Khorasan

Lore & Background

Khorasan was first established as an administrative division in the 6th century by the Sasanian Empire, during the reign of Kavad I or Khosrow I, covering the eastern and northeastern parts of the empire. The Sasanian name Xwarāsān is argued to be a calque of the Bactrian name Miirosan, meaning 'sunrise, east,' used as an administrative designation under Alkhan rulers after their takeover of Hephthalite territories south of the Oxus. The province was often subdivided into four quarters centered on Nishapur, Marv, Herat, and Balkh. Under the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, Khorasan was one of three political zones, divided into the same four major sections. By the 10th century, sources like Ibn Khordadbeh and the Hudud al-'Alam described Khorasan proper as encompassing Abarshahr, Tokharistan, and Sogdia, with the southern Hindu Kush forming the Khorasan Marches, a frontier between Khorasan and Hindustan.

Reader's Guide

Khorasan's significance lies in its role as a vast and shifting historical region that served as a cultural and political crossroads between Persia, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. Its name, meaning 'the Eastern Province,' originated under the Sasanian Empire and persisted through Islamic caliphates, where it designated a loosely defined territory that could extend to the Indus Valley and Pamir Mountains. The region's four traditional capitals—Nishapur, Marv, Herat, and Balkh—were centers of power, trade, and learning. In modern times, Khorasan has become a source of nostalgia and nationalism, particularly among Tajiks of Central Asia, who regard it as integral to their identity. Afghan historian Ghulam Mohammad Ghobar distinguished between 'Proper Khorasan' (bounded by Balkh, Merv, Sistan, and Nishapur) and 'Improper Khorasan' (extending to Hazarajat, Kabul, Baluchistan, Transoxiana, and Khwarezm). The term also appears in the Baburnama, where it is noted that people of Hindustan called every country beyond their own Khorasan.

Did You Know?

• The name Khorasan is Persian, from Middle Persian Xwarāsān, meaning 'where the sun arrives from' or 'the Eastern Province.'
• The Sasanian name Xwarāsān is argued to be a calque of the Bactrian name Miirosan, meaning 'sunrise, east.'
• Khorasan was first established as an administrative division in the 6th century, during the reign of Kavad I or Khosrow I.
• In the Baburnama (1580s), it is recorded that people of Hindustan called every country beyond their own Khorasan.