Gorgān

Gorgan stood on the fertile plain southeast of the Caspian Sea, near the great brick tower of Gonbad-e Qabus. Built in 1006 for the Ziyarid ruler Qabus ibn Voshmgir, the tall, fluted tomb is crowned by a conical roof. The ruins of the medieval city lie nearby; it was a centre of the region that shared its name, distinct from Astarabad farther southwest. The Mongol invasions brought severe destruction to Gorgan, and the once flourishing city declined. The plain nevertheless remained a meeting ground of settled cultivation and Turkmen pastoral life. From Saljuq times its extensive pastures attracted nomadic Turkmen, whose presence would shape the history of the country east of the Caspian for centuries to come.