Tabas

Tabas ( ) is a city in the Central District of Tabas County, South Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.

Tabas ( ) is a city in the Central District of Tabas County, South Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. ===Early history=== The history of Tabas dates back to pre-Islamic times. It was an important outpost of the Sassanid empire. Due to its strategic location at the edge of the Great Salt Desert, and at the confluence of many roads, the geographer al-Baladhuri called the city "the Gate of Khurasan". In the early Islamic period it was known as Tabas al-Tamr ( ) due to a large forest of date palms that grew there, and later as Tabas Gilaki after a famous governor of the city, Abu'l-Hasan ibn Muhammad Gilaki, who in the mid-11th century had pacified the region. Along with the town of Tabas-e Masina further east, it gave its name to the local district, Tabasayn. In the 10th–11th centuries, the town is described as well fortified, with several villages around. Medieval and geographers note that it was amply supplied with water due to underground wells; the town even featured hot baths, and extensive lemon and orange plantations. In the late 11th century, it became part of the Nizari Ismaili state, and was besieged by the Seljuk Turks under Ahmad Sanjar in 1102 during the Nizari-Seljuk conflicts. Tabas was spared when the Mongols attacked Iran. It had a local government incorporating not only Tabas but also Tun (Ferdows) and Gonabad. After the death of Nader Shah in 1747, it as under the control of the Zangu'i Arabs as an independent state which included nearby Tun. For a time they even kidnapped Nader Mirza Afshar and placed the Kurds of Khabushan in control of Mashhad. ===Earthquake of 1978=== In 1978, the 7.4 Tabas earthquake affected the city with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). At least 15,000 people were killed. Since then, the city has been rebuilt with many new streets, parks and public buildings. ===Administrative changes=== At first, Tabas County was part of Khorasan province. It became a part of Yazd province in 2004, joining South Khorasan province in 2013. ==Demographics== ===Language=== The people of Tabas speak a Khorasani accent of Persian that sounds somewhat different from the standard Iranian version ("Tehrani accent"). ===Population=== At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 30,681 in 7,962 households, when it was in Yazd province. The following census in 2011 counted 35,150 people in 9,903 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 39,676 people¹ in 11,876 households, by which time the county had been separated from the province to join South Khorasan province. ==Geography== ===Location=== Tabas is in central Iran, 950 kilometers southeast of Tehran, in South Khorasan Province. It is a desert city with many date and citrus trees. It has a 300-year-old public garden (Bagh-e-Golshan). There is also a shrine in Tabas that is visited every year by thousands of pilgrims. Tabas has two universities with 2,500 to 3,500 students¹. The city has hot summers, and people rarely see a winter snowfall. ==Economy== ==See also==

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