Why Gonabad’s saffron is among Iran’s healthiest and most high quality saffron?
To discuss this subject first, we need to explain about this region of Iran and its historical background, that way you can eventually realize the main reason for this superiority.
Gonabad is one of the oldest cities of Iran and based on historical and natural evidence the age of this city goes long before achaemenian, Gonabad’s historical names are: <Konabad> <Jonabad> and <Gavan Abad>.
The name of Gonabad city was repeated 12 times in Ferdowsi’s epopee, in some versions <Konabad> and in some others <Jonabad>, Gonabad is known as the place where the battle of Iran and Toran was held. As Ferdowsi explained in his epopee <Piran Vise> Afrasiab’s resourceful minister was buried in Gonabad.
In another hand Naser Khosro has mentioned in his itinerary that he walked through the mountain part of Gonabad, Kakhak and the mountain range of Qahestan.
Gonabad’s Qasabe aqueduct is one of Gonabad’s historical monuments, world’s most mysterious aqueduct. As one old saying says water and village are each other’s company and that’s why Qasabe aqueduct was made so that people could use Gonabad’s fertile lands using the water from above the mountains of Gonabad. Gonabad’s aqueduct is world’s first, deepest and longest aqueduct. The antiquity dig of this aqueduct is estimated 2700 years old. The total length of this aqueduct is 33133 meters in one main thread of Qasabe and continues in four branches by the names of Dolab Kohne, Dolab Nou, Qasabe’s first minor thread and Qasabe’s second minor thread.
The main thread of Gonabad’s aqueduct, Qasabe, is 13135 meters long and the depth of Head well is 340 meters. I guess you already figure out why this aqueduct is one of the most unique hydraulic masterpieces of the world. Qasabe aqueduct is registered in UNISCO by the number of 5207.
Let’s return to the main subject of this bulletin; one of the main reasons that effects the quality of Gonabad’s saffron is the fact that farmers use the water from Qasabe aqueduct to irrigate their saffron farms. Of course the water that comes from the depth of 200 meters and runs through ground for more than 30000 meters and comes to surface in Gonabad, has special qualities. From one hand this long path purifies water from chemical components and heavy metals and on the other hand it dissolves natural minerals in itself and becomes available for saffron as an enriched substance. Apart from this effective main factor in the agricultural legacy of cultivating saffron in Gonabad, Gonabad’s quality of soil and clear air also have an impact on this subject. All these factors specially irrigation with aqueduct water in Gonabad led to world registration of Gonabad’s saffron in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations <FAO>.
In an exclusive interview with Iran’s broadcasting in Roma, the head coordinator of FAO’s agricultural heritage system, Mr. Yoshihide Endo said “I would like to congratulate people of Iran for registering the product system of Gonabad’s saffron as an important global agricultural heritage in the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations”.
As a small member of manufacturer and supplier of saffron in the region of Gonabad, we would also like to congratulate this important achievement and wishing for ever increasing success in the production of high quality saffron.