Razavi Khorasan province in the context of "Nishapur"

A qanāt (Persian: قَنَات) or kārīz (کَارِیز) is a water supply system that was developed in ancient Iran for the purpose of transporting usable water to the surface from an aquifer or a well through an underground aqueduct. Originating approximately 3,000 years ago, its function is essentially the same across the Middle East and North Africa, but it is known by a variety of regional names beyond today's Iran, including: kārēz in Afghanistan and Pakistan; foggāra in Algeria; khettāra in Algeria and Morocco; the daoudi-type falaj in Oman and the United Arab Emirates; and ʿuyūn in Saudi Arabia. In addition to those in Iran, the largest extant and functional qanats are located in Afghanistan, Xinjiang in China (the Turpan water system), Oman, and Pakistan.

Proving crucial to water supply in areas with hot and dry climates, a qanat enables water to be transported over long distances by largely eliminating the risk of much of it evaporating on the journey. The system also has the advantage of being fairly resistant to natural disasters, such as floods and earthquakes, as well as to man-made disasters, such as wartime destruction and water supply terrorism. Furthermore, it is almost insensitive to varying levels of precipitation, delivering a flow with only gradual variations from wet to dry years.

Mashhad (Persian: مشهد [mæʃˈhæd] ), historically also known as Mashad (/məˈʃæd/ mə-SHAD), Meshhed, or Meshed, is the second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the north-east of the country about 900 kilometres (560 miles) from Tehran. In the Central District of Mashhad County, it serves as the capital of Razavi Khorasan province, the county, and the district. It has a population of about 3,400,000 (2016 census), which includes the areas of Mashhad Taman and Torqabeh.

Throughout its history, Mashhad has been governed by different ethnic groups. It was previously a small village, which by the 9th century was known as Sanabad, and was located—along with Tus and other villages—on the ancient Silk Road connecting them with Merv to the east. It would eventually outgrow all its surrounding villages. It gained its current name, meaning "place of martyrdom", in reference to the Imam Reza shrine, where the eighth Shia Imam, Ali al-Rida, is buried. The Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid is also buried within the same shrine. The shrine is an important place of pilgrimage, visited by 2,5 millions each year in what is often described as "the holiest city in Iran".

Khorasani Kurds (Kurdish: کوردانی خوراسان; Persian: کردهای خراسان) are Kurds who live in the provinces of North Khorasan and Razavi Khorasan in northeastern Iran, along the Iran-Turkmenistan border. Khorasani Kurds speak the Kurmanji dialect of Kurdish and are Shia Muslims. Many Khorasani Kurds are bilingual in Khorasani Turkic, mainly due to intermarriages with Khorasani Turks. However, Persian is the lingua franca.There are about 696 Kurdish villages in the two Khorasan provinces. Many tribes are closely connected to the Khorasani Turks.

The Central District of Mashhad County (Persian: بخش مرکزی شهرستان مشهد) is in Razavi Khorasan province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Mashhad.

Mashhad County (Persian: شهرستان مشهد) is in Razavi Khorasan province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Mashhad, which is also the capital of the Province.

Torqabeh (Persian: طرقبه) is a city in Torqabeh District of Torqabeh and Shandiz County, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.

Tus (Persian: توس, romanized: Ṭūs) was an ancient city in Khorasan near the modern city of Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran. To the ancient Greeks, it was known as Susia (Ancient Greek: Σούσια). It was also known as Tusa. The area now known as Tus was divided into four cities, Tabran, Radakan, Noan and Teroid, which in combination formed largest city in the region in the fifth century.

The Imam Reza Shrine (Persian: حرم امام رضا, romanized: Haram-e Emâm Rezâ, lit. 'Sanctuary of Imam Reza'; Arabic: العتبة الرضوية) is the mausoleum of Ali al-Rida, the eighth Imam in Shia Islam, located in Mashhad, the province of Razavi Khorasan, Iran. As one of the holiest sites in Shia Islam, nearly 30 million Muslims making pilgrimages to the shrine every year, the most visited pilgrimage site in Islam.

Imam Reza was a great-grandson of Islamic prophet Muhammad, known for his piety and learning. He is part of the chain of mystical authority in Sunni Sufism, making him widely respected in Sunni Islam as well. He is also regarded as a model of asceticism in Sufism, and the chains of authority in Shia Sufism progress through him. Uyoun Akhbar Al-Ridha have recorded miracles which have occurred at the shrine.