November 18, 871 Earthquake: Saimareh, Iran
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Saimareh, Iran on November 18, 871. It killed 20,000 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
- November 18, 871
- Place
- Saimareh, Iran
- Magnitude
- 6.8 (Ms)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 33.200° N, 47.200° E
- Country
- Iran
The toll
- Deaths
- 20,000
- Damage
- Extreme (about $25 million or more)
- Houses destroyed
- Very many (over 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.
June 22, 872, Saimareh, 33.2 N, 47.2 E, magnitude 6.8. On 11 Sha'ban 258 an earthquake devastated the region of Saimareh, following a damaging foreshock the previous day. Most of the town was destroyed. The walls fell down and about 20000 people were killed. It is probable that the town of Sirvan was also affected. The shock was possibly felt in Iraq at Wasit and Basra, and was also responsible for large-scale landslides in the Saimareh valley. (reference #1117)
November 18, 871 - November 6, 872. In 258 A.H.L., in the Simarreh after a great din a destructive earthquake occurred; a major part of the city was destroyed and 20,000 people were killed. (reference #1217)
November 18, 871 - November 6, 872 (AH 258). Wasit on the Tigris was shaken and 20,000 persons perished under their houses. (reference #1098)
871-872, Wasit, 20,000 died, intensity VII. (reference #1222)
871-872, Wasit, 20,000 killed, intensity VII. (reference #3437)
872, Wasit, 32.31 N, 45.49 E, intensity VII. (reference #1057)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 13, 1957, Farsinaj, Iran
- August 16, 1958, Firuzabad, Iran
- December 2, 1864, Zurbatiyah, Badrah, Tursaq, Baghdad, Iraq
- March 31, 2006, Borujerd, Dorud, Western, Iran
- October 14, 1961, Iran
- May 29, 1987, W, Nahavand-Hamaden-Tuysarkan, Iran
- April 24, 2002, Kermanshah, Western, Iran
- August 25, 2018, Kermanshah, Iran
- November 25, 2018, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Iraq, Iran
- October 5, 1998, Darreh Shahr, Pol-E-Dokhtar, Western, Iran
- May 3, 2012, Mourmouri, Abdanan, Dehloran, Iran
- August 18, 2014, Abdanan, Ilam Province, Iran
- November 22, 2004, Khorramabad, Pol-E Dokhtar, Iran
- January 16, 2010, Arrjan, Khuzestan, Iran
- May 1, 2008, Lorestan, Boroujerd, Iran
More
Significant earthquakes of 871The 800sRecent earthquakes near hereThis 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 254.