IranMap

Zahedan (زاهدان) in southeastern Iran is the capital of the province of Sistan and Baluchestan and at a distance of 1,605 km from the Iranian capital of Tehran. The majority of Zahedan’s inhabitants are ethnic Baluchi and speak the Baluchi language. There are also smaller numbers of Pashtuns, Sistanis and Brahuis.

Zahedan lies east of the Kavir-e Loot desert. The city was part of the historic region of Sistan (Persian: سیستان), situated today on the borders of southeastern Iran and southwestern Afghanistan. One portion is part of the Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchestan. The other portion is part of the Nimruz Province of Afghanistan.

The name Sistan comes from ‘Sakastan’, which Sistan was once the westernmost part of. The Sakas that were once native to Sistan were driven to the Punjab during the Arsacid era (63 BCE-220 CE). The Saffarids (861-1003 CE), one of the early Iranian dynasties of the Islamic era, were originally rulers of Sistan. In the Shahnameh, Sistan is also referred to as Zabulistan, after Zabol, a city in the region. In Ferdowsi’s epic, Zabulistan is in turn described to be the homeland of the mythological hero-king Rostam.

Zahedan and the area of Sistan has a very strong connection with Zoroastrianism and during Sassanid times Lake Hamun was one of two pilgrimage sites for followers of that religion. The most famous archaeological site in Sistan is on Kuh-e Khwajeh, a hill rising up as an island in the middle of Lake Hamun.

Zahedan is the main economic center of the region and home to many small- and medium-scale industries. Its main products include cotton textiles, woven and hand-knotted rugs, ceramics, processed foods, livestock feed, processed hides, milled rice, bricks, reed mats and baskets.

Zahedan is stronghold of sunnism in baluchistan ,masjide makki or makki mosque of zahedan and it’s madrasa plays a great role in baluchistan’s society. Rasouli Bazaar, a colorful bazaar, can also be found in the city, where Baluchi and Pashtun traders intermingle. About 100 km south of Zahedan is an intermittently active volcano, Taftan (تفتان) which is an active stratovolcano at nearly 4,000 meters (13,000 ft) above sea level. It is the highest mountain in southeastern Iran.

According to the Global Volcanism Program, “Highly active, sulfur-encrusted fumaroles occur at the summit of the Southeast cone. The deeply dissected Northwest cone is of Pleistocene age. In January 1902 the volcano was reported to be smoking heavily for several days, with occasional strong night-time glow. A lava flow was reported at Taftan in 1993.

Although the surrounding area has a lot of ancient sites, Zahedan itself was mainly developed in the 20th century. Before being chosen as the provincial administrative center in the 1930s, Zahedan was a small village.

Since the time of invention has been of utmost useful for travelers. The advancement in technology molded satellite navigators to be more accurate and powerful. There are numerous manufacturers who produce sat nav to fit to the trend. Gone are the days where they were used only to direct people. Now people has got much more to explore like to calculate route, make handsfree calls, listen to music and many more. In the furious competition existing in the sat nav market, to choose a sat nav according to our need is very difficult. Top 10 sat nav for 2010 according to their performance and sales factor:

Garmin Nuvi 1490T Sat Nav

Garmin Nuvi 1490T satellite navigator continues to stand on top not only in 2009 but also in 2010 sat nav market. Garmin has designed the model for the modern generation with clearest and easiest to understand menu options. A clear hierarchy between features most used and called less frequently sets its way to the top. The 5 inch display, Text to speech facility, Bluetooth, Advanced route planning, Subscription free traffic alerts, Speed camera warning and Advanced lane assistance lets it compete with the tough competitors.

Garmin Nuvi 265WT Sat Nav

Garmin Nuvi 265WT is a simple, safety minded continental navigator. This personal travel assistant features smart traffic avoidance, safe blue-tooth hands-free phone calling, drive safety system, Google Panoramio, turn by turn direction, travel and language guides and advanced speed camera warning system. Loaded with millions of maps for Europe and Point of interest(POI). Garmin nuvi 265WT ensures safe journey on the road.

Garmin Nuvi 1300T Sat Nav

Garmin Nuvi 1300T is an ultra-thin, pocket design, yet widescreen sat-nav featuring Premium, subscription-free traffic alerts, Lane Assist to show you to the correct lane for upcoming junctions, Public Transport and Pedestrian mode with optional cityXplorer download, Garmin’s unique Cyclops speed camera warnings, Street-level mapping for the UK and Ireland, Optional AA City Guides for restaurant listings, attractions and more.

Garmin nuvi 1690 Sat Nav

Garmin nuvi 1690 is an online social navigator rendering real time information on the go. Features include 4.3-inch wide touchscreen display, sleek, ultra-slim design, Street-level mapping for the UK, Ireland, Western and Eastern Europe, Lane Assist/Junction View, Turn-by-turn guidance with voice prompts, Text to speech, 8-digit postcode, Auto re-route, Choice of route setup, Route avoidance, Bluetooth wireless technology for hands-free calling through your Garmin sat-nav, Custom POIs, World travel clock, currency and measurement converter.

Navigon 4310 Max Plus Sat Nav

The Navigon 4310 Max Plus – a featured filled sat nav with easy to read 4.3 inch touch screen and good resolution. Options like SiRF InstantFixII, NAVIGON MyRoutes, Clever Parking, NAVIGON MyReport, Speed Camera warnings, speed limit warning, 2D / 3D map perspective, custom POIs, preinstalled POIs, automatic routing, PIN code protection, automatic day/night mode, Emergency Help makes it most distinctive among the rest of the navigation systems.

Navman S505D Sat Nav

The Navman S505D satellite navigator elevates sat nav to higher level as it features the latest option on earth. The high tech yet simple to use navigator equips about 4.7 inch wide screen with dramatic 3D graphics. Features include Local search via Navdesk and Bluetooth, Stylish intelligent design, Safe, easy to use menu, Brilliant, sharp 4.3 inch high quality touch screen, Real-time traffic information, Route Traffic Overview, Integrated Bluetooth hands-free calling, Preloaded Safety Camera Data – Free trial, Secure PIN code lock, Report changes to roads with Navman’s iUpData and NavPix: Navigate to pictures.

NdriveTouch Sat Nav

Ndrive Touch sat nav is an in-car all-in-one navigation solution with memory card containing map data. The sat nav is 40% thinner and lighter than models of its range. This super slim model features Light sensor, with automatic brightness control, Navigation with NDrive maps, European Maps, and detailed description on more than 1.400.000 places of interest, Main buildings database 3D Landmarks, New searching system 60% faster, Route recalculation 2x faster, Gestures recognition, Import and Export favorites with Google maps and supports up to 32GB SDHC.

TomTom XL Classic V2 Sat Nav

TomTom XL Classic V2 satellite navigator takes the stress out of driving and trip planning, making the trip fun and safe. The brilliant 4.3 inch wide screen provides clear view on the road with route highlighted in red. Includes pre loaded UK maps, hefty 1GB memory , highly sensitive external antenna for pinpoint accuracy and widest coverage, built in bluetooth, traffic and weather updates, in built USB connection that eliminates the need to carry an extra charger, clear spoken directions and quick best route recalculation.

TomTom XXL IQ Sat Nav

TomTom XXL IQ Satellite navigator adds a roomy 5-inch screen with TomTom’s usual impressive navigation features like Sensible routes from TomTom’s IQ Routes, Generous database of 7 million POIs, multisegment routing to plan your trip with multiple intermediate way points, live traffic receiver, pronounced street names, two screens of option including Navigate to, Help me, Change Preferences, Map Corrections, and route/itinerary planning.

Navman F45 Sat Nav

Navman F45 Sat navigation get you more for little. The 2D map view, 3D moving map, Spoken motorway exit instructions, Compact, stylish design, Easy to use, Crisp clear map display on 4.3″ touch screen, GPS fix 5 times faster with SiRFInstantFixII, Preloaded safety camera data, Intelligent day/night display and Latest map data makes navigation more comfortable.

Week 47-2010, Weekly Photos Selection, from IranMap-Flickr group

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