Semnan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran . It is in the north of the country , and its center is Semnan . The province of Semnan covers an area of 96,816 square kilometers and stretches along the Alborz mountain range and borders to Dasht-e Kavir desert in its southern parts .

The province was put as part of Region 1 upon the division of the provinces into 5 regions solely for coordination and development purposes on June 22nd , 2014 .

Counties of the province include Semnan , Aradan , Damghan , Shahrud , Mehdishahr , Meyami , Sorkheh , and Garmsar , and Shahmirzad county . In 1996 , the province had a population of about 501,000 (631,218 in 2011) , and in 2005 Semnan city (the capital of the province) had a population of 119,778, and the city of Shahroud , which accounts for being the largest city of this province , had a population of 231,831 .

Geography

The province is divided into two parts : a mountainous region , and the plains at the foot of the mountains . The former offers a scope for recreational activities as well as being a source for minerals , whereas the latter encompasses some ancient cities of Iran as one of the capitals of the Parthian empire was located there . In Semnan , people have local language with special words and slang . the base of this language which it derived from is Pahlavi language the ancient language form Parthian .

Neighbours are in the north Golestan , Mazandaran , at the west Tehran , Qom , at the South Isfahan and at the East Khorasan-e Razavi .

Abr forest

This forest lies in the central province of Semnan , near its border with Golestan Province . It is one of the oldest forests in Iran which is a remnant of the third geological age . The Iranian Roads Ministry's decision to build a road through the forest sparked widespread protests last year .

The environmentalists , backed by the country's media , began a wide campaign against the ministry's decision , which finally led the Prosecutor General to order a halt in the construction of the road . However , all these efforts came to naught when it was announced in April 2008 that the government granted permission to the Roads Ministry to construct the road .

History

Semnan can be divided into sixteen sectors from the old days of Avesta . During the Medes and Achaemenid periods , it accounted for being one of the largest provinces of the empire .

During the Islamic era , Semnan was part of the historical region of Gomess or Komesh , and the Silk Road paved its way from the midst of this region . Needless to say , the province was witness to numerous wars .

The Cultural Historical Heritage Organization of Iran lists 470 sites of historical and cultural heritage such as palaces , forts , castles , caravansarais , ab anbars , and badgirs , in Semnan . In addition to these there are various religious and sacred places as well .

Higher education

1-    Damghan University

2-    University of Semnan

3-    Shahroud University of Medical Sciences

4-    Islamic Azad University of Semnan

5-    Islamic Azad University of Shahrud

6-    Islamic Azad University of Garmsar

7-    Islamic Azad University of Mehdishahr

8-    Shahroud University of Medical Sciences

9-    Shahrud University of Technology

10- Eyvanakey Institute of Higher Education

Orbital launch site

On occasion of the 10th anniversary of the 1998 Kwangmyongsong 1 satellite launch attempt , program conducted by North Korea in close cooperation with Iran and Pakistan , the Iranian Space Agency has proceeded with its own test . According to practice also observed by North Korea , Iranian authorities announced to their Chinese allies on August 16 , 2008 the imminent launch of a satellite . On August 17 , 2008 on the occasion of the birthday anniversary of Shiites' 12th Imam Hazrat Mahdi , Iran proceeded as preannounced with the second test launch of a three stages Safir SLV from a site 35°14′5″N 53°55′15″E south of Semnan in the northern part of the Dasht-e-Kavir desert . Reza Taghizadeh , head of the Iranian Aerospace Organization , told state television "The Safir (Ambassador) satellite carrier was launched today and for the first time we successfully launched a dummy satellite into orbit" . As reported in late 2009 and early 2010 , a new , larger launch pad was under construction at 35°15′30″N 53°57′17″E .