Shahrood [2] (Persian: شاهرود, also Romanized as Shâhrūd, and Shahroud; also known as Shârūd) is a city and capital of Shahrood County, Semnan Province, Iran.
Shahrood
شاهرود | |
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City | |
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![]() ![]() Shahrood | |
Coordinates: 36°25′05″N 54°58′35″E | |
Country | Iran |
Province | Semnan Province |
County | Shahrud |
Bakhsh | Central |
Government | |
• Mayor | Ahmadi |
Elevation | 1,345 m (4,413 ft) |
Population (2016 Census) | |
• Urban | 150.129[1] |
Time zone | UTC+3:30 (IRST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+4:30 (IRDT) |
Area code(s) | +9823 |
Website | http://shahrood.ostan-sm.ir/ |
Situated about an altitude of 1345 m, it is located at latitude 36°25'N, longitude 055°01'E. The main launch site of the Iranian Space Agency is near Shahrood. It is also well known for unique types of grapes which are cultivated specially in Shahrud. Consequently, Shahrood is known as the City of Grapes.
Although absent from earlier historical sources, Shahrud has become an important town since the 19th century because of its location on the road from Tehran east to Khorasan.[3] It now also is on the railway.[3] A road runs from Shahrud across the Alborz mountains to the Caspian coastal plains in the north; it is accessible throughout winter.[3] Shahrud was renamed Imāmrūd after the Iranian Revolution of 1979, but has since reverted to the old name.[3] It is located just south of the historical city of Bastam.[3]
Some 410 kilometers to the east of Tehran, halfway between the capital and Mashad, and at the junction with the Gorgan road, sits the modern city of Shahrud, which has grown to absorb the historic town of Bastam situated in the hills a few kilometers to the north.
From the north, it is surrounded by the Alborz mountains, and from the south by the arid salty deserts. The river of Tash, after crossing this town, reaches the south deserts. The weather on the mountainous areas is cold and it is somewhat temperate in other parts of the city.
Shahrud is located in the Damghan basin, a sub-basin of the Kavir basin which also contains the Great Salt Desert.
Shahrud has a cold desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWk) with hot summers and cool winters. Precipitation is very low, and mostly falls in winter (often as snow) and spring.
Climate data for Shahrud | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 19.0 (66.2) |
20.0 (68.0) |
29.0 (84.2) |
31.4 (88.5) |
36.0 (96.8) |
39.0 (102.2) |
42.0 (107.6) |
42.0 (107.6) |
37.0 (98.6) |
32.0 (89.6) |
24.0 (75.2) |
19.2 (66.6) |
42.0 (107.6) |
Average high °C (°F) | 5.8 (42.4) |
8.4 (47.1) |
14.3 (57.7) |
21.1 (70.0) |
26.5 (79.7) |
31.3 (88.3) |
33.5 (92.3) |
32.4 (90.3) |
29.2 (84.6) |
22.3 (72.1) |
15.1 (59.2) |
8.2 (46.8) |
20.7 (69.2) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 1.0 (33.8) |
3.4 (38.1) |
8.6 (47.5) |
15.1 (59.2) |
20.3 (68.5) |
25.0 (77.0) |
27.3 (81.1) |
26.0 (78.8) |
22.1 (71.8) |
15.3 (59.5) |
9.0 (48.2) |
3.1 (37.6) |
14.7 (58.4) |
Average low °C (°F) | −3.6 (25.5) |
−1.9 (28.6) |
2.5 (36.5) |
7.9 (46.2) |
12.7 (54.9) |
17.1 (62.8) |
20.0 (68.0) |
18.5 (65.3) |
14.0 (57.2) |
8.0 (46.4) |
2.6 (36.7) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
8.0 (46.4) |
Record low °C (°F) | −14 (7) |
−14.0 (6.8) |
−8.8 (16.2) |
−7.0 (19.4) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
6.0 (42.8) |
10.0 (50.0) |
8.0 (46.4) |
2.0 (35.6) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
−10 (14) |
−11 (12) |
−14 (6.8) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 28.6 (1.13) |
19.3 (0.76) |
28.0 (1.10) |
23.7 (0.93) |
21.5 (0.85) |
3.9 (0.15) |
1.5 (0.06) |
1.8 (0.07) |
2.3 (0.09) |
7.9 (0.31) |
9.4 (0.37) |
19.8 (0.78) |
167.7 (6.6) |
Average rainy days | 7.1 | 6.8 | 8.3 | 8.2 | 9.1 | 3.6 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 4.8 | 4.5 | 6.0 | 63.6 |
Average snowy days | 4.2 | 3.1 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 2.6 | 11.7 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 65 | 59 | 51 | 45 | 42 | 37 | 36 | 37 | 39 | 48 | 52 | 64 | 48 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 167.5 | 174.4 | 212.1 | 230.3 | 279.2 | 330.1 | 340.4 | 337.4 | 294.8 | 252.2 | 205.9 | 170.3 | 2,994.6 |
Source: NOAA (1961–1990) [4](date=November 2011) |
In 2006, traces of a prehistoric, 8000-year-old settlements were found in Shahrud. This is the pre-historical site of Deh Kheyr, Semnan, located in Shahrud Plain, 15 kilometers from the city of Shahrud. The discoveries included ovens, craft workshops, and other evidence of settlements.
Archeological excavations in different parts of Shahrud Plain indicate the existence of villages in this area during 7-5 millennium BC.[5]
As a modern city, the city of Shahrud was merely a village before the reign of Fath Ali Shah of the Qajar dynasty, with two old castles and a small farm named "Shabdary". The surrounding areas however, such as Biarjomand, Miami and Bastam do have a distant history.
The old town of Bastam is located 6 km north of Shahrood. Its pre-Islamic history is not clear, but according to some historians, it was built during Shapur II period (310-379 CE). During the Abbasid era, it was the second largest town (following Damghan) in the Qomis province.
The town was visited by Nasser Khosrow Qubadiani, the Iranian poet of the 12th century, and mentioned by him as the center of the Qomis province. Bastam declined during the Mongol era assaults, and Shahrud eventually took its place.
As of 1991, Shahrud had a population of 92,195.[3]
Shahrud's geographical characteristics are varied, with cloud forests in the north and from the south it meets the central desert of Iran. The most interesting geographical and historical attractions of Shahrud are as follows:
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