SEMNAN

also spelled Samnan, chief town and county (shahrestan) in Semnan ostan (province), northern Iran; it lies 3,734 ft (1,138 m) above sea level on a large plain at the southern foot of the Elburz Mountains. In the town are an ornamented minaret (12th century) and several large places of worship. Semnan is a thriving market for local grains, cotton, and tobacco; textiles and carpets are also made there. The town is linked by rail with Tehran and Meshed. Semnan was cited by Oriental geographers for the rivulets running through its streets; its soft cotton textiles and its sweet paste made from almonds and figs were also noted. Pop. (1986) town, 64,891. also spelled Samnan ostan (province), northern Iran, bounded by the ostans of Khorasan on the east, Esfahan on the south, Markazi (Tehran) on the west, and Mazandaran on the north. It has an area of 34,764 sq mi (90,039 sq km). The northern half of the region is an extension of the Elburz Mountains pierced by narrow defiles; to the south the land surface drops gradually by shallow terraces to the flat salt waste of the Kavir-e Namak. The Rudkhaneh-ye (stream) Qareh S u, rising in the Elburz Mountains, flows southward into the Kavir-e Namak. Most of the population is engaged in agriculture; corn (maize), tobacco, cotton, sugar beets, indigo plants, and fruit are the chief products. Industries produce sugar, ginned cotton, milled flour, bricks, alcoholic beverages, carpets, and leather goods. Chromium, lead, and coal are mined. Roads and rail service link Semnan (the capital) with Lasjerd, Amirabad, Damghan, Emamshahr (formerly Shahrud), and Mayamey. Pop. (1986) 417,035.