Zabol

Zabol  pronunciation  (Persian: زابل‎‎, also Romanized as Zābol) is a city in and the capital of Zabol County, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran. Zabol lies on the border with Afghanistan. Referred to as Sistan until the late 1920s, the city was renamed Zabol by Reza Shah Pahlavi. At the 2006 census, its population was 130,642, in 27,867 families.

Zabol is located near Lake Hamun and the region is irrigated by the Hirmand River. Lake Hamun is a seasonal lake that is often dry. The people of Zabol are predominantly Persians who speak a variant of the Persian language and known as Sistani or Seistani which is very similar to Dari, also known as Afghan Persian, and a minority of Baluchs who speak Baluchi, a north western Iranian language.

The Zabel area is well known for its "120 day wind" (bād-e sad-o-bist-roz), a highly persistent dust storm in the summer which blows from north to south.

The city is home to Zabol University, the largest university in the city, as well as the Zabol Medical Science University. Zabol has a regional airport.