West Azarbaijan Province - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

West Azerbaijan Province or West Azarbaijan Province , is one of the 31 provinces

Provinces of Iran

Iran is subdivided into thirty one provinces , each governed from a local center, usually the largest local city, which is called the capital of that province...

of Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

. It is located in the North West of the country, bordering Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

, Iraq

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....

and Nakhchivan, and the provinces of East Azerbaijan, Zanjan

Zanjan Province

Zanjan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Located in the North West of Iran, its capital is Zanjan city. Zanjan province with an area of 36,400 km² has a mostly rural, population of 964,601 . The province lies 330 km northwest of Tehran, connected to it via a freeway.Zanjan...

and Kurdistan

Kurdistan Province

Kurdistan Province or Kordestan Province or Kurdestan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, not to be confused with the greater geographical area of Iranian Kurdistan. The province of Kurdistan is 28,817 km² in area which encompasses just one-fourth of the Kurdish inhabited areas of Iran or...

.

The province of West Azerbaijan covers an area of 39,487 km², or 43,660 km² including Lake Urmia

Lake Urmia

Lake Urmia , ancient name: Lake Matiene) is a salt lake in northwestern Iran, near Iran's border with Turkey. The lake is between the Iranian provinces of East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan, west of the southern portion of the similarly shaped Caspian Sea...

. In 2006 the province had a population of 3,015,361 http://www.gazetteer.de/wg.php?x=1134803708&men=gpro&lng=en&gln=xx&des=gamelan&dat=200&geo=-1904&srt=epnn&col=aohdqcfbeimg. The capital city and largest city of the province is Urmia

Urmia

- Demographics :According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia is about 871,204.- Language :The population of Urmia is mainly Azerbaijani people, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities...

History

The region was once part of the Neo Assyrian Empire. The name of Azerbaijan derives from Atropates

Atropates

Atropates was a Persian nobleman who served Darius III, then Alexander III of Macedon, and eventually founded an independent kingdom and dynasty that was named after him...

, an Iranian 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....

of Media

Medes

The MedesThe Medes...

under the Achaemenid empire, who later was reinstated as the satrap of Media under Alexander of Macedonia. The original etymology of this name is thought to have its roots in the ancient Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of prophet Zoroaster and was formerly among the world's largest religions. It was probably founded some time before the 6th century BCE in Greater Iran.In Zoroastrianism, the Creator Ahura Mazda is all good, and no evil...

, namely, in Avesta

Avesta

The Avesta is the primary collection of sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language.-Early transmission:The texts of the Avesta — which are all in the Avestan language — were composed over the course of several hundred years. The most important portion, the Gathas,...

n Frawardin Yasht ("Hymn to the Guardian Angels"), there is a mentioning of: âterepâtahe ashaonô fravashîm ýazamaide, which literally translates from Old Persian as "we worship the Fravashi of the holy Atare-pata". Atropates

Atropates

Atropates was a Persian nobleman who served Darius III, then Alexander III of Macedon, and eventually founded an independent kingdom and dynasty that was named after him...

ruled over the region of present-day Iranian Azerbaijan.

According to various sources cited in Encyclopædia Iranica
Encyclopædia Iranica
Encyclopædia Iranica is a project whose goal is to create a comprehensive and authoritative English language encyclopedia about the history, culture, and civilization of Iranian peoples from prehistory to modern times...

, the current province of West Azerbaijan was part of the Sassanid Azarbadegan satrap as far back as the 3rd century. The current ruins of Takht-i Suleiman in today's West Azerbaijan was the capital of the Azerbaijan Satrapy.

Permanent settlements were established in the province as early as the 6th millennium BC as excavation at sites such as Teppe Hasanlu

Teppe Hasanlu

Teppe Hasanlu or Tappeh Hassanlu is an archeological site of an ancient city located in northwest Iran , a short distance south of Lake Urmia...

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

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

production. Gooy Teppe is another significant site, where a metal plaque dating from 800 BC was found that depicts a scene from the epic of Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh was the fifth king of Uruk, modern day Iraq , placing his reign ca. 2500 BC. According to the Sumerian king list he reigned for 126 years. In the Tummal Inscription, Gilgamesh, and his son Urlugal, rebuilt the sanctuary of the goddess Ninlil, in Tummal, a sacred quarter in her city of...

.

Ruins such as these and the UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

world heritage site at the Sassanid compound of Takht-i-Suleiman

Takht-i-Suleiman

For the similarly named locations see Takht-e Suleyman Massif in Iran, Taxte Soleymān in Pakistan, and Sulayman Mountain near Osh, Kyrgyzstan.Taxte Soleymān, is an archaeological site in West Azarbaijan, Iran...

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

Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran

Iran Cultural Heritage, Handcrafts and Tourism Organization is an educational and research institution overseeing numerous associated museum complexes throughout Iran. It is administered and funded by the Government of Iran....

.

While some Muslim researchers have proclaimed that the birth of the prophet Zoroaster was in this area, in the vicinity of Lake Orumieh

Lake Urmia

(Chichesht), Konzak City, recent scholarship indicates that Ardabil

Ardabil

Ardabil is a historical city in north-western Iran. The name Ardabil probably comes from the Zoroastrian name of "Artavil" which means a holy place. Ardabil is the center of Ardabil Province. At the 2006 census, its population was 412,669, in 102,818 families...

or sites in Central Asia are more likely.

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.

The first monarch of Iran

Iran

's Qajar dynasty, Mohammad Khan Qajar

Mohammad Khan Qajar

Agha Muḥammad Khān Qājār ‎‎ was the chief of the Qajar tribe, succeeding his father Mohammad Hassan Khan, who was killed on the orders of Adil Shah. He became the Emperor/Shah of Persia in 1794 and established the Qajar dynasty...

, was crowned in Urmia

Urmia

in 1795.

Significant events in 19th and 20th century that took place are:

Shaikh Ubeidullah Revolts, west and south of Lake Urmia
Urmia
- Demographics :According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia is about 871,204.- Language :The population of Urmia is mainly Azerbaijani people, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities...

in 1880;
Simko Insurrections, west of Lake Urmia
Urmia
- Demographics :According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia is about 871,204.- Language :The population of Urmia is mainly Azerbaijani people, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities...

from 1918 to 1922;
the Soviet occupation in 1946;
the foundation and destruction of the Republic of Mahabad
Republic of Mahabad
The Republic of Mahabad , officially known as Republic of Kurdistan and established in Iranian Kurdistan, was a short-lived, Kurdish government that sought Kurdish autonomy within the limits of the Iranian state. The capital was the city of Mahabad in northwestern Iran...

in 1946; and
periodic severe fighting from 1979 until 1990s (and even to the present, but on a smaller scale http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/article_8780.shtml) between Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...

(nationalist
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...

and communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...

) forces and the Iranian government. At times, large parts of the province were without government control http://countrystudies.us/iran/40.htm.

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 6, 1945 by the Central Committee of the Communist Party
Communist party
A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...

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
Gilan Province
Gilan Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It lies along the Caspian Sea, just west of the province of Mazandaran, east of the province of Ardabil, north of the provinces of Zanjan and Qazvin....

, Mazandaran
Mazandaran Province
Mazandaran Province is a Caspian province in the north of Iran. Located on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, it is bordered clockwise by the Golestan, Semnan, Tehran, Alborz, Qazvin, and Gilan provinces....

, Gorgan
Gorgan
Gorgan Some east of Gorgan is the Golestan National Park. The city has a regional airport and several universities. Gorgan Airport was opened in September 2005.-Etymology:...

, and Khorasan".

Geography and climate

With an area of 43,660 square kilometers, including Lake Urmia

Lake Urmia

, the province of West Azerbaijan 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

Piranshahr

Piranshahr is a city in and the capital of Piranshahr County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 57,692, in 12,184 families....

to 11.6 °C in Mahabad

Mahabad

-Culture:Muhammad Qazi translated more than 70 important literary works into Persian. Other writers and poets have hailed from Mahabad in the 19th and 20th century including Wafaei , Hejar , Hêmin , Abdorrahamn Zabihi and Giw Mukriyani...

, while it is 9.8 °C in Urmia

Urmia

, 10.8 °C in Khoy

Khoy

Khoy is a city in and the capital of Khoy County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 178,708, in 45,090 families....

, 9.4 °C in Piranshahr

Piranshahr

Piranshahr is a city in and the capital of Piranshahr County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 57,692, in 12,184 families....

, 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. Average annual precipitation ranges from 870 millimetres (34 in) of rainfall equivalent in exposed southern areas down to around 300 millimetres (12 in) in Maku in the north, of which a substantial proportion is snow.

West Azerbayjan 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.

Administrative divisions

West Azerbaijan counties

The province is divided into 14 shahrestans (counties). The present number of shahrestans (counties) was achieved over time by subdivision of many of the larger shahrestans into smaller ones. The current shahrestans are: Piranshahr

Piranshahr County

Piranshahr County is a county in West Azerbaijan Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Piranshahr. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 107,677, in 20,617 families. The county is subdivided into two districts: the Central District and Lajan District...

, Urmia

Urmia County

Urmia County is a county in West Azerbaijan Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Urmia. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 856,914, in 215,342 families...

, Mahabad

Mahabad County

Mahabad County is a county in West Azerbaijan Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Mahabad. The language of the inhabitants is Sorani Kurd with the Mokriani dialect. Because of its strategic position and its proximity with the border the city is a stop for many travelers...

, Oshnaviyeh, Miandoab

Miandoab County

Miandoab County is a county in West Azerbaijan Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Miandoab. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 245,153, in 59,998 families. The county is subdivided into three districts: the Central District, Marhemetabad District, and Baruq District...

, Naghadeh

Naqadeh County

Naqadeh County is a county in West Azerbaijan Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Naqadeh. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 117,831, in 27,937 families. The county is subdivided into two districts: the Central District and Mohammadyar District...

, Takab

Takab County

Takab County is a county in West Azerbaijan Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Takab. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 81,395, in 17,618 families. The county is subdivided into two districts: the Central District and Takht-e Soleyman District...

, Shahindej

Shahindej County

Shahin Dezh County is a county in West Azerbaijan Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Shahin Dezh. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 89,356, in 20,911 families. The county is subdivided into two districts: the Central District and Keshavarz District...

, Maku

Maku County

Maku County is a county in West Azerbaijan Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Maku. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 174,578, in 39,765 families; excluding those portions, the population was 84,516 in 19,238 families...

, Chaldoran County

Chaldoran County

Chaldoran County is a county in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. The capital of the county is Siah Cheshmeh or Qara Aineh is also called Chaldoran. The other prominent town in the district is Avajiq. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 44,572, in 9,006 families...

, Salmas

Salmas County

Salmas County is a county in West Azarbaijan Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Salmas. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 107,677, in 20,617 families. The county is subdivided into two districts: the Central District and Kuhsar District...

, Khoy

Khoy County

Khoy County is a county in West Azerbaijan Province in Iran. At the 2006 census, the county's population Khoy County is a county in West Azerbaijan Province in Iran. At the 2006 census, the county's population Khoy County is a county in West Azerbaijan Province in Iran. At the 2006 census, the...

, Sardasht

Sardasht County

Sardasht County is a county in West Azerbaijan Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Sardasht. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 104,146, in 20,414 families. The county is subdivided into two districts: the Central District and Vazine District...

and Bukan

Bukan County

Bukan County is a county in West Azerbaijan Province in Iran. The capital of the county is Bukan. At the 2006 census, the county's population was 202,637, in 42,313 families. The county is subdivided into two districts: the Central District and Simmineh District...

Demographics

There are no official statistics or census figures on the ethnic makeup of Iran. The bulk of the population in West Azerbaijan Province are mainly Azerbaijanis

Azerbaijani people

The Azerbaijanis are a Turkic-speaking people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in the neighbourhood states, Georgia, Russia and formerly Armenia. Commonly referred to as Azeris or Azerbaijani Turks , they also live in a wider area from the Caucasus to...

and Kurds. There are three ethnic and religious groups who are native to the province but who have minority status: Assyrians

Assyrian people

The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...

, Armenians

Armenians

Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....

, and Jews. There are also immigrants from other parts of Iran in the major cities of the province.

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: Shia and Sunni Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

, Christianity

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

, Judaism

Judaism

Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...

, and Yarasani

Ahl-e Haqq

The Ahl-e Haqq or Yârsân , are members of a religion founded by Sultan Sahak in the late 14th century in western Iran. The total number of members is estimated at around 1,000,000, primarily found in western Iran and Iraq, mostly ethnic Kurds and Laks, though there are also smaller groups of Luri,...

. Both Azeri

Azerbaijani people

s and Kurd

Kurdish people

The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...

s follow Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

, the Kurd

Kürd

Kürd or Kyurd or Kyurt may refer to:*Kürd Eldarbəyli, Azerbaijan*Kürd Mahrızlı, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Goychay, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Jalilabad, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Qabala, Azerbaijan*Qurdbayram, Azerbaijan...

s belonging mainly to the Sunni branch and the Azerbaijanis

Azerbaijani people

being Shias. There is also a very small minority who follow a religion called Yarasani

Ahl-e Haqq

(or Ahl-e Haqq, اهل حق). Christianity

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

is the only religion of the Assyrians

Assyrian people

The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...

, and Armenians

Armenians

. The Jews

Jews

The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...

, as the name indicates, belong to the Jewish

Judaism

Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...

religion.There are also Bahais and Zoroastrians in the province.

Religion

In this province, Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

(Sunni and Shiite) is the majority religion. However, there is also a large Assyrians

Assyrian people

The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

minority, who have historically lived on the west shore of Lake Urmia

Lake Urmia

, as well as Armenia

Armenia

Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...

ns who are scattered throughout the province. Notably, the city of Maku

Maku, Iran

Maku is a city in the West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 41,865, in 10,428 families.It is situated from the Turkish border in a mountain gorge at an altitude of 1634 metres. The Zangmar River cuts through the city. The common languages in Maku are Kurdish and...

in northern West Azerbaijan 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

Qara-Kelissa

The Saint Thaddeus Monastery , also known as Kara Kilise , is an ancient Armenian monastery located in the mountainous area of Iran's West Azarbaijan Province, about 20 km from the town of Maku....

. Besides being a religious site with a particular significance among Christians, particularly Armenians

Armenians

, this large church (monastery) is also a rare and valuable monument in architectural and artistic terms.

St. Thaddeus

Saint Jude

Jude was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is generally identified with Thaddeus, and is also variously called Jude of James, Jude Thaddaeus, Judas Thaddaeus or Lebbaeus...

, 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 1329, the church was reconstructed in its present form after an earthquake destroyed the structure in 1319.

Churches in West Azerbaijan

In all, thirty-one churches are registered by the Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran

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:

Armenian Churches

Monastery of St. Thaddeus (Surp Tade Vank) - Maku
Maku
Maku or Macu can refer to any of the following:* Maku, Iran, a Kurdish city in West Azarbaijan province, Iran* Maku County, Iran* Maku river, a tributary of the Barak River of Manipur* Maku , the name of a region in ancient Armenia...

- Karakelisa - Early Christianity (Renovated in 1329 and 1820)
St. Sandukht (Surp Sandukht) Church - Maku - Karakelisa - 14th c.
St. Vardan (Surp Vardan) Church - Maku - Shaveran - 18th c.
Monastery of Holy Mary (Surp Asdvadzadzin Vank) - Maku - Baron (Dzor Dzor) - 1324
St. Sarkis (Surp Sarkis) Church - Khoy - 1120
Holy Cross of Christ (Surp Khatch Kristosi) Church - Khoy
Khoy
Khoy is a city in and the capital of Khoy County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 178,708, in 45,090 families....

- Mahlazan - 1656
Holy Mary (Surp Asdvadzadzin) Church - Khoy - Ghris - 16th c.
St. Sarkis (Surp Sarkis) Church - Khoy - Fanai - 16th c.
Holy Mary (Surp Asdvadzadzin) Church - Khoy - Dizeh - 18th c.
St. Sarkis the Commander (Surp Sarkis Zoravar) Church - Khoy - Var - 18th c.
St. James (Surp Hakop) Church - Khoy - Saeedabad - 18th c.
Holy Mary (Surp Asdvadzadzin) Church - Salmas
Salmas
Salmas is a city in and the capital of Salmas County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 79,560, in 19,806 families....

- Akhtekhaneh - 18th c.
St. James (Surp Hakop) Church - Salmas - Aslanik - 1886
St. George (Surp Gevorg) Church - Salmas - Charik - 1203
St. Sarkis the Commander (Surp Sarkis Zoravar) Church - Salmas - Drishk - 1400
St. Sarkis (Surp Sarkis) Church - Salmas - Qalasar - 1806
Sts. Paul-Peter (Surp Poghos-Petros) Church - Salmas - Qezeljeh
St. John (Surp Hovhannes) Church - Salmas - Qezeljeh - 1189
Holy Mary (Surp Asdvadzadzin) Church - Salmas - Haftvan - 18th c.
St. George (Surp Gevorg) Church - Salmas - Haftvan - 1652
St. Thaddeus (Surp Tadevos) Church - Salmas - Haftvan - 13th c.
Sts. Paul-Peter (Surp Poghos-Petros) Church - Salmas - Haftvan
St. Sarkis (Surp Sarkis) Church - Salmas - Khosrowabad - 1717
St. Sarkis (Surp Sarkis) Church - Salmas - Goluzan - 18th c.
Holy Mary (Surp Asdvadzadzin) Church - Salmas - Sheitanabad - 1708
St. George (Surp Gevorg) Church - Salmas - Payajuk - 1751
St. George (Surp Gevorg) Church - Salmas - Karabulagh
St. George (Surp Gevorg) Church - Salmas - Hodar - 1813
St. James (Surp Hakop) Church - Salmas - Kohneshahr - 1671
St. Sarkis (Surp Sarkis) Church - Salmas - Kohneshahr - 1671
St. John (Surp Hovhannes) Church - Salmas - Kohneshahr - 1825
St. Sarkis the Commander (Surp Sarkis Zoravar) Church - Salmas - Malham - 1711
St. Vardan (Surp Vardan) Church - Salmas - Malham - 1724
Holy Monks (Surp Chknavorats) Church - Salmas - Malham - 1796
St. Sarkis (Surp Sarkis) Church - Salmas - Saramolk - 1758
Holy Mary (Surp Asdvadzadzin) Church - Salmas - Sarna - 1625
St. George (Surp Gevorg) Church - Salmas - Savera - 18th c.
All Saviour (Surp Amenaprgitch) Church - Salmas - Zivajik - 1892
St. Sarkis (Surp Sarkis) Church - Salmas - Kojamish - 1348
St. Sarkis (Surp Sarkis) Church - Salmas - Ula
St. Stephen (Surp Stepanos) Church - Urmia - 18th c.
St. John (Surp Hovhannes) Church - Urmia - Balanej - 17th c.
St. John (Surp Hovhannes) Church - Urmia - Badelbo - 18th c.
St. Sarkis (Surp Sarkis) Church - Urmia - Surmanabad - 18th c.
Holy Sign (Surp Nshan) Church - Urmia - Jamalabad - 18th c.
St. John (Surp Hovhannes) Church - Urmia - Jamalabad - 18th c.
St. George (Surp Gevorg) Church - Urmia - Gardabad - 17th c.
St. Sarkis (Surp Sarkis) Church - Urmia - Ikiaghaj - 17th c.
Holy Mary (Surp Asdvadzadzin) Church - Urmia - Isalu - 17th c.
Holy Mary (Surp Asdvadzadzin) Church - Urmia - Karaguz - 18th c.
St. John (Surp Hovhannes) Church - Urmia - Karagiz - 18th c.
Holy Mary (Surp Asdvadzadzin) Church - Urmia - Nakhichevan Tepe - 17th c.
Holy Mary (Surp Asdvadzadzin) Church - Urmia - Reihanabad - 17th c.
Holy Mary (Surp Asdvadzadzin) Church - Urmia - Sepurghan - 17th c.
St. Sarkis (Surp Sarkis) Church - Urmia - Sepurghan - 17th c.
St. Peter (Surp Petros) Church - Urmia - Karabagh - 1655
St. John (Surp Hovhannes) Church - Urmia - Adeh - 17th c.
Holy Mary (Surp Asdvadzadzin) Church - Urmia - Dizej Ala - 1820
St. John (Surp Hovhannes) Church - Urmia - Khan Babakhan - 17th c.
St. Sarkis (Surp Sarkis) Church - Urmia - Kachilan - 17th c.
St. George (Surp Gevorg) Church - Urmia - Shirabad - 18th c.
Holy Mary (Surp Asdvadzadzin) Church - Urmia - Charbakhsh - 1882
Sts. Paul-Peter (Surp Poghos-Petros) Church - Urmia - ChaharGushan - 18th c.
Holy Mary (Surp Asdvadzadzin) Church - Urmia - Rahava - 17th c.
Holy Mary (Surp Asdvadzadzin) Church - Urmia - Ballu - 17th c.
St. Sarkis (Surp Sarkis) Church - Urmia - Darbarud - 18th c.
St. Sarkis (Surp Sarkis) Church - Urmia - Kukia - 18th c.
Holy Mary (Surp Asdvadzadzin) Church - Urmia - Babarud - 18th c.
St. Sarkis (Surp Sarkis) Church - Miandoab
Miandoab
Miandoab is a city in and the capital of Miandoab County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 112,933, in 29,207 families....

- Taqiabad

Assyrian Churches

Holy Mary (Mart Maryam) Church - Urmia
Urmia
- Demographics :According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia is about 871,204.- Language :The population of Urmia is mainly Azerbaijani people, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities...

- 1st c.
St. Cyriacus (Mar Kuryakus) Church - Urmia - 18th c.
Holy Mary (Mart Maryam) Church - Urmia - CharBakhsh - 5th c.
Holy Gabriel (Mar Gabriel) Church - Urmia - Ordushahi - 19th c.
St. Shalita (Mar Shalita) Church - Urmia - Shirabad - 19th c.
St. Joseph (Mar Yozef) Church - Urmia - Shirabad - 1897
St. Sarkis (Mar Sargiz) Church - 5 km SW of Urmia - Seir - 5th c.
Holy Zion (Mar Sehyon) Church - 8 km E of Urmia - Golpashan
Golpashan
The Assyrian Christian village of Golpashan is located in the Western Azerbaijan province in Iran. It is located on the western shore of Lake Urmia....
St. George (Mar Gevargiz) Church - 8 km E of Urmia - Golpashan - 1905
Holy Mary (Mart Maryam) Church - 8 km E of Urmia - Golpashan
Sts. Peter-Paul (Mar Petros-Paulos) Church - 10 km E of Urmia - 8th c. - believed to be built by Bukhtishu
Bukhtishu
Bakhtshooa Gondishapoori were Persian Nestorian Christian physicians from the 7th, 8th, and 9th centuries, spanning 6 generations and 250 years. Some of them served as the personal physicians of Caliphs. Jurjis son of Bukht-Yishu was awarded 10,000 dinars by al-Mansur after attending to his malady...
Holy Mary (Mart Maryam) Church - 32 km E of Urmia - Mavana
St. Daniel (Mar Danial) Church - 25 km N of Urmia - Nazlu River - 5th c. - destroyed in World War I, rebuilt
St. John (Mar Yokhnah) Church - 45 km N of Urmia - Jamalabad - 5th c.
St. John (Mar Yokhnah) Church - 24 km N of Urmia - Adeh - 1901
St. Sabrisho (Mar Sabrisho) Church - 30 km N of Urmia - Mushiabad - 1880
St. George (Mar Gevargiz) Church - 35 km N of Urmia - Sepurghan - 1830
St. John (Mar Yokhnah) Church - 40 km N of Urmia - Gavilan - 5th c.
St. John (Mar Yokhnah) Church - 40 km N of Urmia - Gavilan - 19th c.
St. Thomas (Mar Toma) Church - 30 km W of Urmia - Balulan - 7th c.
St. Cyriacus (Mar Kuryakus) Church - Salmas
Salmas
Salmas is a city in and the capital of Salmas County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 79,560, in 19,806 families....

- Kohneshahr - 12th c.
St. James (Mar Yakob) Church - Salmas - Kohneshahr - 19th c.
St. Khinah (Mar Khinah) Church - Salmas - Sarna
Holy Mary (Mart Maryam) Church - Salmas - Savera
Vank - 2 km S of Salmas - Khosrowabad - 5th c. - The Holy Cross
True Cross
The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a Christian tradition, are believed to be from the cross upon which Jesus was crucified.According to post-Nicene historians, Socrates Scholasticus and others, the Empress Helena The True Cross is the name for physical remnants which, by a...

of Jerusalem was kept here for a while.
St. Sarkis (Mar Sargiz) Church - 2 km S of Salmas - Khosrowabad - 1869
St. George (Mar Gevargiz) Church - 2 km S of Salmas - Khosrowabad - 1845
Church - 12 km SW of Salmas - Akhtekhaneh - 1890
St. Sarkis (Mar Sargiz) Church - 2 km S of Salmas - Khosrowabad - 1869

In 2008, UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

selected a group of these religious structures as part of the Armenian Monastic Ensembles in Iran World Heritage Site

World Heritage Site

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...

West Azerbaijan today

The city of Urmia has a higher standard of living in comparison with the other cities of the province. There are plenty of parks, coffee shops, cinemas, and internet cafe

Internet cafe

An Internet café or cybercafé is a place which provides internet access to the public, usually for a fee. These businesses usually provide snacks and drinks, hence the café in the name...

s 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. http://www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3183

West Azerbaijan Province is one of the most important provinces for Iran's agriculture.

Iran's current Minister of Energy, Parviz Fattah

Parviz Fattah

Parviz Fattah is an Iranian politician, former member of Revolutionary Guard and former Iran's Minister of Energy in Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's cabinet -Biography:...

is from Urmia

Urmia

Culture

West Azerbaijan possesses a rich culture, stemming from Azeri and Kurdish traditions. Many local traditions, such as music and dance, continue to survive among the various peoples of the province. As a longstanding province of Persia, West Azerbaijan is mentioned favorably on many occasions in Persian literature

Persian literature

Persian literature spans two-and-a-half millennia, though much of the pre-Islamic material has been lost. Its sources have been within historical Persia including present-day Iran as well as regions of Central Asia where the Persian language has historically been the national language...

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

Ray, Iran

Rey or Ray , also known as Rhages and formerly as Arsacia, is the capital of Rey County, Tehran Province, Iran, and is the oldest existing city in the province....

, and Gorgan

Gorgan

Gorgan Some east of Gorgan is the Golestan National Park. The city has a regional airport and several universities. Gorgan Airport was opened in September 2005.-Etymology:...

.

--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

Urmia University , is a major university in the city of Urmia the Capital of West Azarbaijan province of Iran....

was first built by an American Presbyterian missionary in 1878. A medical faculty was also established there headed by Joseph Cochran

Joseph Cochran

Joseph Plumb Cochran, M.D. , was an American Presbyterian missionary. He is credited as the founding father of Iran’s first modern Medical School....

and a team of American medical associates. Joseph Cochran and his colleagues were buried in an old cemetery in the vicinity of Urmia

Urmia

. Urmia University

Urmia University

Urmia University , is a major university in the city of Urmia the Capital of West Azarbaijan province of Iran....

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

Higher education

Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...

Urmia University
Urmia University
Urmia University , is a major university in the city of Urmia the Capital of West Azarbaijan province of Iran....

http://www.urmia.ac.ir
Urmia University of Medical Sciences
Urmia University of Medical Sciences
Urmia University of Medical Sciences, is a medical school in West Azarbaijan of Iran.Located in the northwestern city of Urmia, the university has been under the Ministry of Health and Medical Education since 1986....
Urmia University of Technology
Islamic Azad University of Urmia
Islamic Azad University of Salmas
Islamic Azad University of Khoi
Islamic Azad University of Piranshahr
Payame Noor University of Piranshahr
Islamic Azad University of Mahabad

External links

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