Mashhad
Meaning, History, Tourism, & Map
Mashhad: shrine of ʿAlī al-Riḍā
Mashhad, Iran
Mashhad, also spelled Mashad or Meshed, city, capital of Khorāsān-e Razavī ostān (province), northeastern Iran. It is located in the Kashaf River valley at an elevation of about 1,000 metres. As the burial place of ʿAlī al-Riḍā, the eighth imam in Twelver Shiʿism (Ithnā ʿAshariyyah), Mashhad is an important pilgrimage site. Also, as the easternmost of Iran’s major cities, it is a hub for trade with the countries that border Iran to the east.
Mashhad has the second largest population in Iran—after Tehrān, the national capital. Tourists and pilgrims add to the number of people in the city, as do refugees from Iraq and Afghanistan. Pop. (2016) 3,001,184.
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