Gorgan


Gorgan

(gôrgän`) or

Jurjan

(jo͝orjän`), town (1991 pop. 162,468), N Iran, E of the Caspian Sea. The surrounding region yields abundant grain and has extensive forests and marshes. Items of trade include carpets. The surrounding area, the ancient Hyrcania, was captured by the Arabs (716) and conquered by the Mongols (13th cent.). Aga Muhammad Khan, the founder of the Qajar dynasty, was born there, and the town flourished (c.1800) with the rise of the dynasty. It was formerly called Astrabad or Asterabad.

Gorgan

 

a town in northern Iran, in the region of Mazanderan. Population, 31,200 in 1966.

Gorgan is connected by a railroad line and a highway with the port of Bandar-e Shah and the city of Tehran. The town contains small cotton and rice-refining plants and creameries. Handicraft production is widespread. Gorgan is subject to earthquakes. (The most recent strong earthquake occurred in 1944.)