Gonbad-e Kavus
Gonbad-e Kavus () is a city in the Central District of Gonbad-e Kavus County, Golestan province, Iran, serving as both capital of the district and of the county. At the 2006 National Census, its population was 127,167 in 30,710 households. The following census in 2011 counted 144,546 people in 39,181 households. The latest census in 2016 showed a population of 151,910 people in 44,731 households. 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 Dashte 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, Azerbaijani Turks, 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 Azeris and Turkmens. The Persians and Azeris tend to mainly follow Shia Islam while the Turkmens are mostly Sunni Muslim. Historical attractions

The "Divar-i 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  long and  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  wide and in other parts the width is , depending on the  nature of the land and the soil type. Watch towers and forts had been built at different distances. The longest distance between forts is  and the shortest is . 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

See also

 Kay Kāvus
 Decagon
 Iranian Turkmen
 Iranian Art Museum Garden, which includes a replica of the Gonbad-e Kavus tower. Notes

References

External links

 Iran plans to begin preservation work on the tower. Populated places in Gonbad-e Kavus County

Cities in Golestan Province

Persian words and phrases