{"id":31266,"date":"2019-06-17T02:25:02","date_gmt":"2019-06-17T02:25:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/?p=31266"},"modified":"2026-10-27T23:32:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T23:32:51","slug":"neyshabur-turquoise-mine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/neyshabur-turquoise-mine\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Neyshabur\u2019s Turquoise Mine: A Photo Essay"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Deep in the mountains of northeastern Iran, the <strong>Neyshabur turquoise mine<\/strong> has supplied prized blue-green gemstones for centuries. This photo essay offers a closer look at the stones, the people who extract them and the underground passages where the work takes place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-flat ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/neyshabur-turquoise-mine\/#why-neyshabur-turquoise-matters\" >Why Neyshabur turquoise matters<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/neyshabur-turquoise-mine\/#inside-the-turquoise-mine-a-photo-essay\" >Inside the turquoise mine: a photo essay<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/neyshabur-turquoise-mine\/#the-people-and-the-process\" >The people and the process<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"#\" data-href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/neyshabur-turquoise-mine\/#discover-more-of-neyshabur\" >Discover more of Neyshabur<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"why-neyshabur-turquoise-matters\"><\/span>Why Neyshabur turquoise matters<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Turquoise is an opaque, blue-to-green mineral made of hydrated copper and aluminium phosphate. Neyshabur, also spelled Nishapur, is one of Iran\u2019s best-known sources of the gem. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gia.edu\/gems-gemology\/fall-2021-persian-turquoise-ancient-treasure-neyshabur\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gemological Institute of America\u2019s 2021 field report<\/a>, based on a visit in 2020, documents the deposit\u2019s geology, mining history and production methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The mine lies in <strong>Razavi Khorasan Province<\/strong>, about 53 km from the city of Neyshabur, according to the GIA study. Its turquoise occurs in mineralized veins within altered volcanic rocks. Colour and natural matrix vary from stone to stone, giving each piece a distinctive appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"inside-the-turquoise-mine-a-photo-essay\"><\/span>Inside the turquoise mine: a photo essay<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Turquoise stones and jewelry pieces arranged on a white display cloth\" src=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-87-1024x708.jpeg\" alt=\"Turquoise stones and jewelry pieces arranged on a white display cloth\" class=\"wp-image-56185\" style=\"width:839px;height:580px\" width=\"839\" height=\"580\" srcset=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-87-1024x708.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-87-780x540.jpeg 780w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-87-768x531.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-87-680x470.jpeg 680w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-87-300x208.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/image-87.jpeg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 839px) 100vw, 839px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A selection of turquoise pieces and jewelry on display.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"872\" title=\"Dimly lit underground tunnel at the Neyshabur turquoise mine\" src=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-1.jpg\" alt=\"Dimly lit underground tunnel at the Neyshabur turquoise mine\" class=\"wp-image-47467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-1.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-1-780x531.jpg 780w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-1-768x523.jpg 768w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-1-1024x698.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-1-220x150.jpg 220w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-1-690x470.jpg 690w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-1-300x204.jpg 300w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-1-705x480.jpg 705w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-1-450x307.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A passage inside the Neyshabur mine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"830\" title=\"Rough turquoise stones displayed on a white cloth\" src=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-3.jpg\" alt=\"Rough turquoise stones displayed on a white cloth\" class=\"wp-image-47468\" srcset=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-3.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-3-780x540.jpg 780w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-3-768x531.jpg 768w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-3-1024x708.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-3-680x470.jpg 680w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-3-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-3-705x488.jpg 705w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-3-450x311.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rough turquoise stones before cutting and polishing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"830\" title=\"Rock face inside an underground turquoise mine\" src=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-4.jpg\" alt=\"Rock face inside an underground turquoise mine\" class=\"wp-image-47469\" srcset=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-4.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-4-780x540.jpg 780w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-4-768x531.jpg 768w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-4-1024x708.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-4-680x470.jpg 680w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-4-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-4-705x488.jpg 705w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-4-450x311.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An underground rock face at the mine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"the-people-and-the-process\"><\/span>The people and the process<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mining turquoise involves locating narrow mineral-bearing veins, excavating rock and sorting the recovered material. The GIA report describes underground tunnels and carefully controlled drilling and blasting during its 2020 field visit. These photographs document scenes associated with that work; they should not be taken as a live account of current mine access or operating conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"830\" title=\"Miner wearing a protective helmet in an underground passage\" src=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-5.jpg\" alt=\"Miner wearing a protective helmet in an underground passage\" class=\"wp-image-47470\" srcset=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-5.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-5-780x540.jpg 780w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-5-768x531.jpg 768w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-5-1024x708.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-5-680x470.jpg 680w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-5-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-5-705x488.jpg 705w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-5-450x311.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A worker in the mine\u2019s underground passages.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"830\" title=\"Hands holding small blue-green turquoise stones\" src=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-8.jpg\" alt=\"Hands holding small blue-green turquoise stones\" class=\"wp-image-47471\" srcset=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-8.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-8-780x540.jpg 780w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-8-768x531.jpg 768w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-8-1024x708.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-8-680x470.jpg 680w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-8-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-8-705x488.jpg 705w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-8-450x311.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Blue-green turquoise stones shown by hand.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"830\" title=\"Workers inside an underground mining tunnel\" src=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-9.jpg\" alt=\"Workers inside an underground mining tunnel\" class=\"wp-image-47472\" srcset=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-9.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-9-780x540.jpg 780w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-9-768x531.jpg 768w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-9-1024x708.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-9-680x470.jpg 680w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-9-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-9-705x488.jpg 705w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-9-450x311.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Workers and equipment inside an underground tunnel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"830\" title=\"Turquoise stones and jewelry arranged for display\" src=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-10.jpg\" alt=\"Turquoise stones and jewelry arranged for display\" class=\"wp-image-47473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-10.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-10-780x540.jpg 780w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-10-768x531.jpg 768w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-10-1024x708.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-10-680x470.jpg 680w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-10-300x208.jpg 300w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-10-705x488.jpg 705w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine-10-450x311.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Another view of turquoise pieces on display.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"discover-more-of-neyshabur\"><\/span>Discover more of Neyshabur<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Neyshabur is also known for its history, poetry and mountain scenery. See our <a href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/spring-nature-of-neyshabur\/\">guide to spring in Neyshabur<\/a> for another perspective on the region.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Discover Neyshabur turquoise: Iran&#8217;s national gemstone with a history as rich as its color, renowned globally for its unparalleled quality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":47466,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[306,308,1],"tags":[16022,15956,16021],"class_list":["post-31266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-destinations","category-tourism-iran","tag-mine","tag-neyshabur","tag-turquoise"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Neyshabur-Turquoise-Mine.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31266"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31266\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}