-Political geography of Jajarm city:

Jajarm County is located in the southwest of North Khorasan Province and is bordered by Maneh and Samalqan County to the north, Garmeh County to the west, Semnan Province to the south, Khorasan Razavi Province to the southeast, Esfarayen County to the east, and Bojnourd County to the northeast. This county, with an area of ​​3,654 km, has 3 cities, 3 districts, 5 rural districts, and 55 villages. The population of Jajarm County in 2011 was estimated at 36,898 people.

-Natural geography of Jajarm city:

Jajarm County is generally considered a dry area due to its annual rainfall and has a desert and semi-desert climate. The highlands in the north of the county, which extend from east to west on the northern edge of the county, are sometimes over 2,000 meters high, and have generally created a milder climate in this area. The isolated highlands in the southeast of the county include part of the Chaghatai Mountains. The permanent, but low-water, and highly saline Kalshur River flows east-west in the south of the county and empties into the desert plain in the south of the county. A significant portion of the climate in this area is desert and steppe. The highest peak in the county is Mount Saluk, at about 2,659 meters high, which, along with the highlands in the north of the county, is connected to the Aladagh mountain range.

-Historical background of Jajarm:

Jajarm city has always been of interest due to its strategic location on the caravan routes and has continuously played a prominent role in the cultural development of the Khorasan region from prehistoric times to the late Islamic era. The presence of large sites from the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and Bronze Age periods, such as Pahlevan Hill, Heydaran, and the vast Chalu site in the Jajarm city area has made it one of the oldest human settlements in North Khorasan. The large distribution of ancient sites from the Parthian and Sasanian periods in this city indicates the prosperity of this region in the historical period, taking advantage of its convenient location on the Silk Road and the political and commercial equations of that era. A review of the reports of historians and geographers of the Islamic period also indicates the prosperity of this region throughout the Islamic period. The minting of various coins, especially gold coins, in Jajarm during the Ilkhanid period and the establishment of various caravanserais and riabats in its various parts best illustrate the prosperity of the region in the middle Islamic centuries. This region maintained its importance until the late Qajar period, when with the arrival of modern transportation equipment, the construction of transit roads, and the subsequent elimination of the old road network and the abandonment of the caravan routes and caravanserais, its importance gradually decreased and it rapidly declined.

Jajarm Grand Mosque

Registration number in the National Monuments List: 1580

Location: Jajarm, South Khordad 15th Street

The mosque building is located in the middle of the historical fabric of Jajarm city, parts of which still remain, such as the Kazem Khan Citadel, the garden, the pavilion building, and some other buildings. Some researchers attribute the initial construction of the Jajarm Jame Mosque to the Seljuk period. This mosque is a type of shabestani mosque and its plan is very primitive and similar to the plan of a veranda. The entrance to the building is located on its northern side, which is connected to a small courtyard measuring 5.7 x 5.7. On the eastern and western sides of the mosque courtyard, there are shabestans, each about 3 meters wide. The space of the shabestans is covered by a vault and a pediment and is connected to the central courtyard by porches. Behind the western shabestan, an additional space has been built in line with the main shabestan, which is used as a winter shabestan in the cold seasons. The ceiling of this hall is covered with lachsban vaults and a mihrab is installed at its southern end.

Unlike the common pattern of mosque construction, the Jajarm Grand Mosque does not have a minaret, and its exterior is generally simple and devoid of decoration. There are only a few turquoise tiles with inscriptions on the front of the porch and at the entrance to the dome house, which are severely damaged. Apart from this, most of the decorations are concentrated in the dome house, which often includes stucco decorations, karbandis, qatarbandis in the mihrab area, lakhkis, and a few inscriptions. In the later Islamic periods (probably Safavid), in some parts the plaster coating was decorated with red ochre.

The courtyard is oriented north-south, and its southern side leads to the dome space through a long entrance. The mihrab of the mosque is located on the southern side of the dome, in the middle of the southern wall, and is 235 cm high and 85 cm deep. The circular dome of the building is supported on the square space of the dome by four philips, the tops of which are decorated with sunbursts. In the center of the dome, a 24-pointed star is prominently carved. The building materials are made of brick, mud, wood, stone, and plaster mortar, which was probably originally covered with tiles, which has disappeared today except for the small part mentioned above. The Jajarm Grand Mosque has been renovated in several periods, and it seems that fundamental changes were made to it during the Timurid period, so that its overall shape reflects the architecture of the Timurid period.

Etemad al-Saltanah describes the building in the following way in his book Al-Shams: Above this slab, which is the inscription of the Maqsoora, three tiles are installed on a green brick, two-thirds of which are broken, and it is written “Tawakkult” and on one side “Ali Allah”. On one side and between them is a pink (mujmar) hanging with black writing, and on the other corner of the brick it is written “God be upon that Muslim servant” and below this phrase “in work” and below that “on the famous ten days” and below that “the ten days of Muharram of the year” and below that “Taqleb Allah minah”. On the middle tile brick, the word or Ahad is written in bold, prominent writing. On top of another green brick is “La ilaha illallah Muhammad Rasulullah” and below the Fatiha al-Kitab, after that Surah Tawhid and below “Batarikh twentieth month of the year sabba wa sabi’in” and after “sabba wa sabi’in” the word Lai-Iqra which is almost certainly “Khamsma’een” and it seems that on one side of the length of the brick is also written “Inna din anad al-Islam” and on the other side Shahdullah anha la ilaha illallah wa malaika wa uluwal-al-’ilm qa’ima bi qast.” These bricks were brought here from another place and installed, so now “Was the place outside the mosque or inside Allah knows best…”

Currently, the inscription on the tiles of the southern porch is damaged and the word “Khamsma’e” has disappeared. Research conducted on the site shows that in the past, the mosque had an inscription with verses indicating the date of the building’s restoration: “Tawfiq from Hazrat Waheed became Dervish Ali Sa’i of this mosque became Tarikh Talb-ud-Dam from Pir Kharda Gafta from Ghuncheh, he fell.” The date in the second verse (the word “Ghanj”) has been mentioned as 1034 as the date of the building’s restoration. There were probably tiles on the facade of the southern porch of the mosque that indicated the date of its construction and were later destroyed. The three current tiles were probably moved from their original places during the renovations and fell apart. These tiles, which Etemad al-Saltana also provided a detailed description of, are comparable in terms of construction technique and glaze color to tiles that once existed in the tomb of Ali Ibn Mahziyar in the east of Jajarm city. Therefore, the date mentioned in them (557 AH) has no connection with the time of the building’s construction.

Pahlevan Hill

Registration number in the National Monuments List: 16584

Location: 3 km southeast of Jajarm

Pahlevan Hill is one of the most important and oldest prehistoric sites in North Khorasan, with a history of settlement dating back to the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, about seven thousand years ago. Archaeological studies at this ancient site have shown that Pahlevan Hill, as a workshop site for the production of stone tools and ornaments, has a special place among other ancient sites in the province.

Tomb of Khwaja Ali ibn Mahziyar

Registration number in the National Monuments List: 16583

Location: Eastern suburbs of Jajarm, beginning of Jajarm-Sabzevar road

آرامگاه خواجه مهزیار از جمله آثار ارزشمند مذهبی – تاریخی شهرستان جاجرم به شمار می ­رود که ساخت آن را به دوره ایلخانی نسبت می ­دهند. این آرامگاه پلان چهارتاقی ساده دارد که در پاکار گنبد به صورت هشت ضلعی درآمده و نهایتاً به کمک چهار فیلپوش، گنبد بزرگی بر فراز آن ساخته شده است. ورودی بنا در ضلع شمالی قرار دارد که در بالای آن تزیینات مقرنس کاری به چشم می خورد. براساس متون تاریخی، تا دورۀ قاجار فضای داخلی بقعه و به ویژه مرقد تزیینات آجرهای لعاب دار فیروزه ای با نقش برجستۀ آیات شریفۀ قرآنی به خط ثلث و نقوش گیاهی داشته که بعدها از محل برداشته و به مقبره یارمحمد خان شادلو در بش قارداش منتقل و در آنجا نصب شده است. این کاشی ها در حال حاضر در «گنجینه هنرهای اسلامی» موزه ملی ایران به شماره ثبت ۳۲۷۸ نگهداری می شوند. طبق برخی روایات مذهبی این بنا مدفن ابولحسن علی بن مهزیار، از اعاظم اصحاب ائمۀ اطهار است. علی بن مهزیار از سوی امام رضا (ع) و امام جواد (ع) مقام نمایندگی و وکالت در نواحی جاجرم داشته و تألیفات و کتب متعدد از وی برجای مانده است.

Prince Ibrahim Monument in Darband

Registration number in the National Monuments List: 11076

Location: Jajarm County, 1 km north of Darband Village

The tomb of Prince Ibrahim is located one kilometer north of the village of Darband, a part of the Shoqan district of Jajarm city. The Imamzadeh building is located on the eastern slope of a hill that contains settlement layers from the 8th-7th centuries to the Safavid period. The main plan of the building is quadrangular and influenced by the four-arch style, but with later additions it has taken on a circular shape. On the exterior of the building, a short decorative minaret has been built on each side of the entrance. Inside the eastern and northern porches, there are traces of stucco decorations in a molded style. Although there is no inscription in the building and no clear document can be obtained in historical texts about the time of the construction of the tomb of Prince Ibrahim, the architectural style of the building and the way the arches and arches are made suggest the architecture of the 7th and 8th centuries. According to the locals, the tomb of Imamzadeh Ibrahim is the brother of Imam Reza (AS).

Jajarm crypt

Registration number in the National Monuments List: 18742

Location: Eastern suburbs of Jajarm, beginning of Jajarm-Sabzevar road

The Jajarm crypt is one of the historical monuments of the Ilkhanid period, which is built in two floors with stone and plaster mortar. The lower floor is built underground and has an entrance on the eastern side that leads into the building with a gentle slope. The ceiling covering of the lower space is arched and four columns under the roof bear the load of the upper floor. The upper floor building has a four-arched plan and its exterior is decorated with arches.

Qezlar Castle

Location: Jajarm County, north of Jaghadi Village

قزلرقلعه یکی از قلاع تدافعی شهرستان جاجرم است که بر فرازکوه بلندی در حاشیه شمالی جلگۀ شقان ساخته شده و بر دشت مجاور اشراف دارد. پلان قلعه بیضی شکل است و با مصالح سنگ ­های نتراشیده و ملات گل بر بنیاد صخره ­ای ساخته شده است. تاریخ ساخت این قلعه دقیقاً معلوم نیست ولی به احتمال فراوان در قرون میانی اسلامی ایجاد شده است.

Jajarm Old Bathhouse (Jajarm Bathhouse and History Museum)

موقعیت: جاجرم، خیابان ۱۵ خرداد

The 700-square-meter Khazineh Bathhouse of Jajarm is located in the heart of the city’s historical fabric, next to the remains of the old city citadel known as Narin Qaleh and the city’s historic Jameh Mosque. It dates back to the late Islamic period. The entrance to the bathhouse leads to the dressing room of the bathhouse through a doorway and 5 steps, which in turn is connected to the hot house by a connecting corridor called the meander. The meander is a diagonal corridor that is a kind of passageway to reach the hot and humid space of the hot house to the cold and drier dressing room. The other sections form the Khazineh and several chambers with domed ceilings. In total, this bathhouse consists of five parts, including three internal parts and two external parts. The internal parts of the bathhouse include the dressing room or sarbineh, the hot house, the Khazineh, and the water tank. The external parts also include the golkhan, a hot and cold water source, and a fuel tank. This building was registered in the National Monuments List in 2007 under the number 22212 due to its cultural and historical characteristics. Studies and restoration of the historical Jajarm bathhouse began in 2007 and it was put into operation as a museum of the city’s history in 2011.

The Museum of Garmabeh and the history of Jajarm city consists of eight pavilions, in each corner of which customs, history and culture of the people of the region are displayed. The museum’s booths include the bathroom master’s booth and the clothing booth in the Sarbineh area, the embroidery, attari, and archeology booths in Garmkhaneh, the Muharram booth for the introduction of the palm turning ceremony, and the celebrity booth, as well as the booth for the introduction of handicrafts of Jajarom city, which together paint a telling picture of the history and culture of the Jajarom area for the visitor.

The royal house of the Banu Hashim

Registration number in the National Monuments List: 18740

Location: Jajarm County, Khorasha Village

The house known as the Shahneshin of Bani Hashem is one of the valuable works of the Qajar period in Jajarm city. It was built on two floors and the upper floor was the place to receive official guests and government officials. This building is unique in terms of having beautiful stucco decorations, which are especially concentrated around the fireplaces, as well as inscriptions of three-quarters, including Quranic verses, prayers, the names of five people, the date of construction of the building, and the names of the plasterer and scribe.

Djerbat rock patterns

موقعیت: شهرستان جاجرم، ۵ کیلومتری شمال شرق روستای جربت

The rock carvings of Djerbat, known in the region as rock paintings, are a collection of animal motifs including a skull, a mountain goat with a long branch, a camel, a man on horseback, and some Islamic religious symbols, as well as inscriptions in Arabic and Persian script, which were carved by striking a sharp object on the black rocks at the foot of the mountain. This collection of motifs does not belong to a specific period and has been imitated many times over the centuries based on older motifs.