Nishapur

Nishapur, also spelled Neyshabur, is a city in Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. It lies in the historic Silk Road corridor of northeastern Iran and has long served as a major center of trade, culture, and learning in the region.

Historically, Nishapur rose to prominence in late antiquity and the early Islamic period as a key stop on the Silk Road. It served as a capital for the Tahirid dynasty and later attracted scholars and poets during the Samanid era. The city became known for its contributions to science, philosophy, and literature, and it fostered several notable Persian writers and scholars.

Notable figures associated with Nishapur include Omar Khayyam, the 11th-century poet, mathematician, and astronomer, and Farid ud-Din Attar, the 12th- to 13th-century poet known for The Conference of the Birds. The cultural life of the city produced a rich literary and scientific milieu that influenced broader Persian and Islamic civilization.

The city suffered severe destruction during the Mongol invasion of the 1220s, which altered its fortunes and led to a long period of decline. In the following centuries Nishapur remained an important regional center, though it never fully regained its former scale as a capital or commercial hub.

Today, the Neyshabur region is still associated with turquoise mining and related crafts. Nishapur remains a regional administrative and commercial center with a number of cultural heritage sites, including memorials and mausoleums linked to its historic poets and scholars.