or MEHSED, a town of Persia, capital of the province of Khorassan, is situated in a broad valley, 455 miles E. by N. of Teheran, and 500 N.E. of Isphahan; Lat. 36. 18. N.; Long. 59. 35. E. The town is surrounded by strong walls; but the houses are in general meanly built of brick, and nearly half of it is in ruins. The principal street, which passes through the town from E. to W., is wide and lined with handsome shops, and has a canal passing through its centre. The chief building is that which incloses the tombs of Imam Reza and of the Caliph Haroun Al-Raschid, on account of which Meshed is accounted a holy city, and visited by crowds of pilgrims. This edifice, which stands in the centre of the town, is a splendid building, with a gilt dome and two gilt minarets, possessing also splendid gateways and silver gates. Close to it stands a mosque, considered one of the finest in Persia, with a lofty blue dome and minarets. Besides this, the town contains a palace, which is an insignificant building hardly deserving the name; a large and well-supplied bazaar; and a caravansary, which is in an unfinished state. Meshed once had 16 medresses or colleges, but only a few of these now remain. The manufactures of the town consist of velvets, silks, jewellery, hardware, sword-blades, &c.; and there is a considerable trade carried on with Bokhara, Candahar, Herat, Yezd, &c. The position of the town on the great roads of Persia, and the numerous caravans continually passing, render Meshed a place of some importance as the emporium of the surrounding country. Pop. believed to be between 40,000 and 50,000.