Muqdadiyah
Encyclopedia
Muqdadiyah (also transliterated Al-Muqdadiyah, Muqdadia, Miqdadiyah) is a city in the Diyala Governorate of Iraq
. The city is located at 33°58′43"N 44°56′13"E, about 80 km northeast of Baghdad
and 30 km northeast of Baquba, the capital of Diyala. It has a population of about 298,000 inhabitants,
The alternative name of the town is Shareban (kurdish: Şareban or شارهبان), mentioned as such in the works of the classical writers such as Ptolemy
and Strabo
. Sharaban stands for a satrap
. This name is still used locally by the Kurds. As of late, however, the term Muqdadiyah has largely replaced the old name.
compound made of two elements: Mugh/Muγ "Magi
" + dād "given", translating to "Magi-given" or "Magi's gift". Magi were Zoroastrian priests. The city of Baghdad
nearby presents the same construction, albeit, the term Bagh/Baγ (Old Persian for God]) replaces mugh/muγ, to render the meaning of the name of the city of Baghdad
as "Godi-given", "God's gift." (q.v.).
. Before their mass expulsion in the course of the 1960s and 1970s, the Shia Faili Kurds constituted the majority of the town's population, followed by the Shia Turkomans
. The Kurdish population is now estimated as about 3%.
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. The city is located at 33°58′43"N 44°56′13"E, about 80 km northeast of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
and 30 km northeast of Baquba, the capital of Diyala. It has a population of about 298,000 inhabitants,
The alternative name of the town is Shareban (kurdish: Şareban or شارهبان), mentioned as such in the works of the classical writers such as Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
and Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
. Sharaban stands for a satrap
Satrap
Satrap was the name given to the governors of the provinces of the ancient Median and Achaemenid Empires and in several of their successors, such as the Sassanid Empire and the Hellenistic empires....
. This name is still used locally by the Kurds. As of late, however, the term Muqdadiyah has largely replaced the old name.
Etymology
The most reliable and most widely accepted etymology for the name is that it is a Persian languagePersian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
compound made of two elements: Mugh/Muγ "Magi
Magi
Magi is a term, used since at least the 4th century BC, to denote a follower of Zoroaster, or rather, a follower of what the Hellenistic world associated Zoroaster with, which...
" + dād "given", translating to "Magi-given" or "Magi's gift". Magi were Zoroastrian priests. The city of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
nearby presents the same construction, albeit, the term Bagh/Baγ (Old Persian for God]) replaces mugh/muγ, to render the meaning of the name of the city of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
as "Godi-given", "God's gift." (q.v.).
Ethnography
The city has a mixed population, with Arabs (both Shia and Sunni) forming a simple majority. Other inhabitants are the Kurds and TurkomansTurkmen people
The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,...
. Before their mass expulsion in the course of the 1960s and 1970s, the Shia Faili Kurds constituted the majority of the town's population, followed by the Shia Turkomans
Turkmen people
The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,...
. The Kurdish population is now estimated as about 3%.
Sources
About the name:- محمدی ملایری، محمد: فرهنگ ایران در دوران انتقال از عصر ساسانی به عصر اسلامی، جلد دوم: دل ایرانشهر، تهران، انتشارات توس 1375.: Mohammadi Malayeri, M.: Del-e Iranshahr, vol. II, Tehran 1375 Hs.)