Damghan (Persian: دامغان‎‎, also Romanized as Dāmghān) is a city in, and capital of, Damghan County, Semnan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 57,331, in 15,849 families. Damghan is situated 342 kilometres (213 mi) east of Tehran on the high-road to Mashad, at an elevation of 1,250 m (4,101 ft). The city trades in pistachios and paper almonds (kaghazi), with very thin shells, which are famous throughout the country.Despite possessing a history stretching back some 7,000 years, much of Damghan now lies all but forgotten beneath desert sand dunes : it is one of the most ancient cities on the Iranian plateau and still boasts many sites of historic interest. The oldest of these is Tappeh Hessar, a site lying to the southeast of the city and currently dominated by the ruin o