July 30, 1673 Earthquake: Mashhad, Neyshabur (Nishapur), Iran

Name: July 30, 1673 Earthquake: Mashhad, Neyshabur (Nishapur), Iran
Start: 1673-07-30
Location: Mashhad, Neyshabur (Nishapur), Iran

July 30, 1673 · M6.6 · 5,600 deaths

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Mashhad, Neyshabur (Nishapur), Iran on July 30, 1673. It killed 5,600 people.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date: July 30, 1673
Place: Mashhad, Neyshabur (Nishapur), Iran
Magnitude: 6.6 (Ms)
Intensity: 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: None recorded
Epicenter: 36.300° N, 59.300° E
Country: Iran

The toll

Deaths: 5,600
Damage: Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
Houses destroyed: Many (101 to 1,000)

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

1673, July 30. Mashhad. On 15 Rabi' 11, 1084 a destructive

earthquake occurred in Khurasan. Two-thirds of Mashhad

were ruined, including the dome over the tomb of

Imam Riza, the cupola of the Masjid-i Gauhar Shad and

many public buildings. 4000 people were killed.

Nishapur was also severely damaged and half the town

collapsed with the loss of 1600 lives. Another small

town is also said to have been overthrown. (reference #1117)

1673, July 30. Mashad. 36.35 N, 49.27 E, intensity VIII, magnitude 6.6, 5600 people killed. (reference #3437)

1673, June 16 - July 15. In 1084 A.H.L., rabi' al-avval, a destructive earthquake took place in Khorasan. In Mashhad 4,000 people were killed and the Tomb of Imam-Rez, a very important monument, collapsed. 1,600 people were also killed in Nishabur. This earthquake extended as far as Torbat (Sani'ud Dovlah 1880) August 1673, Khorasan, Mashad and Nishabur, III (Milne 1011 and Wilson 1930, 103: Mallet). August 1673, a severe earthquake in Khorasan, destruction in Mashhad, Nishabur and surroundings (Sieberg 1932, p. 814). (reference #1217)

1673, August. 35.3 N, 59 E, magnitude 6.2, intensity IX. Destruction in Meshked, Nishapur and south of Torbet. (reference #223)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

Significant earthquakes of 1673 The 1600s Recent earthquakes near here This day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 1066.