Ultimate Guide to Mashhad | Everything you need to know

Imam Reza Holy Shrine

Mashhad is one of the largest cities and the second most overpopulated one in Iran, which is located in northeast of the country, as the capital of Khorasan-e-Razavi province. This city was selected a few years ago as the spiritual capital of Iran. Mashhad has always been known as a religious city and every year, millions of pilgrims visit the Imam Reza shrine from Iran and other Muslim countries.

Well holy shrines aren’t just for people of that religion! You’ll never leave Paris without visiting Notre Dame or Moscow without Saint Basil’s cathedral and your Bangkok trip won’t feel complete without visiting a few Buddhist temples. And visiting these spiritual places doesn’t have anything to do with your religion. So visiting an Islamic holy shrine while traveling to an Islamic country is surely a good idea so you can visit the most important one.

For other reasons we suggest traveling to Mashhad since despite its religious side, it’s not just a pilgrimage destination anymore . There is a spectacular nature around the city and many attractions as well, such as : Malek abad garden, Kang village, kalat’s road , Malek’s house , The dagger’s house,tomb of Ferdowsi and Some cities near Mashhad such as Neyshabur, where lies the tombs of Khayyam and Attar, two great poets of Iran, and a beautiful wooden mosque.

A must try on a Mashhad travel is its restaurants and foods. In Mashhad,the traditional food is really tasty and you can get it at a lower price compared to other big cities . We would definitely recommend you not to miss the famous lamb chops of the well-known “ Pesaran Karim “ restaurant. It’s absolutely a new experience for travelers.

Language

Most people speak Persian with various accents, which are really sweet.

Climate

Mashhad has a dry climate, which means in summer is hot, arid and clear, and in winter is very cold, dry and partly cloudy. Between May till Sep the maximum temperature can be between 31 to 37 °c . Cold season is from Nov to March and minimum temperature can be minus 3 to 6.

More info about climate

Best time to visit

It depends on the reason why you travel there, but normally best time to visit is Sep to Nov and also March to May. If you want to go and see waterfalls and the nature, spring is the best time.

Ski resort

There is only one resort where you can go to ski in winter and to hike in the summer.

Shirbad ski resort

Public transportation

In this city you can use public busses and taxies. There are many routes for busses with many stations and good quality busses. The only problem is that all the information in the stations are still just written in Persian . You can ask people as they are friendly and ready to help. You can also check the “Essential persian phrases” just in case .

more info about public transportation

Mashhad municipality

Metro

There are 4 active lines in this city.

mashhad-metro-map

Bus Terminals

There is only one main bus Terminal there.

Imam Reza Bus Terminal on Google Map

Train

There is only one train station there.

Mashhad Railway Station on Google Map

Attractions

1. Imam Reza Holy Shrine
2. Goharshad Mosque
3. Kooh Sangi Park
4. Nadir Shah Afshar’s Tomb
5. Mellat Park
6. Mashhad Bazaar
7. Astan Quds Razavi Central Museum
8. Professor Bazima Science Park
9. Water waves land
10. Darougheh Historical House
11. Arman shopping center
12. Miniature Park
13. Chalidareh Dam
14. Khorasan Great Museum
15. Harounieh
16. Khaje Aba Salt Shrine
17. Khajeh Rabie Tomb
18. Haftado Tan Mosque
19. Saint Mesrop Armenian Church
20. Mahdi Gholi Beyk historical bath
21. Ghonbad Sabz
22. Armenian Cemetery
23. Baba Ghodrat Tourist Complex
24. Hezardestan Traditional Teahouse
25. Toranj Cafe Restaurant

Day trip

1. Tomb of Ferdowsi
2. Tomb Of Omar Khayyam
3. Kang Village
4. Bazehoor Fire Temple
5. Mausoleum of Omar Khayyam
6. Radkan Tower
7. Salook National Park

*Written by Sahar Sharifian.

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