Gonbad-e Kavus

Gonbad-e Kavus is a city in the Central District of Gonbad-e Kavus County, Golestan Province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.

The modern name, meaning "the tower of Kavus", is a reference to the most imposing ancient monument in the city. The historic name cannot now be restored, because it was assigned to the neighboring historical city of Astarabad in the 1930s by the Iranian government. At one point, it was even known as the city of Dasht-e Gorgan, meaning "the Plains of Gorgan".

In the historical times, the city's populations were made up of various Iranic peoples such as the ancient and eponymous Hyrcanians, Parthians and eventually the Khurasani Persians. Today, however, the population is a mix of Turkmens, Iranian Azerbaijanis, Sistanis, Baluch, Semnanis, and Khorasanis.

The city is famous for its historic brick tower of the same name. The city has an ethnically diverse population and the biggest ethnic group is Persians followed by Iranian Azeris and Turkmens. The Persians and Iranian Azeris tend to mainly follow Shia Islam while the Turkmens are mostly Sunni Muslim.



Population
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 127,167 in 30,710 households. The following census in 2011 counted 144,546 people in 39,181 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 151,910 people in 44,731 households.

Historical attractions
The "Divar-e Gorgan" (Persian for "The Great Wall of Gorgan") is a gigantic defensive wall built in the Sasanian period of Iranian history. The visible remains are about 155 km long and 6 - 10 m wide. It is one of the most outstanding and gigantic architectural monuments in northeast Iran and the most impressive in the Golestan Province. This wall, which is the largest defensive wall in the world after the Great Wall of China, starts from the Caspian sea coast, circles north of the city of Gonbad-e Kāvus, continues towards the northeast, and vanishes into the Pishkamar Mountains.

At certain points, the Divar is 6 m wide and in other parts the width is 10 m, depending on the nature of the land and the soil type. Watch towers and forts had been built at vaying distances. The longest distance between forts is 50 km and the shortest is 10 km. The 40 identified forts vary in dimension and shape but the majority are square fortresses. Due to many difficulties in development and agricultural projects, archaeologists have been assigned to mark the boundary of the historical find by laying cement blocks.

The Divar defensive wall has also been known variously as Alexander Dam, Anushirvân Dam, Firuz Dam and Golestan's Defense Wall in various historical texts.

Dr. Kiani, who led the archaeological team in 1971, believes that the wall was built during the Parthian dynasty, simultaneously with the construction of the Great Wall of China, and that it was restored during the Sassanid era (3rd to 7th centuries AD).

Neolithic period
During the Neolithic period, this area had many populated settlements. For example, Yarim Tepe (Iran). The Jeitun culture started before 6000 BC.

Natural attractions

 * Aji gol Lake
 * Ala gol lake
 * Alma Gol Lake
 * Chehelchay Forest
 * Golestan Forest
 * Gonbad Horse Racing Center

Colleges and universities

 * Gonbad Kavous University
 * Islamic Azad University of Gonbad
 * Payamnoor University of Gonbad

Notable people

 * Sardar Azmoun
 * Farhad Ghaemi
 * Parham Maghsoodloo
 * Magtymguly Pyragy
 * Shahpour Turkian
 * Mohsen Yeganeh