian: شاهرود, also Romanized as Shāhrūd, Shahrood, and Shahroud; also known as Shārūd) is a city in and capital of Shahrud County, Semnan Province, Iran. At the 2015 census, its population was 150,174, in 50,302 families.
Contents
- Map of Shahroud Semnan Province Iran
- Geography
- Climate
- History
- Attractions
- Notable people
- Higher education
- References
Map of Shahroud, Semnan Province, Iran
Situated about an altitude of 4413 ft (1345 m), it is located at latitude 36°25'N, longitude 055°01'E. Now, it is the largest city of Semnan Province and also its county has same position in the province. The main launch site of the Iranian Space Agency is near Shahrud. It is also well known for unique types of grapes which are cultivated specially in Shahrud. Therefore, this city is called as Grapes-City.
Geography
Some 410 kilometers to the east of Tehran, half-way between the capital and Mashad, and at the junction with the Gorgan road, sits the modern city of Shahrud, which has grown to absorb the historic town of Bastam situated in the hills a few kilometers to the north.
From the north, it is surrounded by the Alborz mountains, and from the south by the arid salty deserts. The river of Tash, after crossing this town, reaches the south deserts. The weather on the mountainous areas is cold and it is somewhat temperate in other parts of the city.
Shahrud is located in the Damghan basin, a sub-basin of the Kavir basin which also contains the Great Salt Desert.
Climate
Shahrud has a cold desert climate (Köppen climate classification BSk) with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is very low, and mostly falls in winter and spring.
History
In 2006, traces of a prehistoric, 8,000-year-old settlements were found in Shahrud. The discoveries included ovens, craft workshops, and other evidence of settlements. [1]
As a modern city, the city of Shahrud was merely a village before the reign of Fath Ali Shah of the Qajar dynasty, with two old castles and a small farm named "Shabdary". The surrounding areas however, such as Biarjomand, Miami and Bastam do have a distant history.
The old town of Bastam is located 6 kilometers north of Shahrood. Its pre-Islamic history is not clear, but according to some historians, it was built during Shapur II period (310-379 CE). During the Abbasid era, it was the second largest town (following Damghan) in the Qomis province.
The town was visited by Nasser Khosrow Qubadiani, the great Iranian poet of the 12th century, and mentioned by him as the center of the Qomis province. But Bastam declined during the Mongol era assaults, and Shahrud eventually took its place.
Attractions
Shahrud’s geographical location is very interesting, it has cloud forest in the north and from south it meets the central desert of Iran. The most interesting geographical and historical attractions of Shahrud are as follows: