This province was established with the approval of the government in 2004 after the division of Khorasan province into three provinces. The area of this province is 28434 square kilometers, which is the 15th province of Iran; its population is 811572 people. Majority of the people living in North Khorasan are Shiites and the minority are Sunni; the ethnic groups living in North Khorasan Province include Persian-speakers, Tat-speakers, Razi-speakers, Kurds of Kermanshah, Turkmens and Turks.

Geography

North Khorasan province consists of 8 cities including Bojnourd (the center of the province and also the most populated city of the province), Shirvan, Esfarayen, Maneh and Samolghan, Raz and Jorglan, Jajarm, Farooj and Garmeh. In terms of geographical location, this province shares border with Turkmenistan in the north (with a common border of 281 km), Khorasan Razavi in the east and south, Semnan in the southwest and Golestan in the west.

Customs 

Racial and ethnic diversity has increased the prevalence of customs in North Khorasan. The presence of different races in this region has led to food variety as well. Traditional foods of North Khorasan are prepared according to special customs with fragrant seasonal vegetables. Yarmeh soup is a kind of local soup cooked in the city of Bojnourd with wild vegetable. Ingredients of Yarmeh soup are wheat or barley, peas, buttermilk, onion and dried mint. Other famous dishes of Bojnourd are sholehmash, which is made from mung bean, rice, minced meat, onion, some cumin along with spices. There are different ethnic groups living in North Khorasan province, so the cultural diversity has led to diversity in traditional clothing. In addition to Islamic clothing, these colorful bright clothes are also considered to exhilarate the soul. Kermanshah women and girls' clothing in this province often includes 5 parts: "Yashar" or Charqad, "kross" (blouse), "Shilvar" (skirt), "Jaliqe" and "Shaliteh". In this province, Turkmen music is performed in various ceremonies inspired by famous Turkmen poets. The music of this region is generally composed of Kurdish and Turkish with instruments such as kamancheh, sorna, dotar, dohol and reed (mouthpiece). During Nowruz, Turkmen of the province hold various competitions, including horse racing, chukhe wrestling and cockfight ceremonies. Every year on the days of Eid-e Fetr, on the thirteenth and fourteenth of Farvardin, the sport of chukheh is performed, which is one of the traditional and indigenous rituals and sports of the people of this province.

Handicrafts

Fluffy hat is the most famous handicraft of North Khorasan, which is woven by the people of Jajarm. Felting, the production of double carpets in which the Turkmen of the province specialize, and the Kurdish kilim, which is the product of the Kurdish nomads of North Khorasan are some other handicrafts. Pelas is another type of handicrafts of this province, which is a kind of kilim long used as a suitable ground cloth to protect them from moisture, cold and heat of the ground; it was used to cover the floors of North Khorasan nomadic tents or in rural houses. Monabat kari (wood carving), jajim weaving, traditional embroidery, embroidery on fur, tapestry, tassel weaving, knitting and silk embroidery can also be seen in many cities of the province. Bojnourd famous candy, cheese candy, Kurdish tablecloths, local clothes, carpets, kilims, backpacks, high-quality Turkmen rugs, and Kashk, etc. are among the souvenirs of this region.

 

Tourist Attractions

Shirvan Valley, Mufakham Mirror House, Museum of Documents and Manuscripts, Jajarmi Historical House, Sardar Mofakham Mirror House, Nargesloo Rock Arts, Jalal Al-din Castle, Belqeis Ancient City, Espakho Fire Temple, Astrokhi Waterfall, Chamomile Plain, etc. are among the tourist attractions of this province.

Tags: North khorasan province, Sardar Mofakham Mirror House, north khorasan attractions, Jalal Al-din Castle, Nargesloo Rock Arts