Gorgan
(redirected from Jurjan)Gorgan
Gorgan (gôrgänˈ) or Jurjan (jo͝orjänˈ), town (1991 pop. 162,468), N Iran, E of the Caspian Sea. The surrounding region yields abundant grain and has extensive forests and marshes. Items of trade include carpets. The surrounding area, the ancient Hyrcania, was captured by the Arabs (716) and conquered by the Mongols (13th cent.). Aga Muhammad Khan, the founder of the Qajar dynasty, was born there, and the town flourished (c.1800) with the rise of the dynasty. It was formerly called Astrabad or Asterabad.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia™ Copyright © 2022, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Gorgan
a town in northern Iran, in the region of Mazanderan. Population, 31,200 in 1966.
Gorgan is connected by a railroad line and a highway with the port of Bandar-e Shah and the city of Tehran. The town contains small cotton and rice-refining plants and creameries. Handicraft production is widespread. Gorgan is subject to earthquakes. (The most recent strong earthquake occurred in 1944.)
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.