Saravan, sun’s hometown

When natural events happen you might come across names you have never heard of. It makes you want to get more information about them.
Saravn is such a name. Although most people know it as a border region in the east of the country, only few might know about its exact geographical location and cultural status; a city known as Sun’s hometown.
The 7.5 magnitude earth quake this afternoon is a good reason to have a look at the city.
Encompassing an area of 23,000 square kilometers, Saravan is the easternmost point in the country. Its borders with Pakistan reaches 384 km. it’s bounded to Khash from northwest , to Iran Sahr from west, to Pakistan from east and south and to the city of Sarbaz from south.
It is known as sun’s land as it is the first point in the country where the sun rises ; the sunset and sunrise in Saravan is one and a half hours different from the sunset and sunrise in the westernmost point of Iran.
According to the latest statistics carried out in 1384 , it has 6 districts ; Markazi, Jalegh, Bam Posht, Hiduj, Zaboli, and Sibosuran. It also includes 14 rural districts, 15 Dehyari, and 1000 villages.
Lying in a desert, it has a hot and dry climate with low rain; in winter it’s rather mild and the average annual rainfall is 100 millimeters.
Many of the villages throughout the city have rich and fertile soils. Among its highest mountains are Birag Zaboli, Sefid Gasht, and Sorkh in Bam Posht.
Siayahan mountains is the longest stretching from near Taftan to Nahuk in Pakistan. Subterranean canals have long been a source of water supply in the region, along with seasonal rivers. Some 330 canals ,from 100 to 5000 years old, exist in the place ; some with a length of over 20 km , which shows the ancient civilization.
According to the statistics carried out in 1385 ( solar calendar) it has a population of 246,100 of which 94,987 are city dweller, 148,700 are villagers.

Historical and cultural highlights

The inscription in Darre Negaran is one attraction , 70 km northwest of the city , 36 km northwest of the village of Nahuk in the district of Jalegh in a valley with same name. The valley features exceptional reliefs on rocks and it seems that in the first millennia BC migraters have entered the region and fought with indigenous people to own the land and eventually defeated them.

Living museum of pottery

Kalpoorgan is a village which is home to featuring the arts of pottery remaining from millennia BC

Jame Mosque of Dezak

Located in a village with the same name , 3 km east of Saravan. It’s among the first and eldest mosques of the province of Sistan and Baluchestan. the main and basic materials of the monument is adobe and mortar and mud. It is mentioned in texts dating from the fourth century AH. It has been rebuilt for several times.
Seb castle: it’s one of the least damaged and most beautiful castles in Sistan and Baluchestan in the Islamic era.
The lovely and strong building lies in a village known as Dezak , 45 km southwest of Saravan in the district of Sibosuran. Lying atop a natural rock, it’s built with materials like adobe and mud.
Kont castle: the 3-storey building is situated 80km southwest of the city over a natural rock. The entrance on its south is about13 meters above the ground and leads off to the southern courtyard.
A natural and exceptional phenomenon in salt hill
In the middle of the village of Gasht in Saravan, there is a salt hill where mineral water flows off and the salt is gradually left behind. When an earthquake happens water flows out.
The 7.5 magnitude earthquake today has been the largest in the country for the last 40 years but it had no casualties fortunately and only a few people have been injured.