Building Stones

Abundance
A significant portion of the world's mines, as well as those in Iran and consequently in Khorasan Razavi Province, consists of building stones, ranging from igneous rocks, rubble, and melange to marble. In Khorasan Razavi Province, out of 632 active mines, approximately 340 are related to rubble and building stones, meaning that more than 50% of the mines by number fall into the category of building stones.

The main types of building stones in Iran include travertine, marbles, marmarite, and granite. Key provinces producing building stones in Iran are Isfahan, Fars, the Khorasans, Markazi, Hamedan, and Yazd. There are more than six thousand active processing units in the country, many of which still use outdated technology. The table below shows a breakdown of these mines in Khorasan Razavi Province:

Economy
Economically, in the mining sector, building stones are almost second only to iron ore, highlighting the importance of this group. Stone has a wide cycle of exploration, extraction, processing, consumption, and trade, which demonstrates the significance of this type of mineral resource. Iran is one of the largest producers of building stones in the world, although the main processing centers globally are in Italy and Spain. The global building stone market is estimated to have an annual turnover of tens of billions of dollars. Iran’s exports are mostly in the form of raw blocks. The main export destinations include China, Italy, India, and the countries of the Persian Gulf.

BuildingStoneSamplesintheMuseum
Considering the importance of building stones and their role in the country’s economy, trade, and market, the Mashhad Earth Science Park Museum inaugurated the building and decorative stone section in its lobby in July 2024 (Tir 1403). This section features a collection of 207 stone plaques from Iran and 18 other countries, including examples of granite, marmarite, and conglomerate from various international sources.