Mashhad city, the provincial capital of Khorassan E Razavi, Iran 's largest province. That is the nation's second largest city and also Iran 's holiest city and a place of pilgrimage for Shiite Moslems from all over the world. Khorassan is one of Iran 's most important provinces both geographically and historically as well as religious. It is also the cradle of the Persian (Farsi) language and the civilization of eastern Iran , and the homeland of many great Iranian poets, writers and scholars . And today, by the help of God and under the supports of the Islamic Revolution, Mashhad is offering another great opportunity for knowledge production. The Islamic Azad University-Mashhad Branch (IAUM) is one the main and earliest branches of the Islamic Azad University (IAU). IAU is a chain university with a total of over 350 Branches around Iran , and 5 Branches overseas. The IAUM is established in December 1982 , as a response to the high demand for higher education, after the Islamic Revolution in Iran . The institution receives no financial aid from the government. It is self financed entirely by the fees it receives from the students and is run by a board of trustees. Each one of the Islamic Azad University's branches are a comprehensive university on its own right with many faculties, and offers various degrees up to PhD. Mashhad branch became one of the Comprehensive unit in July 2000 and in the second general assembly of the International Association of University, and the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World, April 2001 Koualalampur, Malaysia, became one of the its active members .