West Azarbaijan Province
This article is about the Iranian province; for similar uses, see Azerbaijan (disambiguation). |
Map showing West Azarbaijan in Iran |
West Azarbaijan or
West Azerbaijan (
Persian:آذربایجان غربی
Āzārbāijān-e Gharbī;
Kurdish:
Azerbaycanî Rojawa;
Azeri:
Qərbi Azərbaycan) is one of the 30
provinces of
Iran.
The province of West Azarbaijan covers an area of 39,487 km², or 43,660 km² including
Lake Urmia. In 2006 the province had a population of 3015361 [
1]. The capital city of the province is
Urmia.
The name "Azarbaijan" comes from the ancient
Old Persian name
Atro Patikan and
Middle Persian "Adur Paiyigan." The name means "The Guardians of Fire""a referemce to the holy Zoroastrian fire that burned in the grand fire temple at Ganzak/Ganzaca (modern
Takab) "the first capital of Azerbaijan/Media Minor.
According to various sources cited in
Encyclopedia Iranica [Encyclopedia Iranica, p.206], the current province of West Azarbaijan was part of the
Sassanid Azarbadegan
satrap as far back as the 3rd century.
[ibid p.206] The current ruins of
Takht-i Suleiman in today's West Azarbaijan was the capital of the Azarbaijan Satrapy.
[ibid p.206] The borders of Azarbaijan at times extended even as far south as
Sanandaj.
[ibid p.206]Excavation sites such as
Teppe Hasanlu establish permanent settlement in the province to the 6th millennium BCE. In Hasanlu, a famous
Golden Vase was found in 1958. The province is also the location of
Teppe Hajifiruz, site of some of the world's earliest evidence of
wine production.
[See University of Pennsylvania Museum website: [2]] Gooy Teppe is another significant site. A metal plaque dating from 800 BCE depicts a scene from the epic of
Gilgamesh. Islamic researchers proclaim that the birth of the prophet Zoroaster was in this area, in the vicinity of
Lake Orumieh (Chichesht), Konzak City.
Ruins such as these and the
UNESCO world heritage site at the
Sassanid compound of
Takht-i-Suleiman illustrate the strategic importance and tumultuous history of the province through the millennia. Overall, the province enjoys a wealth of historical attractions, with 169 sites registered by the
Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran.
The province continued to experience many wars and ethnic unrest over the centuries. Numerous Azari Turks arrived in the region, including to the west of Lake Urmia beginning around the 13th century.
[Encyclopedia Iranica, p.206].
The first monarch of
Iran's
Qajar dynasty,
Agha Muhammad Khan, was coronated in
Urmia in 1795.
Significant events in 19th and 20th century that took place are:
* Shaikh Ubeidullah Revolts, west and south of Lake
Urmia in
1880;
[ The Kurdish Question, By W. G. Elphinston, Journal of International Affairs, Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1946, p.94[3] ]* Simko Insurrections, west of Lake
Urmia from
1918 to
1922;
[ The Kurdish Question, By W. G. Elphinston, Journal of International Affairs, Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1946, p.97[4] ]* the
Soviet occupation in 1946;
* the foundation and destruction of the
Republic of Mahabad in 1946; and
* periodic severe fighting from 1979 until 1990s (and even to the present, but on a smaller scale [
5]) between
Kurdish (
nationalist and
communist) forces and the Iranian government. At times, large parts of the province were without government control[
6].
These separatist movements however can visibly trace their origins back to the colonialist policies of the
Soviet Union and
Imperial Russia. In a cable sent on July 6th 1945 by the
Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the local Soviet commander in Russian (northern) held Azerbaijan was instructed as such:
"Begin preparatory work to form a national autonomous Azerbaijan district with broad powers within the Iranian state and simultaneously develop separatist movements in the provinces of Gilan, Mazandaran, Gorgan, and Khorasan".[Decree of the CC CPSU Politburo to Mir Bagirov, CC Secretary of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, on "measures to Organize a Separatist Movement in Southern Azerbaijan and Other Provinces of Northern Iran". Translation provided by The Cold War International History Project at The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.]The climate of the province is largely influenced by the rainy winds of the
Atlantic Ocean and
Mediterranean. Cold northern winds affect the province during winter and cause heavy snow.According to existing
meteorological data, local temperatures vary within the province.
Average temperature differs from 9.4 °C in
Piranshahr to 11.6 °C in
Mahabad, while it is 9.8 °C in
Urmia, 10.8 °C in
Khoy, 9.4 °C in
Piranshahr, and in Mahabad 11.6 °C. According to same data, the highest temperature in the province reaches 34 °C in July, and the lowest temperature is "16 °C in January. Maximum change of temperature in summer is 4 °C, and in winter 15 °C.
|
West Azarbaijan province townships |
The province is divided into 14
townships. The present number of townships was achieved over time by subdivision of many of the larger townships into smaller ones. The townships in the province are:
Piranshahr,
Urmia,
Mahabad,
Oshnaviyeh,
Miandoab,
Naghadeh,
Takab,
Shahindej,
Maku,
Chaldoran,
Salmas,
Khoy,
Sardasht and
Bukan.
There are no official statistics or census figures on the ethnic makeup of Iranian cities. The
Encyclopedia Iranica however states that the geographic extent of
Azeri-speaking people goes "well beyond the boundaries of West Azarbaijan"
[Encyclopedia Iranica p.207], and that Kurdish people "are found in the border regions of the West Azerbaijan province".
['ibid, p.234].
Dehkhoda also mentions in
his dictionary that "the language of Azarbaijan is a branch of the
Iranian languages known as Azari". Other sources claim the Azeris as a major population of the province as well.
[For example, see: P. Oberling, The Turkic Peoples of Iranian Azerbaijan, 1964a, American Council of Learned Scientists]Five of the cities in the province have predominantly Kurdish populations, namely:
Piranshahr,
Mahabad,
Oshnaviyeh,
Sardasht and
Bukan. On the other hand, the city of
Miandoab have Azeri majority. Some sources (such as:
[See:]
*H. Anzali, Urumiyah dar guzar-i zaman ("Urmia in the course of time"). ISBN 964-6614-07-8 p49, (2000)
*A. Kaviyanpur, Tarikh-i iyah'' ("The History of Urmia"), ISBN 964-91860-6-9 p421, (1999)) have claimed Urmia to have an Azeri majority. The remaining townships are heterogeneous and their populations have long been a mixture of
Azeri and
Kurdish peoples.
there are four small ethnic and religious groups who are native to the province but who have minority status:
Assyrians,
Armenians, and
Jews.
The Sunni and Yarsan
Kurds predominate in the western and southern highlands in the province, while the lowlands are dominated by the Shi'a Azeris (in the north), and Armenian and Assyrian Christians (in the south). The present borders of the province are the artifact of the Iranian official cartography and do not correspond with the borders of historic Azarbaijan (which ended where the highlands began).
The diversity of religions in the province has been a major factor throughout the entire history of the province. The religions in the province are:
Islam (
Sunni and
Shia sects),
Christianity,
Judaism, and
Yarasani. Both
Kurds and
Turks follow
Islam, the
Kurds belonging to the
Sunni branch and the
Turks being mainly
Shias, except for a very small minority who follow a religion called
Yarasani (or
Ahl-e Haqq, اهل حق).
Christianity is the main religion of the
Assyrians,
Chaldeans, and
Armenians. The
Jews, as the name indicates, belong to the
Judaism religion.
The fourteen cities in the province and their populations (based on 2006 estimates [
7]) are:
| # | City | Population [8] | Ethnicity in the township[9] | City Calling Code [10] |
|---|
| 1. | Piranshahr | 66,396 | Kurdish | 443 |
| 2. | Urmia | 623,143 | Azeri and Kurdish | 441 |
| 3. | Naghadeh | 74,821 | Azeri and Kurdish | 443 |
| 4. | Salmas | 83,516 | Kurdish and Azeri | 44352 |
| 5. | Mahabad | 168,328 | Kurdish | 442 |
| 6. | Khoy | 179,179 | Azeri | 461 |
| 7. | Miandoab | 138,127 | Azeri | 481 |
| 8. | Oshnaviyeh | 53,444 | Kurdish | 444 |
| 9. | Bukan | 225,391 | Kurdish | 482 |
| 10. | Shahindej | 43,013 | Kurdish and Azeri | 482 |
| 11. | Chaldoran | 33,417 | Azeri and Kurdish | 462 |
| 12. | Takab | 52,732 | Kurdish and Azeri | 482 |
| 13. | Maku | 42,587 | Azeri and Kurdish | 462 |
| 14. | Sardasht | 50,103 | Kurdish | 444 |
In this province,
Islam (
Sunni and
Shiite) is the majority religion. However, there is also a large
Christian minority, comprised of
Assyrians who have historically lived on the west shore of
Lake Urmia, as well as
Armenians who are scattered throughout the province. Notably, the city of
Maku in northern West Azarbaijan was the only city in Iran (before
World War II) where Christians comprised the majority.
St. Thaddeus Cathedral is located on the outskirts of Chaldoran, near the village of
Qara-Kelissa. Besides being a religious site with a particular significance among
Iranian Christians, particularly
Armenians, this large
church (monastery) is also a rare and valuable monument in
architectural and
artistic terms.
St. Thaddeus, also known as Jude Thaddeus or Jude Labbeus, was one of the apostles of Jesus Christ who traveled to Armenia, where he was later killed and upon whose grave the locals erected a small chapel in AD 301. The cathedral is known as
Qara-kelissa ('Black church' in Turkish) to the locals, owing to the appearance of its western section.
Churches in West Azarbaijan
In all, thirty-one churches are registered by the
Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran in the province. Many of these are historical landmarks and unusually rich in heritage. Some of the more famous ones are listed as follows
[Azarbaijan Gharbi, Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran pulications, ISBN 964-7483-80-5]:
*
Qara Kelissa (
The Black Church),
Armenian,
Chaldoran, early Christianity.
*
Kelisa Naneh Maryam (
Church of Mother Mary),
Assyrian,
Urmia,
Sassanid era.
*
Kelisa Hazrat Maryam (
Church of Mary),
Assyrian,
Urmia, late
Sassanid period.
*
Kelisa Surep Serkis,
Khoy, 4th century AD.
*
Kelisa Haftvan,
Salmas,
Armenian, 13th century.
*
Kelisa Golpashin,
Urmia, rebuilt in 1905.
*
Kelisa Martoma (
Church of Thomas), believed by local
Armenians to be the first church in Iran founded by St.
Thomas himself.
*
Kelisa Qarabagh,
Armenian,
Ilkhanid period.
*
Kelisa Marserkis,
Assyrian,
Urmia,
Sassanid era.
*
Kelisa Petrosoplos (
Church of Paul and Peter),
Urmia, believed built by
Bukhtishu.
*
Kelisa Golan,
Assyrian, 5th century.
*
Kelisa Mardanial, outside
Urmia,
Sassanid era, destroyed in
WWI, rebuilt.
*
Kelisa Vank Khosrow-abad, near
Salmas,
Assyrian, built by
Khosrau II of Persia. The Holy Cross of
Jerusalem was kept here for a while.
*
Kelisa Zurzur,
Chaldoran, built in AD 1315.
In the city of
Urumieh, some residents have a high standard of living in comparison with the other cities of the province. There are plenty of parks, coffee shops, cinemas, and
internet cafes throughout the city. There are hundreds of small villages in the province as well, most of which have running water and electricity as well as television, satellite, and telephone lines. Southern cities which economically are considered poor areas have always been the venue of Kurdish demonstrators against the Islamic regime. [
11]
West Azarbaijan province is one of the most important provinces for Iran's
agriculture.
Iran's current Minister of Energy,
Parviz Fattah is from
Urmia.
West Azarbaijan hails from a rich culture from Kurdish and Azari traditions. Many local traditions, such as music and dances continue to survive among the various peoples of the province. As a longstanding province of Persia, it is mentioned favorably on many occasions in
Persian literature by
Iran's greatest authors and poets:
گزیده هر چه در ایران بزرگان
زآذربایگان و ری و گرگان
All the nobles and greats of Iran,
Choose from Azarbaijan,
Ray, and
Gorgan.
--
Vis o Raminاز آنجا بتدبیر آزادگان
بیامد سوی آذرآبادگان
From there the wise and the free,
set off to Azarbaijan
--
Nizamiبیک ماه در آذرآبادگان
ببودند شاهان و آزادگان
For a month's time, The Kings and The Free,
Would choose in Azarbaijan to be
--
FirdowsiColleges and universities
Urmia University was first built by an American
Presbyterian missionary in 1878. A
medical faculty was also established there headed by
Joseph Cochran and a team of American medical associates. Joseph Cochran and his colleagues were buried in an old cemetery in the vicinity of
Urmia.
Urmia University website says this about them:
There they lie in peace away from their homeland, and the testimonial epitaphs on their tombs signify their endeavor and devotion to humanity.The province today has the following major institutes of
higher education:
*#
Urmia University of Medical Sciences*#
Urmia University [
12]
*#
Islamic Azad University of Khoi*#
Islamic Azad University of Mahabad*# Islamic Azad University of Urmia
*#
Islamic Azad University of Piranshahr*
Piranshahr Handicrafts*
Official website of West Azarbaijan Governor's Office*
West Azarbaijan's Government Portal*
West Azarbaijan Provincial Management Organization*
West Azarbaijan Cultural Heritage Organization*
Mahabad municipality official website*
Recent photos from Azarbaijan*
Lake Urmia UNESCO Biosphere Reserve*
Chro*
On the Kurdish tribes of the province*
On the Kurds of Salmas*
About Urmia*
Language of Azeri People
