| Nishapur |
Articles about Nishapur |
Information AboutNishapur |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT NISHAPUR | |
| neyshabur | |
| cities in iran | |
| cities along the silk road | |
| seljuk turks | |
| sassanid dynasty | |
| tahirid dynasty | |
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The region's economy is largely agricultural, based on grain and cotton, and it is one of the most prosperous localities in Iran, although somewhat blighted by drug smuggling from nearby s, with the most recent significant ones occurring in 1986 and 1997 . HISTORY Nishapur occupies an important strategic position astride the old , the first ruler of the Seljuk dynasty, made Nishapur his residence in 1037 and proclaimed himself sultan there, but it declined thereafter, as Seljuk fortunes were concentrated in the west. After the husband of Genghis Khan 's daughter was killed at Nishapur in 1221; she ordered the death of all in the city (~1.7 million), and the skulls of men, women, and children were piled in pyramids by the Mongols . This invasion and earthquakes destroyed the pottery kilns. In 1979, the 15th World Scout Jamboree should have been held in Nishapur. It was cancelled due to the Ayatollah uprising against the Shah of Iran. CULTURE Nishapur is also home to many poets and cultural celebrities. The poet Omar Khayyám was born in Nishapur in 1048 and is buried a few miles outside the town, near the Imamzadeh Mahroq Mosque . The 12th century poet and mystic Farid Al-Din Attar , another native of Nishapur, is also buried nearby. And Iran's greatest contemporary painter, Kamal-ol-molk is buried in the same place. ARCHAEOLOGY SITES Little Archaeology has been done on this vast and complicated site. Lord Curzon remarked that Nishapur had been destroyed and rebuilt more times than any other city in history, an evocative statement whether or not it is statistically true. The Metropolitan Museum Of Art undertook excavations from 1935 that were interrupted in 1940. Searching largely for museum-worthy trophies that they shared with the government of the Shah , the Metropolitan's publications were limited to its own Nishapur ceramics. The site of Nishapur has been ransacked for half a century since World War II , to feed the international market demand for early Islam ic works of art. RECENT INCIDENT On February 18 , 2004 , in the Nishapur Train Disaster , a train carrying flammable goods derailed and caught fire near the town. Five hours later, during fire fighting and rescue work, a massive explosion destroyed the train and many nearby buildings. Around 300 people were said to have been killed, mainly fire and rescue workers but also the local governor and mayor and the heads of the fire and rail services. {Link without Title} POSSIBLE COVERT NUCLEAR ACTIVITY At least one online article cites unnamed sources in Iran as saying Nishapur is the secret site of a so-called "Project B" which would eventually include 155,000 centrifuges for the purpose of creating weapons-grade uranium. {Link without Title} EXTERNAL LINKS |
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