Gonabad

Gonabad is a city in and the capital of Gonabad County, in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. It is mostly well-known because of the Gonabadi Dervishes and for its qanats, also known as kareez. It is one of the most important producers of saffron in Iran. Other agricultural products include: Grape, Pistachio and pomegranate. The famous ancient war of 12 rokh had happened between Iran and Turan (Central Asia) in this city on the castle of Zeebad. The city contains the cemetery for the Nematollah Gonabadi dervish order located in Beydokht. Gonabad qanats & UNESCO world heritage sites Some of the longest and oldest Qanats of the world are located in Gonabad. Qanats of Uroune, Moun, Chahak and Shirin as registered in world heritage site (administered by UNESCO) are among these Qanats. They contain 427 water wells with a length of 33113 meters and have been constructed based on different sciences like physics, geology and hydraulics and made it possible for the inhabitants to live in such a dry land with low rainfall.