KHURASAN originally signified a vast tract of country to the east of Iran, comprising the lands situated to the south of the Amu Darya and to the north of the Hindu Kush. To the Arab geographers, Khurasan had for its boundaries on the east Seistan and India, west the desert of Ghuzz and Jurjan, north Transoxiana, and south and south-west the desert of Persia. Under the present regime in Persia the meaning of the name has gradually become much more restricted and now indicates the north-easterly province of Persia, coterminous on the north with Russian Trans-Caspian territory (the river Atrak serving as the frontier as far as Chat), east with Afghanistan, west with the Persian provinces of Astarabad, Shah Rud, Semnan and Damghan, and Yazd, and south with Kerman. It thus still embraces a tract of very considerable extent measuring some 5oo m. from north to south, and 30o m. from east to west and having an area of not less than 125,00o sq.m. It extends southward almost to 3o° N. and includes the large district or sub-province of Qainat.
Physical Features.—The surface of the province is essen tially mountainous, especially on the north and east. The ranges generally run in parallel ridges enclosing broad valleys with a normal direction from north-west to south-east and elevations in the southern border of 11-13,00o ft. The whole of the north is occupied by an extensive highland system composed of the Elburz range and its prolongations from the neighbourhood of Shah Rud. The Great Kavir desert obtrudes into Khurasan and occupies its central and western part, and the Dasht i Lut obtrudes similarly in the south. The true character of these great salt depressions which form the distinctive feature of east Persia has scarcely been determined, some regarding them as the beds of dried up seas. The surface of Khurasan is thus very diversified, consisting mainly of highlands, saline swampy deserts and upland valleys, some of which are fertile and well watered. Broadly, the country offers the appearance of a group of oases watered by intermittent rivers and by wells. Of the fertile val leys—occurring mainly in the north—the chief are : the great longitudinal valley stretching north-westward from near the Afghan frontier and Herat, wherein are situated the important towns of Meshed, Kuchan, Shirwan and Bujnurd; the districts of Nishapur and Sabzavar farther south ; and the districts around Birjand and Qain still farther south. These tracts produce, in particular, rice and other grains, cotton, tobacco, opium, and fruits in profusion.
The rivers of Khurasan are comparatively small. The most important are: the Atrak rising north-east of Kuchan and flow ing into the Caspian sea; the Kashaf Rud or Ab i Meshed which joins the Hari Rud from Afghanistan, the two eventually losing themselves north of the Trans-Caspian railway; and the Kaleh i Mura (of which the Kara Su is a tributary) which rising in the hills near Bujnurd flows south and eventually loses itself in the great desert. All the other rivers are mere torrents which,
though they often have a perennial supply near their sources, are so much drawn on for irrigation that it is only in spate that they have sufficient water to reach their terminals in the desert.
Natural Resources and Agriculture.—The mineral prod ucts consist of turquoises from the mines at Maadan near Nisha pur; salt is found over great areas in the form of a thick efflor escence; and iron, lead, alum, gold and copper are said to exist. Coal is found some 20 m. S. of Meshed, but whether in work able quantities has yet to be determined. The agricultural prod ucts are fruits in great variety and most kinds of grain, some silk, saffron, large quantities of asafoetida, and cotton; also manna, tobacco, pistachio nuts and gums. The soil of the vari ous districts is very varied in character and productivity : the north-west, north and north-east have a very rich soil and being abundantly irrigated are all extremely productive, especially of corn. Meshed is in a rich well watered plain as also is Kuchan where rice is said to yield four hundred fold.
Peoples.—Khurasan is peopled by a great variety of races; only that part of the province lying near the Meshed-Tehran roads being occupied mostly by Persians. To the north-west, on the frontier of Astarabad are Turkmans, largely of the Guklan and Yamut tribes. To the north and north-east are the Kurds of Bujnurd and Kuchan. South of Meshed are sections of the 'Amaq tribe of Timuris, while westward of these, around Turbat i Haidari (q.v.) are Turks and Baluchis. There are here and there Barbaris (of Mongol origin), Arabs, a few Jews and, scattered all over the country, are gipsies.
Communications and Trade.—The administrative capital of the province is Meshed (q.v.) and the provincial revenue amounted in 1926-7 to 29,510,251 krans (L St. =45 krans). A road suitable for motor traffic traverses the north of the province from Tehran, via Shah Rud to Meshed; and a similar road runs south from Meshed to railhead of the Indian railway system at Duzdab. The Trans-Caspian railway skirts the province on the north, the important station of Ashqabad being only a few miles distant from the Persian frontier. The value of the great trade which passed by way of Meshed in 1925-6 was 38,400,00o krans, of which 19,000,00o krans represented imports. The articles of export, in order of value, were carpets (5,700,000 krans), hides and skins, opium, timber, cotton stuffs, silk and turquoises.