Khoor History

Khoor, a city with rich and prolific cultural background, is the capital of Khoor& Biabanak region which is located in the vicinity of Isfahan . Though its history and formation process is not clearly known, clues such as few old parchments imply its existence back to 4th and 5th century of Islamic calendar. Khoor is the farmost point in the eastern border of Isfahan province and it is directly adjacent with other provinces like Khorasan, Yazd and Semnan.

In Zoroastrian language Khoor is the guardian angel for the sun and it is also used as a synonym for the sun and its light. Biabanak on the other hand is the rather latter name for an ancient region in Dasht-e Kavir[1] and it is also assigned to a town. Biabanak region is an old one (nearly the same as today`s Khoor& Biabanak) in the southern border of Dasht-e Kavir which was located on the route connecting Isfahan (Naeiin) to Khorasan (Neishaboor).

In fact Biabanak is a part of an old and huge desert that Arabic resources call it "Mefaza"[2]. There are clues showing that this region was residential even before Islam, the most important of which might be a fire temple near Mehrejan (Mehranjan). More over in the same region Jandagh is famous as a prison related to Anooshirvan [3] and it has a dome called "Hasht darb" which is related to the Sasanian period.


Access path to the region
The asphalt-road of Khoor to Tabas reaches the southern part of the lake after 50 Km and because of the marshiness of nearby lands and even some parts of the lake itself, no other access is suggested. In order to drive on the surface of the lake or so, it is highly recommended to follow a local guide.



[1] Also known as Kavir-e Namak or Great Salt Desert which is a large desert lying in the middle of the Iranian plateau.
[2] A geographical expression meaning semi-desert
[3] A king of Sasanian dynasty