Mashhad, also Meshed, city in northeastern Iran, capital of Khorasan Province, located in the valley of the Kashaf River, near Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. One of the largest cities in Iran, it is an important transportation, commercial, manufacturing, and religious center situated in a productive agricultural region. Carpet manufacturing, based on local wool supplies, is a traditional industry; other products include textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and processed food. The burial place and shrine of the early 9th-century religious leader Imam Reza, regarded by Shiite Muslims as one of Iran's holiest places, draws many tourists and pilgrims every year. The grave of the caliph Harun al-Rashid is also in the shrine. Mashhad University (founded in 1956) was established here, and the ruins of the ancient city of Tus are nearby.
Mashhad gained prominence as a religious center in the 9th century. Shah Abbas I (reigned 1588-1629) beautified the city, and it prospered under Nadir Shah as the capital of a great Iranian empire. Population (1996) 1,887,405.
