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 ^*. The capital city of the province is Urmia.

History

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: ^* 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^*
• 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^*
• 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 between Kurdish (nationalist and communist) 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 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.

Climate

Demographics

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 ^*) are:

Religion

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

• 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.

West Azarbaijan today

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

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

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:

1. • Urmia University of Medical Sciences
   • Urmia University ^*
   • Islamic Azad University of Khoi
   • Islamic Azad University of Mahabad
   • Islamic Azad University of Urmia
   • Islamic Azad University of Piranshahr

References