العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
EspañolWEST AZARBAIJAN PROVINCE
(Redirected from West Azarbaijan)
:''This article is about the Iranian province; for similar uses, see Azerbaijan (disambiguation).''
'West Azarbaijan' or 'West Azerbaijan' (Persian:
آذربایجان غربی ''Āzarbāijān-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 reference to the holy Zoroastrian fire that burned in the grand fire temple at Ganzak/Ganzaca (modern Takab) —the first capital of Azarbaijan/Media Minor.
According to various sources cited in Encyclopedia Iranica,[1] the current province of West Azarbaijan was part of the Sassanid Azarbadegan satrap as far back as the 3rd century.[2] The current ruins of Takht-i Suleiman in today’s West Azarbaijan was the capital of the Azarbaijan Satrapy.[2]
Permanent settlements were established in the province as early as the 6th millennium BCE as excavation at sites such as Teppe Hasanlu establish. In Hasanlu, a famous ''Golden Vase'' was found in 1958. The province is also the location of Tepe Hajji Firuz, site of some of the world’s earliest evidence of wine production.[4][5] ''Gooy Teppe'' is another significant site, where a metal plaque dating from 800 BCE was found that depicts a scene from the epic of Gilgamesh.
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.
While some Islamic researchers[6] have proclaimed that the birth of the prophet Zoroaster was in this area, in the vicinity of Lake Orumieh (Chichesht), Konzak City, recent scholarship indicates that Ardabil or sites in Central Asia are more likely.[7]
The province continued to experience many wars over the centuries. Numerous Azeris arrived in the region, including to the west of Lake Urmia beginning around the 13th century.[1]
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;[9]
★ Simko Insurrections, west of Lake Urmia from 1918 to 1922;[10]
★ 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 [2]) between Kurdish (nationalist and communist) forces and the Iranian government. At times, large parts of the province were without government control[3].
These separatist movements may have many motivations and origins; however, the colonialist policies of the Soviet Union and Imperial Russia encouraged such movements. 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 held Azerbaijan (northern Azerbaijan) was instructed:
:''"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".''[11]
With an area of 43,660 square kilometers, including Urmia lake,the province of West Azarbayjan is located on the north-west of Iran.
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- Azarbayjan province, encompassing vast and fertile plains, high mountains, enjoying moderate and healthy weather, rivers with high volume of water, vineyards, orchards, luxuriant forest and rangelands, mountain outskirt with wonderful flora, magnificent wildlife and beautiful shores around the lake with different recreational facilities, which all together form one of the most beautiful and spectacular region in Iran. A land with wonderful flora during the spring and the summer covered with tulip, poppy, narcissus and hyacinth extending from Arass rivers banks in the north to Zab Kouchak valley in the south.
The province is divided into 14 shahrestans (districts). The present number of shahrestans was achieved over time by subdivision of many of the larger shahrestans into smaller ones. The shahrestans 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",[12] and that Kurdish people "are found in the border regions of the West Azerbaijan province".[13] Other sources claim the Azeris as a major population of the province as well.[14]
Five of the cities in the province have predominantly Kurdish populations, namely: Piranshahr, Mahabad, Oshnaviyeh, Sardasht and Bukan.Some sources (such as:[15]) have claimed Urmia to have an Azeri majority. The remaining shahrestans are heterogeneous and their populations have long been a mixture of Azeri and Kurdish peoples.
There are three 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 and Armenians. The Jews, as the name indicates, belong to the Judaism religion.
The fourteen cities in the province, plus Chaldoran, and their populations based on 2007 estimates[16][17] are:
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. Before World War I, Christian Armenians and Assyrians compromised the majority in Urmia, but that was changed after the Armenian and Assyrian genocide during WWI.
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.
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:[19]
★ 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 Golpashan, 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 World War I, 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. [4]
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 Ramin''
از آنجا بتدبیر آزادگان
بیامد سوی آذرآبادگان
From there the wise and the free,
set off to Azarbaijan
--''Nizami''
بیک ماه در آذرآبادگان
ببودند شاهان و آزادگان
For a month's time, The Kings and The Free,
Would choose in Azarbaijan to be
--''Firdowsi''
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 [5]
★ # Islamic Azad University of Khoi
★ # Islamic Azad University of Mahabad
★ # Islamic Azad University of Urmia
★ # Islamic Azad University of Piranshahr
1. Encyclopedia Iranica, p.206
2. ''ibid'' p.206
3. ''ibid'' p.206
4. "World's Oldest Known Wine Jar" University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
5. Voigt, Mary M. and Meadow, Richard H. (1983) ''Hajji Firuz Tepe, Iran: the neolithic settlement'' University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ISBN 0-934718-49-0
6. Balādâorī and Ebn Kordādâbeh
7. "As a matter of fact, only untrustworthy and late traditions place Zoroaster's birthplace at Urmia." Tarbiyat, Muḥammad Ali (1935) ''Dānishmandān-i Āzarbayjān'' Tehran, p. 162, reissued in 1999, ISBN 964-422-138-9
8. Encyclopedia Iranica, p.206
9. The Kurdish Question'', By W. G. Elphinston, Journal of International Affairs, Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1946, p.94
10. The Kurdish Question'', By W. G. Elphinston, Journal of International Affairs, Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1946, p.97
11. 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.
12. Encyclopedia Iranica p.207
13. 'ibid'', p.234
14. For example, see: P. Oberling, ''The Turkic Peoples of Iranian Azerbaijan'', 1964a, American Council of Learned Scientists
15. 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)
16. World Gazetteer
17. No source has been provided for the estimated population of Chaldoran; however, the estimate of 14,000 is consistent with the extent of urbanization shown in the satellite image of the town.
18. Telecommunication Company Of Iran
19. ''Azarbaijan Gharbi'', Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran pulications, ISBN 964-7483-80-5
★ 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
★ About Urmia
:''This article is about the Iranian province; for similar uses, see Azerbaijan (disambiguation).''
This Sassanid relief is located near Salmas, and is believed to depict either Ardashir I or Shapur I.
'West Azarbaijan' or 'West Azerbaijan' (Persian:
آذربایجان غربی ''Āzarbāijān-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.
| Contents |
| History |
| Geography and Climate |
| Demographics |
| Religion |
| Churches in West Azarbaijan |
| West Azarbaijan today |
| Culture |
| Colleges and universities |
| References |
| External links |
History
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 reference to the holy Zoroastrian fire that burned in the grand fire temple at Ganzak/Ganzaca (modern Takab) —the first capital of Azarbaijan/Media Minor.
According to various sources cited in Encyclopedia Iranica,[1] the current province of West Azarbaijan was part of the Sassanid Azarbadegan satrap as far back as the 3rd century.[2] The current ruins of Takht-i Suleiman in today’s West Azarbaijan was the capital of the Azarbaijan Satrapy.[2]
Permanent settlements were established in the province as early as the 6th millennium BCE as excavation at sites such as Teppe Hasanlu establish. In Hasanlu, a famous ''Golden Vase'' was found in 1958. The province is also the location of Tepe Hajji Firuz, site of some of the world’s earliest evidence of wine production.[4][5] ''Gooy Teppe'' is another significant site, where a metal plaque dating from 800 BCE was found that depicts a scene from the epic of Gilgamesh.
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.
While some Islamic researchers[6] have proclaimed that the birth of the prophet Zoroaster was in this area, in the vicinity of Lake Orumieh (Chichesht), Konzak City, recent scholarship indicates that Ardabil or sites in Central Asia are more likely.[7]
The province continued to experience many wars over the centuries. Numerous Azeris arrived in the region, including to the west of Lake Urmia beginning around the 13th century.[1]
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;[9]
★ Simko Insurrections, west of Lake Urmia from 1918 to 1922;[10]
★ 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 [2]) between Kurdish (nationalist and communist) forces and the Iranian government. At times, large parts of the province were without government control[3].
These separatist movements may have many motivations and origins; however, the colonialist policies of the Soviet Union and Imperial Russia encouraged such movements. 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 held Azerbaijan (northern Azerbaijan) was instructed:
:''"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".''[11]
Geography and Climate
Mountainous landscape of the province
A wild field of poppies
With an area of 43,660 square kilometers, including Urmia lake,the province of West Azarbayjan is located on the north-west of Iran.
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- Azarbayjan province, encompassing vast and fertile plains, high mountains, enjoying moderate and healthy weather, rivers with high volume of water, vineyards, orchards, luxuriant forest and rangelands, mountain outskirt with wonderful flora, magnificent wildlife and beautiful shores around the lake with different recreational facilities, which all together form one of the most beautiful and spectacular region in Iran. A land with wonderful flora during the spring and the summer covered with tulip, poppy, narcissus and hyacinth extending from Arass rivers banks in the north to Zab Kouchak valley in the south.
Demographics
The shahrestans (districts)of West Azarbaijan province
The province is divided into 14 shahrestans (districts). The present number of shahrestans was achieved over time by subdivision of many of the larger shahrestans into smaller ones. The shahrestans 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",[12] and that Kurdish people "are found in the border regions of the West Azerbaijan province".[13] Other sources claim the Azeris as a major population of the province as well.[14]
Five of the cities in the province have predominantly Kurdish populations, namely: Piranshahr, Mahabad, Oshnaviyeh, Sardasht and Bukan.Some sources (such as:[15]) have claimed Urmia to have an Azeri majority. The remaining shahrestans are heterogeneous and their populations have long been a mixture of Azeri and Kurdish peoples.
There are three 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 and Armenians. The Jews, as the name indicates, belong to the Judaism religion.
The fourteen cities in the province, plus Chaldoran, and their populations based on 2007 estimates[16][17] are:
| # | City | Population | Ethnicity in the shahrestan (district) | City Calling Code [18] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Piranshahr (Khaneh) | 71,718 | Kurdish | 443 |
| 2. | Urmia (Rezaiyeh) | 644,091 | Azeri and Kurdish | 441 |
| 3. | Naghadeh (Sulduz) | 76,103 | Azeri and Kurdish | 443 |
| 4. | Salmas (Shapur) | 85,409 | Kurdish and Azeri | 44352 |
| 5. | Mahabad (Savujbolagh) | 174,228 | Kurdish | 442 |
| 6. | Khoy | 182,987 | Azeri and Kurdish | 461 |
| 7. | Miandoab (Ghushachay) | 143,522 | Azeri and Kurdish | 481 |
| 8. | Oshnaviyeh | 56,325 | Kurdish | 444 |
| 9. | Bukan | 237,841 | Kurdish | 482 |
| 10. | Shahindej (Sainghal'eh) | 44,608 | Kurdish and Azeri | 482 |
| 11. | Qareh Zia' od Din | 34,921 | Azeri and Kurdish | 462 |
| 12. | Takab (Tikantapeh) | 53,922 | Kurdish and Azeri | 482 |
| 13. | Maku | 43,664 | Azeri and Kurdish | 462 |
| 14. | Sardasht | 52,668 | Kurdish | 444 |
| 15. | Chaldoran (Siahchesheh) | 14,000 | Azeri and Kurdish | 462 |
Religion
Qara Kelissa, Chaldoran. Believed by some to have been first built in AD 66 by Saint Jude. Local Armenians believe that he and Simon were both buried here. In 1329, the church was reconstructed in its present form after an earthquake destroyed the structure in 1319 .
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. Before World War I, Christian Armenians and Assyrians compromised the majority in Urmia, but that was changed after the Armenian and Assyrian genocide during WWI.
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:[19]
★ 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 Golpashan, 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 World War I, 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.
West Azarbaijan today
''Kakh Muzeh Maku'', near Maku, built by one of the commanders of Mozzafar-al-Din Shah, is a popular attraction.
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. [4]
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.
Culture
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 Ramin''
از آنجا بتدبیر آزادگان
بیامد سوی آذرآبادگان
From there the wise and the free,
set off to Azarbaijan
--''Nizami''
بیک ماه در آذرآبادگان
ببودند شاهان و آزادگان
For a month's time, The Kings and The Free,
Would choose in Azarbaijan to be
--''Firdowsi''
Colleges 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 [5]
★ # Islamic Azad University of Khoi
★ # Islamic Azad University of Mahabad
★ # Islamic Azad University of Urmia
★ # Islamic Azad University of Piranshahr
References
1. Encyclopedia Iranica, p.206
2. ''ibid'' p.206
3. ''ibid'' p.206
4. "World's Oldest Known Wine Jar" University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
5. Voigt, Mary M. and Meadow, Richard H. (1983) ''Hajji Firuz Tepe, Iran: the neolithic settlement'' University Museum, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, ISBN 0-934718-49-0
6. Balādâorī and Ebn Kordādâbeh
7. "As a matter of fact, only untrustworthy and late traditions place Zoroaster's birthplace at Urmia." Tarbiyat, Muḥammad Ali (1935) ''Dānishmandān-i Āzarbayjān'' Tehran, p. 162, reissued in 1999, ISBN 964-422-138-9
8. Encyclopedia Iranica, p.206
9. The Kurdish Question'', By W. G. Elphinston, Journal of International Affairs, Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1946, p.94
10. The Kurdish Question'', By W. G. Elphinston, Journal of International Affairs, Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1946, p.97
11. 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.
12. Encyclopedia Iranica p.207
13. 'ibid'', p.234
14. For example, see: P. Oberling, ''The Turkic Peoples of Iranian Azerbaijan'', 1964a, American Council of Learned Scientists
15. 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)
16. World Gazetteer
17. No source has been provided for the estimated population of Chaldoran; however, the estimate of 14,000 is consistent with the extent of urbanization shown in the satellite image of the town.
18. Telecommunication Company Of Iran
19. ''Azarbaijan Gharbi'', Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran pulications, ISBN 964-7483-80-5
External links
★ 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
★ About Urmia
This article provided by Wikipedia. To edit the contents of this article, click here for original source.
psst.. try this: add to faves
Featured Companies
| Vacation By V | |
| Golf Holidays International |
Newest Companies
West Azarbaijan Province Travel Deals
