Maragheh () is a city in the
Central District of
Maragheh County,
East Azerbaijan province,
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
Maragheh is on the bank of the river
Sufi Chay. It is from
Tabriz
Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...
, the largest city in northwestern Iran.
History
Pre-Islamic history
It has been long suggested that Maragheh is identical with Phraaspa/Phraata, the winter capital of
Atropatene
Atropatene (; ; ), also known as Media Atropatene, was an ancient Iranian peoples, Iranian kingdom established in by the Persian satrap Atropates (). The kingdom, centered in present-day Azerbaijan (Iran), Azerbaijan region in northwestern Ira ...
. The 9th-century Muslim historian
al-Baladhuri
ʾAḥmad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Jābir al-Balādhurī () was a 9th-century West Asian historian. One of the eminent Middle Eastern historians of his age, he spent most of his life in Baghdad and enjoyed great influence at the court of the caliph al ...
(died 892) reports that the town was originally known as Akra-rudh (called "Afrah-rudh" by
Ibn al-Faqih
Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Faqih al-Hamadani () (fl. 902) was a 10th-century Persian historian and geographer, famous for his ''Mukhtasar Kitab al-Buldan'' ("Concise Book of Lands") written in Arabic.
In the 1870s the Dutch orientalist Micha ...
, and "Afrazah-rudh" by
Yaqut al-Hamawi
Yāqūt Shihāb al-Dīn ibn-ʿAbdullāh al-Rūmī al-Ḥamawī (1179–1229) () was a Muslim scholar of Byzantine ancestry active during the late Abbasid period (12th–13th centuries). He is known for his , an influential work on geography con ...
) a Persian name which means "river of Afrah", and which the Russian
orientalist Vladimir Minorsky
Vladimir Fyodorovich Minorsky (; – 25 March 1966) was a White Russian academic, historian, and scholar of Oriental studies, best known for his contributions to the study of history of Iran and the Iranian peoples such as Persians, Lurs, and ...
considered to seem reminiscent of the name of Phraata. He added that it is unlikely that Maragheh did not exist during the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of Roman civilization
*Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
era, due to its favorable location.
Rule under the caliphate and Sajids
During the
Arab conquest of Iran
As part of the early Muslim conquests, which were initiated by Muhammad in 622, the Rashidun Caliphate conquered the Sasanian Empire between 632 and 654. This event led to the decline of Zoroastrianism, which had been the official religion of ...
, the towns of
Adharbayjan (which also must have included Maragheh) were captured by
al-Mughira
Abu Abd Allah al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba ibn Abi Amir ibn Mas'ud al-Thaqafi (); –671), was a prominent companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was known as one of the four 'shrewds of the Arabs' (''duhat al-Arab''). He belonged to the tribe ...
. The
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire (, ; ) was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty. Uthman ibn Affan, the third of the Rashidun caliphs, was also a membe ...
prince
Marwan ibn Muhammad
Marwan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan (; – 6 August 750), commonly known as Marwan II, was the fourteenth and last caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling from 744 until his death. His reign was dominated by a civil war, and he was the last Umayyad r ...
briefly stayed at Maragheh following his expedition to
Muqan and
Gilan
Gilan Province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, in the northwest of the country and southwest of the Caspian Sea. Its capital is the city of Rasht. The province lies along the Caspian Sea, in Iran's Region 3, west of the province of ...
in 740. It was during this period that the settlement was given the name of "Maragheh" (meaning "place where an animal rolls") due to the large quantity of dung there (Minorsky considers this to be an Arabic
folk etymology
Folk etymology – also known as (generative) popular etymology, analogical reformation, (morphological) reanalysis and etymological reinterpretation – is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a mo ...
of pre-existing local name). Marwan also engaged in some building activities in the town. Control over the town was later handed to the daughters of the Abbasid caliph
Harun al-Rashid
Abū Jaʿfar Hārūn ibn Muḥammad ar-Rāshīd (), or simply Hārūn ibn al-Mahdī (; or 766 – 24 March 809), famously known as Hārūn al-Rāshīd (), was the fifth Abbasid caliph of the Abbasid Caliphate, reigning from September 786 unti ...
().
Due to the rebellion of the lord of
Tabriz
Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...
, Wajna ibn Rawwad, a wall was erected around Maragheh and a garrison was also established there. This was done under the orders of
Khuzayma ibn Khazim, the governor of Adharbayjan and
Arminiya
Arminiya, also known as the Ostikanate of Arminiya (, ''Hayastani ostikanut'yun'') or the Emirate of Armenia (, ''imārat armīniya''), was a political and geographic designation given by the Muslim Arabs to the lands of Greater Armenia, Cauca ...
(Armenia), a position he had probably reached in 803. Following the launch of the rebellion of
Babak Khorramdin in 816/17, the people sought shelter in Maragheh. The caliph
al-Mam'un () soon had the walls of the town was restored, followed by the re-population of the place. In 836, Maragheh served as the winter quarters of
Khaydhar ibn Kawus al-Afshin during his expedition against Babak.
In an attempt to reduce the unstable autonomy of the Arab chieftains of Adharbayjan and partly to curb the dominance of the
Bagratid kings of Armenia, the caliph al-Mu'tamid installed
Muhammad ibn Abi'l-Saj
Muhammad ibn Abi'l-Saj () also known as Muhammad al-Afshin (died 901), an Iranian appointed general of al-Mu'tadid, He was the founder of Sajid dynasty and governor of Azerbaijan, from 889 or 890 until his death. He was the son of Abi'l-Saj Devd ...
as the governor of Adharbayjan and Armenia in 889/90, or more likely, in 892. The latter belonged to the
Sajid family, native to
Ushrusana
''Osrušana'' () or ''Ustrushana'' was a former Iranian regionC. Edmund Bosworth (2005), "Osrušana", in ''Encyclopaedia Iranica''. Online Accessed November 201Quote 1: "The region was little urbanized, and it long preserved its ancient Iranian ...
and most likely of
Sogdia
Sogdia () or Sogdiana was an ancient Iranian peoples, Iranian civilization between the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, and in present-day Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Sogdiana was also a province of the Achaemen ...
n origin. Muhammad's first challenge came in the form of 'Abd-Allah ibn al-Hasan ibn al-Hamdani, a rebel who had taken control of Maragheh. Muhammad convinced him to surrender in 893 by promising his safety, but once 'Abd-Allah did so he was executed by the Sajid. Maragheh was afterwards made Muhammad's capital, though he usually resided in
Barda'a. Muhammad amassed so much authority that he briefly declared independence from the caliphate.
Following Muhammad's death to an
epidemic
An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of hosts in a given population within a short period of time. For example, in meningococcal infection ...
in 901, his troops installed his son
Devdad ibn Muhammad on the throne. Five months after, however, the latter was removed from power by his uncle
Yusuf ibn Abi'l-Saj
Yusuf ibn Abi'l Saj (died, d. 928) was the Sajids, Sajid Emir of Azerbaijan (Iran), Azerbaijan from 901 until his death. He was the son of Abi'l-Saj Devdad.
War with Armenians and Georgians
Yusuf came to power in 901 by overthrowing his nephew, ...
, who destroyed the walls of Maragheh and moved his capital to
Ardabil
Ardabil (, ) is a city in northwestern Iran. It is in the Central District (Ardabil County), Central District of Ardabil County, Ardabil province, Ardabil province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district.
The ...
. In 909, Yusuf was officially acknowledged as the ruler of Adharbayjan and Armenia by the newly ascended caliph
al-Muqtadir
Abū’l-Faḍl Jaʿfar ibn Al-Mu'tadid, Aḥmad ibn Al-Muwaffaq, Ṭalḥa ibn Al-Mutawakkil, Jaʿfar ibn al-Mu'tasim, Muḥammad ibn Harun al-Rashid, Hārūn Al-Muqtadir bi'Llāh () (895 – 31 October 932 AD), better known by his regnal name a ...
. A
dirham
The dirham, dirhem or drahm is a unit of currency and of mass. It is the name of the currencies of Moroccan dirham, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates dirham, United Arab Emirates and Armenian dram, Armenia, and is the name of a currency subdivisi ...
struck by Yusuf at Maragheh from the same year has been found. The last Sajid ruler,
Abu'l-Musafir al-Fath, was killed at Maragheh in 929.
Daylamite rule
Following the collapse of the Sajid kingdom, the
Kurdish
Kurdish may refer to:
*Kurds or Kurdish people
*Kurdish language
** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji)
**Central Kurdish (Sorani)
**Southern Kurdish
** Laki Kurdish
*Kurdish alphabets
*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:
**Southern ...
commander
Daysam ibn Ibrahim al-Kurdi
Daysam ibn Ibrahim (or Daysam) or sometimes called Daysam ibn Ibrahim al-Kurdi (d. c. 957) was a Kurdish commander who occasionally ruled Adharbayjan between 938 and 955 during the power struggle that ensured after the fall of the Sajid dynasty. ...
attempted to establish his rule over Azerbaijan, but he was eventually defeated in 941/42 by
Marzuban ibn Muhammad
Marzuban ibn Muhammad (died 957) was the Sallarid ruler of Azerbaijan (941/42–957). He was the son of Muhammad bin Musafir, the ruler of Tarum.
Takeover of Azerbaijan
In 941 Marzuban and his brother Wahsudan ibn Muhammad, with the tacit ap ...
(), who gained control over the region, expanding his realm as far as
Dvin in Armenia. The latter belonged to the
Sallarid dynasty
The Sallarid dynasty (), (also known as the Musafirids or Langarids) was a Muslim dynasty of Daylami origin, which ruled in Tarom, Samiran, Daylam, Gilan and subsequently Azerbaijan, Arran, and some districts in Eastern Armenia in the 2nd half o ...
, of
Daylamite
The Daylamites or Dailamites (Middle Persian: ''Daylamīgān''; ''Deylamiyān'') were an Iranian people inhabiting the Daylam—the mountainous regions of northern Iran on the southwest coast of the Caspian Sea, now comprising the southeastern ...
stock and originally centered in the
Tarum district of
Daylam
Daylam (), also known in the plural form Daylaman () (and variants such as Dailam, Deylam, and Deilam), was the name of a mountainous region of inland Gilan, Iran. It was so named for its inhabitants, known as the Daylamites.
The Church of the Ea ...
. In 948, Azerbaijan was briefly controlled by the
Buyid dynasty
The Buyid dynasty or Buyid Empire was a Zaydi and later Twelver Shi'a dynasty of Daylamite origin. Founded by Imad al-Dawla, they mainly ruled over central and southern Iran and Iraq from 934 to 1062. Coupled with the rise of other Iranian dyn ...
, as demonstrated by a coin struck at Maragheh by
Abu Mansur Muhammad
Abu Mansur Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Razzaq ibn 'Abdallah ibn Farrukh, also simply known as Abu Mansur Muhammad and Ibn 'Abd al-Razzaq, was an Iranian peoples, Iranian aristocrat who served the Samanids for most of his career, and briefly served as gove ...
, a general of the Buyid ruler
Rukn al-Dawla
Hasan (died September 976), better known by his ''laqab'' as Rukn al-Dawla ( Persian: رکنالدوله دیلمی), was the first Buyid amir of northern and central Iran (c. 935–976). He was the son of Buya.
Struggle for power
Hasan was ...
().
Rawadid and Seljuk rule

Following the death of the Sallarid
Ibrahim I ibn Marzuban I in 983, Azerbaijan (excluding a small part, possibly
Miyana) was conquered by the Kurdish
Rawadids, former vassals of the Sallarids. In 1039, Maragheh was sacked by a wave of immigrating
Oghuz Turks
The Oghuz Turks ( Middle Turkic: , ) were a western Turkic people who spoke the Oghuz branch of the Turkic language family. In the 8th century, they formed a tribal confederation conventionally named the Oghuz Yabgu State in Central Asia ...
, who destroyed its mosque and killed many of its inhabitants. In 1054, the Rawadid ruler
Abu Mansur Wahsudan
Abu Mansur Wahsudan (also spelled Vahsudan; ) was the penultimate Rawadid amir (ruler) of Azarbaijan from 1025 to 1058/59. He is considered the most prominent ruler of his dynasty. With the assistance of his Kurdish neighbours, he initially ...
() was forced to submit to the
Seljuk Seljuk (, ''Selcuk'') or Saljuq (, ''Saljūq'') may refer to:
* Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia
* Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities
* S ...
ruler
Tughril
Abu Talib Muhammad Tughril ibn Mika'il (), better known as Tughril (; also spelled Toghril / Tughrul), was a Turkoman"The defeat in August 1071 of the Byzantine emperor Romanos Diogenes
by the Turkomans at the battle of Malazgirt (Manzikert) is ...
(). In 1070, Tughril arrested Wahsudan's son and successor
Abu Nasr Mamlan II
Abu Nasr Mamlan II (also spelled Muhammad II) was the last Rawadid '' amir'' (ruler) of Azarbaijan from 1058/9 to 1071. He was the son and successor of Abu Mansur Wahsudan
Abu Mansur Wahsudan (also spelled Vahsudan; ) was the penultimate Ra ...
() and incorporated Azerbaijan into his domain, thus marking the end of the Rawadid dynasty. In 1104, the Seljuk brothers and rivals
Berkyaruq () and
Muhammad I Tapar
Muhammad I Tapar (, ; 20 January 1082 – 18 April 1118), was the sultan of the Seljuk Empire from 1105 to 1118. He was a son of Malik-Shah I () and Taj al-Din Khatun Safariya.
Reign
Muhammad was born in 20 January 1082. He succeeded his nephew, ...
() had their peace treaty signed near Maragheh. A year later, Muhammad I visited Maragheh. In 1111/12, a certain Ahmadil ibn Ibrahim ibn Wahsudan was appointed as the ruler of Maragheh. The background of the latter is obscure, but some modern historians consider him to be from the Rawadid dynasty.
Ahmadili rule

Following Ahmadil's death on 16 May 1116, he was reportedly succeeded by his slave Aq Sunqur, who by 1122 had emerged as a semi-independent subject of the Seljuks. This marked the start of the
Ahmadili dynasty, a name they are commonly referred as due to their connection to Ahmadil. Aq Sunqur secretly conspired with the rebel prince Tughril ibn Muhammad, encouraging the latter to invade Maragheh in return for soldiers and aid. The rebellion failed in 1122/23, and led to the dismissal of Aq Sunqur by the Seljuk ruler
Mahmud II
Mahmud II (, ; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. Often described as the "Peter the Great of Turkey", Mahmud instituted extensive administrative, military, and fiscal reforms ...
(). However, Aq Sunqur was soon re-appointed as the governor of Maragheh. In 1150, the Seljuk ruler
Ghiyath ad-Din Mas'ud
Ghiyath al-Dunya wa'l-Din Abu'l-Fath Mas'ud bin Muhammad ( 1107 – 10 October 1152) was the Seljuq Sultan of Iraq and western Persia in 1133–1152.
Reign
Ghiyath ad-Din Masud was the son of sultan Muhammad I Tapar and his wife Nistandar Jaha ...
() besieged Maragheh, due to a conflict between Aq Sunqur's son and successor Arslan Aba and another local ruler. The town was captured after two days, but a resolution was soon reached through the mediation of various military leaders.
In 1174/75, the
Eldiguzid prince (and subsequent ruler)
Muhammad Jahan Pahlavan () besieged Maragheh, but was unsuccessful in capturing it. The last Ahmadili ruler of Maragheh was
Sulafa Khatun (). She was at
Ru'in Dez during the
Mongol
Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...
conquest of Maragheh in 1221, led by generals
Jebe
Jebe (or Jebei, , pronounced as ''Zev''; birth name: Jirqo'adai (Modern Mongolian: Zurgaadai), , ) (death: approximately 1224) was one of the most prominent Noyans (generals) of Genghis Khan. He belonged to the Besud clan, part of the Taichud ...
and
Subutai
Subutai (c. 1175–1248) was a Mongol general and the primary military strategist of Genghis Khan and Ögedei Khan. He ultimately directed more than 20 campaigns, during which he conquered more territory than any other commander in history a ...
.
The Mongols "stormed" the city on 30 March 1221 and burned it and killed its inhabitants. They continued south to capture and destroy
Hamadan
Hamadan ( ; , ) is a mountainous city in western Iran. It is located in the Central District of Hamadan County in Hamadan province, serving as the capital of the province, county, and district. As of the 2016 Iranian census, it had a po ...
, until they finally took again the northern route to
Derbent
Derbent, also historically known as Darband, or Derbend, is the southernmost city in Russia. It is situated along the southeastern coast of the Dagestan, Republic of Dagestan, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucas ...
and the Northern Caucassus, which culminate with the
Battle of the Kalka River
The Battle of the Kalka River was fought between the Mongol Empire, whose armies were led by Jebe and Subutai, and a coalition of several Rus' principalities, including Kievan Rus', Kiev and Kingdom of Galicia-Volhynia, Galicia-Volhynia, and t ...
in 1223.
Khwarazmian rule
In 1225, the
Khwarazmshah
Khwarazmshah was an ancient title used regularly by the rulers of the Central Asian region of Khwarazm starting from the Late Antiquity until the advent of the Mongols in the early 13th-century, after which it was used infrequently. There were a to ...
of the
Anushtegin dynasty
The Anushtegin dynasty or Anushteginids (English: , ), also known as the Khwarazmian dynasty () was a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turkic '' mamluk'' origin from the Bekdili clan of the Oghuz Turks. The Anushteginid dynasty ruled the Khwarazmia ...
,
Jalal al-Din Mangburni (), reached Maragheh, which he was able to enter without any trouble, due the discontentment of the locals towards the raids and oppression by the
Kingdom of Georgia
The Kingdom of Georgia (), also known as the Georgian Empire, was a Middle Ages, medieval Eurasian monarchy that was founded in Anno Domini, AD. It reached Georgian Golden Age, its Golden Age of political and economic strength during the reign ...
. Mangburni attempted to restore Maragheh to its previous successful state.
Mongol rule
In 1231, Mongol rule over Maragheh was made definite. After the Mongol ruler
Hulagu Khan
Hulegu Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulagu; ; ; ; ( 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of Western Asia. As a son of Tolui and the Keraite princess Sorghaghtani Beki, he was a grandson of Genghis Khan and brother of ...
() had
captured Baghdad in 1258, he established his residence in Maragheh. He also had an
observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysics, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed.
Th ...
built under the directorship of
Nasir al-Din al-Tusi
Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Ṭūsī (1201 – 1274), also known as Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī (; ) or simply as (al-)Tusi, was a Persians, Persian polymath, architect, Early Islamic philosophy, philosopher, Islamic medicine, phy ...
. Other buildings from this period are lacking, since the first Mongol
Ilkhanate
The Ilkhanate or Il-khanate was a Mongol khanate founded in the southwestern territories of the Mongol Empire. It was ruled by the Il-Khans or Ilkhanids (), and known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (). The Ilkhanid realm was officially known ...
rulers lived a semi-nomadic life.
Zakariya al-Qazwini
Zakariyya' al-Qazwini ( , ), also known as Qazvini (), (born in Qazvin, Iran, and died 1283), was a Cosmography, cosmographer and Geography in medieval Islam, geographer.
He belonged to a family of jurists originally descended from Anas bin Mal ...
, who wrote a geographical dictionary around 1275, seems to have known Maragheh well. He described its mineral springs, a cave which probably corresponds to the later Chay-Baghi, a mountain called Zanjaqan with its
calcareous
Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime (mineral), lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of Science, scientific disciplines.
In zoology
''Calcare ...
spring, and the "impregnable" fortress of Ru'in Dez. In 1304, the Ilkhanate ruler
Öljaitü
Öljaitü, also known as Mohammad-e Khodabandeh (24 March 1282 – 16 December 1316), was the eighth Ilkhanid dynasty ruler from 1304 to 1316 in Tabriz, Iran. His name 'Öjaitü' means 'blessed' in the Mongolian language and his last name 'Khod ...
() appointed Nasir al-Din Tusi's son as the new head of the observatory. In 1306, the prominent Sufi poet
Awhadi Maraghai
Awhadi Maraghei (also spelled Auhadi; ) (1274/75–1338) was a Persian Sufi poet primarily based in Azerbaijan during the rule of the Mongol Ilkhanate.
He is usually surnamed "Maraghai", but also mentioned as Awhadi Esfahani because his fat ...
settled in Maragheh, living there until his death on 6 April 1338. In 1312, Qara-Sunqur, the former ''
amir al-umara
The office of (), variously rendered in English as emir of emirs, prince of princes, chief emir, and commander of commanders, was a senior military position in the 10th-century Abbasid Caliphate, whose holders in the decade after 936 came to super ...
'' of Aleppo, was appointed ruler of Maragheh by Öljaitü. This event is described by the 14th-century
Maghrebi scholar
Ibn Battuta
Ibn Battuta (; 24 February 13041368/1369), was a Maghrebi traveller, explorer and scholar. Over a period of 30 years from 1325 to 1354, he visited much of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Iberian Peninsula. Near the end of his life, Ibn ...
, who also reports that Maragheh was called "Little Damascus". Qara-Sunqur died in 1328.
Writing 1340,
Hamdallah Mustawfi
Hamdallah Mustawfi Qazvini (; 1281 – after 1339/40) was a Persian official, historian, geographer and poet. He lived during the last era of the Mongol Ilkhanate, and the interregnum that followed.
A native of Qazvin, Mustawfi belonged to fami ...
described Maragheh as the capital of a
tuman which included all the southern portion of Azerbaijan. It bordered the ''tuman''s of Tabriz on the north and
Khoy
Khoy (, ) is a city in the Central District (Khoy County), Central District of Khoy County, West Azerbaijan province, West Azerbaijan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. Occupied since Medes, Median times, ...
on the west; to the east was
Iraq-e Ajam and to the south was Kurdistan. Among the cities underneath Maragheh were
Dih-i Khwaraqan,
Leylan, and
Pasveh. He also described six districts that belonged to Maragheh, some of whose readings are uncertain: Sarajun, Niyajun, Duzakhrud,
Gavdul (at the confluence of the Leylan and Jaghatu rivers), Behestan, and
Hashtrud
Hashtrud () is a city in the Central District of Hashtrud County, East Azerbaijan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
History
Hashtrud is home to Zahhak Castle, named after Zahhak in ancient Persian ...
. He also mentioned
Anguran as a dependency of Maragheh. Mustawfi reports that inhabitants of Maragheh spoke ''pahlavī-e moḡayyar'' ("modified Pahlavi"), i.e. the vernacular of northwestern and central Iran.
Modern era
The 17th century
Ottoman Turkish traveler
Evliya Çelebi
Dervish Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi (), was an Ottoman Empire, Ottoman explorer who travelled through his home country during its cultural zenith as well as neighboring lands. He travelled for over 40 years, rec ...
mentioned that the women or the "female society"
in Maragheh mostly conversed in Pahlavi. According to Mortaza Firuzi, Hossein Hassanpashaei, and Sanaz Rahkarfarshi, some sources either falsely disregard this language or deem it as the dominant language of Maragheh, which was most likely
Turkman based on the account of Evliya Çelebi.
According to the Encyclopedia of Islam, the current inhabitants speak Azeri Turkish, but in the 14th century, they still spoke “arabicized Pahlawi," an
Iranian
Iranian () may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Iran
** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran
** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia
** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...
dialect of the north western group.

Between the 18th and 20th centuries, Maragheh was governed by the
Moqaddam family The Moqaddam family (also known as the Moqaddam tribe) are a Turkic tribe/family centered in the Iranian town of Maragheh. They were created by the Safavid monarch Shah Abbas I () as part of his policy to redistribute land as well as the restructur ...
.
Demographics
Language and ethnicity
The population consists mostly of
Iranian Azerbaijanis
Iranian Azerbaijanis (; ) are the largest ethnic minority of Iran. They are primarily found in and are native to the Iranian Azerbaijan region including provinces of (East Azerbaijan, Ardabil Province, Ardabil, Zanjan Province, Zanjan, West ...
who are bilingual in
Azerbaijani and
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
.
Population
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 146,405 in 38,891 households.
The census in 2011 counted 162,275 people in 47,552 households.
The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 175,255 people in 54,958 households.
Geography
Maragheh is situated in a narrow valley running nearly north and south at the eastern end of a well-cultivated plain opening towards
Lake Urmia
Lake Urmia is an endorheic salt lake in Iran. The lake is located between the provinces of East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan in Iran, and west of the southern portion of the Caspian Sea. At its greatest extent, it was the largest lake in th ...
, the world's sixth-largest saltwater lake, which lies 30 km to the west.
It lies at the southern foot of Mount
Sahand, which separates it from the city of Tabriz to the north. The historical core of the city is on the east bank of the
Sufi Chay, which comes down from Mount Sahand before turning west and eventually flows out into Lake Urmia. The climate is relatively mild and moist, and the abundant water supply makes the surrounding area very fertile. Maragheh is surrounded by extensive vineyards and orchards, all well watered by canals led from the river, and producing great quantities of fruit.
The hills west of the town consist of horizontal strata of
sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
covered with irregular pieces of
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
.
The remains of the historic
Maragheh observatory
The Maragheh observatory (Persian language, Persian: رصدخانه مراغه), also spelled Maragha, Maragah, Marageh, and Maraga, was an astronomical observatory established in the mid 13th century under the patronage of the Ilkhanid Hulagu and ...
crown one of these hills.
Maragheh lies just off the main highway from Tabriz to
Kermanshah
Kermanshah is a city in the Central District (Kermanshah County), Central District of Kermanshah province, Kermanshah province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is from Tehran in the western pa ...
, which instead goes through Bonab further west. Another important road skirts around the south and southeast sides of Mount Sahand and connects Maragheh with
Ardabil
Ardabil (, ) is a city in northwestern Iran. It is in the Central District (Ardabil County), Central District of Ardabil County, Ardabil province, Ardabil province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district.
The ...
and
Zanjan further east.
Climate
Maragha observatory

On a hill west of the town are the remains of the famous
Maragheh observatory
The Maragheh observatory (Persian language, Persian: رصدخانه مراغه), also spelled Maragha, Maragah, Marageh, and Maraga, was an astronomical observatory established in the mid 13th century under the patronage of the Ilkhanid Hulagu and ...
called ''Rasad Khaneh'', constructed under the direction the
Ilkhanid
The Ilkhanate or Il-khanate was a Mongol khanate founded in the southwestern territories of the Mongol Empire. It was ruled by the Il-Khans or Ilkhanids (), and known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (). The Ilkhanid realm was officially known ...
king,
Hülagü Khan for
Nasir al-Din al-Tusi
Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan al-Ṭūsī (1201 – 1274), also known as Naṣīr al-Dīn al-Ṭūsī (; ) or simply as (al-)Tusi, was a Persians, Persian polymath, architect, Early Islamic philosophy, philosopher, Islamic medicine, phy ...
.
[ The building, which no doubt served as a citadel as well, enclosed a space of 340 by 135 meters, and the foundations of the walls were 1.3 to 2 meters in thickness.][ The observatory was constructed in the thirteenth century and was said to house a staff of at least ten astronomers and a librarian who was in charge of the library which allegedly contained over 40,000 books. This observatory was one of the most prestigious during the medieval times in the Islamic Empire during the golden age of Islamic science. The famous astronomer ]Ibn al-Shatir
ʿAbu al-Ḥasan Alāʾ al‐Dīn bin Alī bin Ibrāhīm bin Muhammad bin al-Matam al-Ansari, known as Ibn al-Shatir or Ibn ash-Shatir (; 1304–1375) was an Arab astronomer, mathematician and engineer. He worked as '' muwaqqit'' (موقت, timek ...
of Damascus built on the work of Maragha astronomers 100 years later.
In 1256 Nasir al-Din al-Tusi came to work at the Maragheh observatory after being attacked by a group of Mongols who came from the east. These Mongols ambushed Iran, crushing everything in their path. Nasir al-Din al-Tusi was located at the Alamut, a castle in the South Caspian province of Qazin, when the Mongols invaded. Hulagu Khan was the leader of the Mongols and grandson of Genghis Khan. He was a fearless leader and warrior who was determined to conquer not only the Alamut, but many other countries across the globe as well. In order to spare his life, Nasir al-Din al-Tusi told Hulagu that he could predict the future if only he had better equipment. Being interested in science, Hulagu believed him and appointed Nasir al-Din al-Tusi as the scientific advisor of the Mongols. Hulagu allowed Nasir al-Din al-Tusi to build an observatory, and Nasir al-Din al-Tusi chose Maragha, Iran. In 1259, the Maragheh observatory began construction, which took a total of three years to complete. Hulagu also put Nasir al-Din al-Tusi in charge of waqfs which were religious endowments. As director of the observatory, Nasir al-Din al-Tusi and his team were able to make fascinating discoveries in astronomy, physics, and mathematics.
Nasir al-Din al-Tusi was the director of the Maragheh observatory, and made many new discoveries while he was there. Such discoveries include the Tusi-couple, a system based on geometry that includes a smaller circle within a larger circle that is twice the diameter of the smaller circle. The rotations of the smaller circle allow a specific point on the circumference to oscillate back and forth in linear motion. The Tusi-couple solved many issues with Ptolemaic's systems over planetary motion. Also, he helped astronomy become more accurate by discovering brand new stars as well as composing a star catalogue with detailed information about each star. Another notable work from Nasir al-Din al-Tusi was an astronomical book that contained detailed notes and observations about the movement of planets. Under Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, scholars from across the Islamic world came to the Maragheh observatory in order to further their studies in math, science, and astronomy. Furthermore, many new instruments were introduced to the observatory, which made him and his team's work a competitor to that of Europe.
The Maragheh observatory eventually had its downfall in the 13th century. The Mongol leader, Hulagu, died in 1265, and Nasir al-Din al-Tusi died in 1274. Nasir al-Din al-Tusi's son became the director of the observatory after his father's death, however, there weren't enough scholars at the observatory to fund the research that was being conducted. Therefore, the Maragheh observatory became inactive at the beginning of the 14th century. Over time, the observatory began to crumble due to consistent earthquakes and the lack of preservation of the observatory. Furthermore, the contents of the observatory were stolen during Mongol raids which wiped out important documents and books that were contained within the libraries of the observatory.[
]
Universities in Maragheh
* University of Maragheh
* Payam-e Noor University of Maragheh
Azad University of Maragheh
Famous natives
''For a complete list see: :People from Maragheh''
File:Portrait of Mohammad Sa'ed.jpg, Mohammad Sa'ed
Mohammad Sa'ed Maraghei (; 28 April 1881 – 1 November 1973) was the 23rd Prime Minister of Iran.
Early life
Sa'ed was born in Maragheh, and studied at the University of Lausanne.
Prime minister
Sa'ed became prime minister after the fall of Al ...
, the 27th Prime Minister of Iran.
File:Bulud Qarachurlu.jpg, Bulud Qarachorlu, poet.
Sister cities and twin towns
* Goražde
Goražde ( sr-cyrl, Горажде, ) is a city and the administrative center of the Bosnian-Podrinje Canton Goražde of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is situated on the banks of the Drina rive ...
, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
,
Gallery
File:Ghafarieh.jpg, The Gonbad-e Ghafariyeh
File:گنبد کبود مراغه.jpg, The Gonbad-e Modavvar (left) and the Gonbad-e Kabud (right)
File:صوفی چای مراغه, File:صوفی چای.jpg
File:صوفی چای مراغه, File:صوفی چای.jpg
File:Elxanlı muzeyi Marağa (83).jpg, Museum of the Ilkhanate
The Ilkhanate or Il-khanate was a Mongol khanate founded in the southwestern territories of the Mongol Empire. It was ruled by the Il-Khans or Ilkhanids (), and known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (). The Ilkhanid realm was officially known ...
in Maragheh
File:Maragheh Train station.jpg, Train station in Maragheh
File:Daneshsara St.jpg, Street in Maragheh
File:پارک ملت - panoramio.jpg, Mellat Park
File:((( سرای صدر کبیربازار فرش مراغه))) - panoramio.jpg, Bazaar in Maragheh
See also
Notes
References
* E. Makovicky (1992): ''800-year-old pentagonal tiling from Maragha, Iran, and the new varieties of aperiodic tiling it inspired''. In: I. Hargittai, editor: Fivefold Symmetry, pp. 67–86. World Scientific, Singapore-London
* Peter J. Lu and Paul J. Steinhardt: ''Decagonal and Quasi-crystalline Tilings in Medieval Islamic Architecture'', Science 315 (2007) 1106–1110
Sources
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External links
Official website
Maragheh in Enc. Britannica
Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Center of Maragha
Maragheh photos
More photos and Information of Maragheh, Tishineh
{{Maragheh County, state=collapsed
Cities in East Azerbaijan province
Populated places in Maragheh County
Ilkhanate
Maragheh,