Nishapur County

Nishapur County is in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Nishapur, the second largest city in the province and the third largest city in Eastern Iran.

Nishapur massacre by the Mongols
The Nishapur massacre by the Mongols took place at Nishapur in April of 1221. The Mongol armies of Genghis Khan massacred the entire population of the area, which some estimates put at 1,747,000 citizens.

Administrative changes
After the 2006 National Census, Taghenkuh District and most of Takht-e Jolgeh District were separated from the county in the establishment of Firuzeh County, which was divided into two districts of two rural districts each, with the city of Firuzeh as its capital. Binalud Rural District was transferred to the Central District. In addition, the village of Bar was elevated to the status of a city.

After the 2016 census, Zeberkhan District was separated from the county in the formation of Zeberkhan County, which was divided into two districts of two rural districts each, with the city of Qadamgah as its capital. Additionally, Miyan Jolgeh District was separated from the county in the creation of Miyan Jolgeh County, which was divided into two districts of two rural districts each, with Eshqabad as its capital and only city.

Population
At the time of the 2006 census, the county's population was 441,184 in 118,214 households. The following census in 2011 counted 433,105 people in 128,969 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the county as 451,780 in 142,545 households.

Administrative divisions
Nishapur County's population history and administrative structure over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table.