Khorāsān: Quick Facts

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Facts

Also Known As	Khurasan

Photos

Two people in traditional clothing walk past the arched brick structure of the Askhab Mausoleums in Merv, Turkmenistan, with domed roofs and open courtyards visible.

Map highlighting the historical region of Khorasan in orange, spanning northeastern Iran, southern Turkmenistan, and northern Afghanistan, with surrounding countries and major bodies of water in western and central Asia also labeled for context.

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Topics

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Major Events

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Battle of Dandānqān

Afghanistan

country, Asia

Iran

country, Asia

Turkmenistan

country, Asia

Key People

Al-Bīrūnī, Afghan commemorative stamp, 1973.

al-Bīrūnī

Persian scholar and scientist

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Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī

Persian scholar

“The Building of the Famous Castle of Khawarnaq,” miniature by Behzād, c. 1494, from the Khamseh of Neẓāmī; in the British Library (OR. MS. 6810 fol 154v)

Behzād

Persian painter

Tall, octagonal brick minaret with intricate geometric carvings, Mas'ud III Minaret stands against a clear sky in Ghazni, Afghanistan, with low hills in the background.

Ghaznavid dynasty

Turkic dynasty

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Abu Muslim

Muslim leader

Sultan Sanjar and the Old Woman

Sanjar

sultan of Iran

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Anvarī

Persian poet

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Sīmjūrid Dynasty

Iranian dynasty

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Yazīd ibn al-Muhallab

Umayyad governor

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Ibn Bābawayh

Muslim theologian

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Naṣr ibn Sayyār

governor of Khorāsān

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al-Muqannaʿ

religious leader

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Tahirid dynasty

Muslim dynasty of Khorāsān