Maku ( fa, ماكو, , az, ماكي, translit=Makı, ) is a city in the West Azerbaijan Province,

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and the capital of Maku County. At the 2006 census, its population was 41,865, in 10,428 families. It is situated from the Turkish

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ca ...

in a mountain gorge at an altitude of 1,634 metres. The

Zangmar River The Zangmar River (also known as the Ṭłmut River) is a river in Maku County, West Azarbaijan Province, Iran. It originates in the Zagros Mountains above Maku, Iran along the Iran–Turkey border, not far from Mount Ararat and flows south and ...

cuts through the city."Pol-e Panj Cheshmeh (Five spans bridge)" Gardesh Yaran International Tour Operator Co.
/ref> Maku Free Trade and Industrial Zone is Iran's largest and the world's second largest free trade zone and will encompass an area of 5,000 square km when it was scheduled to open in 2011.

Azeris Azerbaijanis (; az, Azərbaycanlılar, ), Azeris ( az, Azərilər, ), or Azerbaijani Turks ( az, Azərbaycan Türkləri, ) are a Turkic people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. They are the second-most nume ...

are the majority while

Kurds ug:كۇردلار Kurds ( ku, کورد ,Kurd, italic=yes, rtl=yes) or Kurdish people are an Iranian peoples, Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdistan in Western Asia, which spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Ir ...

the minority of the city.

History

Maku was a region of the old

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''O ...

c. 300–800, previously known as Artaz according to Aziz Atiya's ''History of Eastern Christianity''. The Castle of Maku, original Shavarshan, was the center of the domains of the princely family of

Amatuni Amatuni ( hy, Ամատունի) is an ancient Armenian noble family, known from the 4th century in the canton of Artaz, between lakes Van and Urmia, with its center at Shavarshan (latter-day Maku), and subsequently also at Aragatsotn, west of ...

. The Artazian branch of Amatuni family was ruling the Maku region of Artaz still in the XVth century and successfully defended it against

Timurleng Timur ; chg, ''Aqsaq Temür'', 'Timur the Lame') or as ''Sahib-i-Qiran'' ( 'Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction'), his epithet. ( chg, ''Temür'', 'Iron'; 9 April 133617–19 February 1405), later Timūr Gurkānī ( chg, ''Temür Kür ...

, when he besieged the castle of Maku. Maku was the capital of a Kangarli Khanate one of numerous small, semi-independent

Maku Khanate Khanate of Maku was an 18th-20th century khanate based in Maku of the Bayat dynasty. It came into existence after the death of Nader Shah which led to the breakup of the Safavid empire, and gain semi-independence. It rejoined the Persian Empir ...

s that resulted from the breakup of the

Safavid Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...

empire in the 18th century. Maku served as the capital of the Kurdish Jalali dynasty into the 1860s when the centralizing

Qajar Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م ...

government in

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

removed them, appointing a governor instead. The city is well known in the history of the

Baháʼí Faith The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the essential worth of all religions and the unity of all people. Established by Baháʼu'lláh in the 19th century, it initially developed in Iran and parts of the ...

for its fort where the

Báb The Báb (b. ʿAlí Muḥammad; 20 October 1819 – 9 July 1850), was the messianic founder of Bábism, and one of the central figures of the Baháʼí Faith. He was a merchant from Shiraz in Qajar Iran who, in 1844 at the age of 25, claimed ...

had been exiled to and imprisoned for nine months. At this fortress

Mullá Husayn Mullá Husayn (1813 – 2 February 1849) ( fa, ملا حسين بشروئي Mulláh Hossein Boshru'i), also known by the honorific ''Jináb-i Bábu'l-Báb'' ("Gate of the Gate"), was a Persian religious figure in 19th century Persia and the fir ...

, the first Disciple of the Báb, arrived on Náw-Rúz of the year 1848 to see the Báb.

Climate

Maku has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi ...

( Köppen ''BSk'') owing to its location in the rain shadow of the

Zagros Mountains The Zagros Mountains ( ar, جبال زاغروس, translit=Jibal Zaghrus; fa, کوه‌های زاگرس, Kuh hā-ye Zāgros; ku, چیاکانی زاگرۆس, translit=Çiyakani Zagros; Turkish: ''Zagros Dağları''; Luri: ''Kuh hā-ye Zāgr ...

. The city is hot and dry in the summer, and cold with little snow in the winter. Most precipitation comes from spring

thunderstorms A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are somet ...

Population

According to the 2006 census, the city has a population of 42,500. The languages in Maku are

Azerbaijani Azerbaijani may refer to: * Something of, or related to Azerbaijan * Azerbaijanis * Azerbaijani language See also * Azerbaijan (disambiguation) * Azeri (disambiguation) * Azerbaijani cuisine * Culture of Azerbaijan The culture of Azerbaijan ...

, Kurdish, and Persian. #

Baqcheh Jooq Palace Baqcheh Jooq Palace is a palace located between the border towns of Maku and Bazargan in West Azarbaijan. It is situated in a vast garden covering about . This palace was built at the end of Qajar dynasty The Qajar dynasty (; fa, دودم� ...

: dates back to the end of the

period. It used to be the house of the local governor until 1974. It is 7 km northwest of central Maku and presently functions as a museum displaying some carpets and local handicrafts. #Farhad's Home: A place near

. A small home with a hall and two rooms that carved into the rock. The saying comes form the story

Farhad and Shirin Khosrow and Shirin ( fa, خسرو و شیرین) is the title of a famous tragic romance by the Persian poet Nizami Ganjavi (1141–1209), who also wrote Layla and Majnun. It tells a highly elaborated fictional version of the story of the lov ...

. #Ruins of a fortress are folded into a ledge of the high cliff that towers above the town centre. #Hiking: it is advisable to have a guide or stay within eyesight of the town. Due to its proximity to the Turkish border, it is easy to cross the border unintentionally. #Rock climbing: There are numerous rock climbing sites at the northern part of the city, some exceeding 200 meters. #Panj Cheshmeh – This bridge is located 5 km. from Maku on the Zangmar River, and is a monument from the Safavid era. This bridge was constructed in order to facilitate communications between Tabriz and Maku, and the surrounding rural areas.

Tourism

Visa-free

Holders of normal passports travelling as tourists can enter Maku, Iran without a visa with maximum stay of 2 weeks (extendable) as of September 2017.

Admission refused

Admission is refused to holders of passports or travel documents containing an

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

i visa or stamp or any data showing that visitor has been to Israel or indication of any connection with the state of Israel during the last 12 months.

References

''Maku on facebook''

''Maku on panoramio''
*P. Oberling, ''The Turkic Peoples of Iranian Azerbaijan'', 1964a, American Council of Learned Scientists

External links

Iran Free Zones official website

Maku Free Zone Organization official website
* Mahku2008

''Maku pictures''
* Mahrāveh Soroushiān, ''Maku, a Passageway to Cultures'' (''Maku, Gozar'gāh-e Farhang'hā''), in Persian, Jadid Online, 9 February 2009

An audio slideshow

(5 min 23 sec). {{Authority control Foreign trade of Iran Special economic zones Populated places in Maku County Cities in West Azerbaijan Province Kurdish settlements in West Azerbaijan Province