Gonābād

Gonabad occupies an arid plateau in Khorasan, where underground waterworks supported agriculture and permanent settlement. The Qanats of Ghasabeh, also called Kariz Kai Khosrow, form an extensive network attributed to the Achaemenid period. Qanat tunnels carry groundwater by gravity towards cultivated land; shafts along their course provide access and ventilation for maintenance.

Arabic and Islamic writings recorded the town under forms including Janabad and Kanabad. Its congregational mosque dates to the Khwarazmian period, while nearby Zibad is associated with the Battle of the Twelve Combats in the Shahnameh. This is an epic association rather than a documented battle account. The wider district is also linked to the Gonabadi dervish order, whose shrine stands at Bidokht.