Mashhad is the second large city of Iran and the capital of Khorasan-e Razavi province. It is located in the northeast of the country, near the borders with Turkmenistan and Afghanistan. It was a major oasis along the ancient Silk Road connecting with Merv to the east. The city is named after the shrine of Imam Reza (PBUH), the eighth Shia Imam, meaning the place of martyrdom. Every year, millions of pilgrims visit the Imam Reza shrine. Mashhad is also known colloquially as the city of Ferdowsi and is the hometown of some of the most significant Iranian literary figures and artists, such as the poet Mehdi Akhavan-Sales and Mohammad-Reza Shajarian. Ferdowsi and Akhavan-Sales are both buried in Tus, an ancient city nearby that is considered to be Mashhad’s main origin.
