Nickname: Land of Nomads
Capital
Bojnord
Population
~868,000
A green, mountainous province wedged against Turkmenistan, North Khorasan is Kurdish and Turkmen in its villages and forested in its Golestan-adjacent uplands. It sees few foreign visitors, which keeps its stone-built hill towns and pastures largely as they've always been.
Culture & people
A mixed Kurdish, Turkmen, and Persian-speaking province of steppe and mountain, split from Khorasan province in 2004.
Notable cities
Bojnord
The provincial capital, a green, mountainous city that stands in contrast to the arid plateau further south. Its parks and gardens reflect a cooler, wetter local climate.
Shirvan
A smaller agricultural town known for its orchards and proximity to forested hills near the Turkmen border. It offers an easy detour from Bojnord into quieter countryside.
Esfarayen
A historic town with a ruined citadel and a long history as a stop on trade routes toward Central Asia. Its bazaar retains a distinctly regional character.
Highlights
- Kurdish villages around Bojnord
- Salouk National Park's forested hills
- Turkmen nomad crafts and horsemanship near Esfarayen
- Qapan Castle ruins
Best time to visit
Late spring through early autumn suits the province's cooler, greener terrain, with wildflower meadows at their best in May and June.
Getting there
Bojnord has a small domestic airport with flights from Tehran, and the province is easily combined with an overland leg to or from Mashhad.
The province's location, highlighted on the map of Iran.
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