Birjand ( fa, بیرجند , also

Romanize Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...

d as Bīrjand and Birdjand) is the capital of the Iranian province of

South Khorasan South Khorasan Province ( fa, استان خراسان جنوبی ''Ostān-e Khorāsān-e Jonūbī'') is a province located in eastern Iran. Birjand is the centre of the province. The other major cities are Ferdows, Tabas and Qaen. In 2014, it ...

. The city is known for its

saffron Saffron () is a spice derived from the flower of ''Crocus sativus'', commonly known as the "saffron crocus". The vivid crimson stigma (botany), stigma and stigma (botany)#style, styles, called threads, are collected and dried for use mainly ...

, barberry, jujube, and handmade

carpet A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, nylon, or polyester hav ...

export An export in international trade is a good produced in one country that is sold into another country or a service provided in one country for a national or resident of another country. The seller of such goods or the service provider is an ...

s. Birjand had a population of 187,020 in 2013.

History

The first citation of the city in the historical literature belongs to the famous book '' Mojem Alboldan'', by Yaqut Homavi (13th century) which introduces the Birjand as the most beautiful town in the Qohestan. Before this, Birjand had been probably not as big and important as a municipality but rather as a rural community. However, the Birjand geographical area had its historical and political importance long before the emergence of the city of Birjand. Many citations of the region are available in the original literature like ''Ehya -ol- Molook'' of the once important localities in the area. Apart from literature, the oldest evidence on the history of the region is the ancient Lakh-Mazar inscription in the Kooch village some southeast of Birjand. Numerous fine drawings and inscriptions are carved on an igneous rock surface. The inscriptions include pictograms as well as

Arsacid Pahlavi The Parthian Empire (), also known as the Arsacid Empire (), was a major Iranian political and cultural power in ancient Iran from 247 BC to 224 AD. Its latter name comes from its founder, Arsaces I, who led the Parni tribe in conqueri ...

, Sasanian Pahlavi,

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...

and Persian scripts.

Climate

Birjand has a

cold semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-a ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

''BSk'') with hot summers and cool winters and a significant difference between day and night temperatures. Precipitation falls mostly in winter and spring.

official services

Municipality

In 1310, Birjand Municipality was opened under the name of Birjand Municipality next to the tomb of Hakim Nazari and started its activities with 12 employees. The first mayor of Birjand was Mr. Afshar, who served as mayor for six years.

University

In 1975, following Dr. Mohammad Hassan Ganji, the Birjand Institute of Higher Education was established in the

Assadollah Alam Asadollah Alam ( fa, اسدالله علم; 24 July 1919 – 14 April 1978) was an Iranian politician who was prime minister during the Shah's regime from 1962 to 1964. He was also minister of Royal Court, president of Pahlavi University and ...

Endowment Collection. This university started with the admission of 120 students in the fields of mathematics, physics and chemistry and is now officially known as Birjand University.

Airport

In 1312, due to the political and military situation of Birjand city and the east of the country,

Birjand airport Birjand Airport is a small airport near Birjand, Iran. Due to the geopolitical eminence of Birjand in the eastern parts of Iran, Birjand airport started operation in 1933 as the 3rd operational airport in Iran. Birjand airport offers non-stop da ...

was established on a 150-hectare land in the north of the city.

Customs

In 1317, in order to facilitate the transportation, export and import of goods to the subcontinent of

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bord ...

, the Birjand Customs Office was established and started its activities with two customs units, Dareh and Gezik.

Imam Reza Hospital

In 1327, Imam Reza Hospital was established in one of the lands and endowments belonging to the Alam family, known as Bagh-e Anari. In addition to accepting patients in Birjand city, this hospital also accepted other patients in southern cities of Khorasan province.

Education

It is said that the Shokatiyeh School in Birjand together with Darolfonoon in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the Capital city, capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is th ...

were the first modern

public schools Public school may refer to: *State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government *Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England and ...

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after compl ...

in Iran in the mid-19th century. Ever since then, Birjand has amassed an abundance of institutions of higher education and become an important location for research and development. The city contains such universities and academic institutions as: * University of Birjand *

Birjand University of Technology Birjand ( fa, بیرجند , also Romanized as Bīrjand and Birdjand) is the capital of the Iranian province of South Khorasan. The city is known for its saffron, barberry, jujube, and handmade carpet exports. Birjand had a population of 187,0 ...

* Birjand University of Medical Sciences * Payame Noor University *

Islamic Azad University of Birjand The Islamic Azad University, Birjand Branch ( fa, دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد بیرجند) is a university in Birjand, Iran. It was established in 1985. It has 8500 students in 5 faculties and 90 fields. Birjand Birjan ...

University of Applied Science and Technology (south khorasan branch) The University of Applied Science and Technology (UAST) ( fa, دانشگاه جامع علمی - کاربردی Dāneshgah-e Jām'e Elmi Kārbordi) is a public university in Iran administrated by the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology. ...

Academy of Tarbiat-e Moalem An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

Academy of Amuzesh-e Aly An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...

Academy of Amuzesh-e Modiriat Dolaty An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

Notable people

* Abd al-Ali al-Birjandi, 16th century astronomer *

Hakim Nezari Quhestani Hakim may refer to: * Al-Ḥakīm ( Arabic: الحكيم), one of the names of God in Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around th ...

* Ibn Hessam Khusfi *

Amir Shokat Ul-Molk Alam Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...

, Amir of Qaen County and Governor of Quhestan at the end of Qajar Dynasty * Amir Ali Khan Sheibany, PhD, founder and first CEO of Zob Ahan Esfahan ( Esfahan Steel Company) *

Seyyed Mohammad Tadayyon ''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhamma ...

Asadollah Alam Asadollah Alam ( fa, اسدالله علم; 24 July 1919 – 14 April 1978) was an Iranian politician who was prime minister during the Shah's regime from 1962 to 1964. He was also minister of Royal Court, president of Pahlavi University and g ...

, prime minister of Iran during Pahlavi dynasty *

Seyyed Gholam Reza Saeidi ''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhamma ...

, writer *

Mohamad Haghgou Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monot ...

, composer * Sima Bina, Iranian folk music singer *

Ahmad Kamyabi Mask Ahmad Kamyabi Mask ( fa, احمد کامیابی مَسْک; born 1944) is a writer, translator, publisher and current Professor Emeritus of Modern Drama and Theater of the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Tehran. He is a prominent schol ...

, writer and renowned theater scholar *

Morteza Hassanpour Murtaza or Morteza or Mortaza, a Persianate form of the Arabic Murtada or Murtadha ( ar, مرتضى, translit=Murtaḍā, lit=One Pleasing to God, label=none), is a common Muslim name. Pronunciation varies with accent, from native Arabic speakers ...

, first Iranian male nurse * Mohammad Hassan Ganji, geographer *

Mohammad Ismail Rezvani Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the monothe ...

, historian *

Mohammad Reza Hafeznia Mohammad Reza Hafeznia (born 1955, Birjand, Iran) is a full professor of political geography in Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran. He obtained his Ph.D in political geography from Tarbiat Modares University in 1990. He has published 13 books o ...

Gholam Hossein Shokouei Ghulam ( ar, غلام, ) is an Arabic word meaning ''servant'', ''assistant'', ''boy'', or ''youth''. It is used to describe young servants in paradise. It is also used to refer to slave-soldiers in the Abbasid, Ottoman, Safavid and to a lesse ...