Espidan (Esfidan) Village – Bojnourd

Espidan village is located in Garmkhān rural district, Bojnourd County and it can be accessed via Mashhad-Bojnourd highway from Sisāb village towards south. Its geographical coordinates are longitude 57 degrees and 34 minutes east and latitude 37 degrees and 20 minutes north. The village is located at the foothills of Alādāq Mountains which itself covers a large part of Turkmenistan, northern Afghanistan and northeastern Iran. This village has a cold and dry climate and its general slope follows the natural slope of the region, i.e. towards north and along with Espidan River. Due to the location and dominance of natural conditions in Espidan, the village and surrounding mountains are exposed to precipitation during all cold seasons. So, it is covered with snow and is white most of the year and this is why it was called Sephidān (white) which later became known as the Espidan. The most important tourist attractions of the village are its natural attractions. Located in the foothills of the Koppeh-Dāq highlands and having lush valleys and rivers, Espidan is known as a favorite place in the summer for people. Concentration of valuable natural elements such as river, old trees, gardens and home-gardens, along with the variety of land perspective, maze roads and diversity of the width of the valley, and successive narrowing and openness of the texture provide a beautiful visual and environmental landscape. However, the valuable physical texture of the village and its geographical characteristics make it unrivaled in the region among other villages. The physical environment of the village is valuable due to the staircase-like texture in the village which is established among its gardens, highlands and steep slopes as well as existence of Sābāt (roofed passageways). Other physical attractions of the village include holy shrine of Emāmzādeh Mohammad-Bāqer from the descendants of Emām Sajjād (AS) which dates back to the Safavid and Qajar era and is registered as a cultural heritage. According to the “2006 Census of Population and Housing”, the village population has been registered 1949 people in 530 households.