Shahin Dezh () is a city in the Central District of

Shahin Dezh County Shahin Dezh County () is in West Azerbaijan province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Shahin Dezh. Demographics Ethnicity and religion About 70% of the population of the county are Shia Azerbaijanis and 30% are Sunni Kurds Kurds ( ...

West Azerbaijan West Azerbaijan province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran, provinces of Iran, whose capital and largest city is Urmia. It is in the Azerbaijan (Iran), northwest of the country, bordered by Turkey (Ağrı Province, Ağrı, Hakkâri Pr ...

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. Shahin Dezh is about 1,300 meters in elevation. The city is on the

Zarrineh River The Zarrineh Rud ( ) is a river in Kurdistan Province and West Azarbaijan Province, West Azerbaijan province, Iran. It is 302 km long, arising in the Zagros Mountains of Kurdistan Province south of Saqqez, where it is also known as the Jagha ...

, southeast of

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 ...

History

The modern town of Shahin Dezh was formerly known as Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh. The name Ṣāʾīn (also spelled Sāīn, Shahin, etcetera.) is derived from 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 ...

''sayin'', which translates as "good". The local Turkic Afshars were brought to the area from

Shiraz Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...

at the beginning of the 19th century by

Fath-Ali Shah Qajar Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (; 5 August 1772 – 24 October 1834) was the second Shah of Qajar Iran. He reigned from 17 June 1797 until his death on 24 October 1834. His reign saw the irrevocable ceding of Iran's northern territories in the Caucasus, com ...

(1797–1834), the second

Qajar The Guarded Domains of Iran, alternatively the Sublime State of Iran and commonly called Qajar Iran, Qajar Persia or the Qajar Empire, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Qajar dynasty, which was of Turkic origin,Cyrus Ghani. ''Iran an ...

shah Shāh (; ) is a royal title meaning "king" in the Persian language.Yarshater, Ehsa, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII, no. 1 (1989) Though chiefly associated with the monarchs of Iran, it was also used to refer to the leaders of numerous Per ...

'' ("king") of

. Later, a segment of these Afshars had to migrate to

Urmia Urmia (; ) is the largest city in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran. In the Central District of Urmia County, it is capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is situated near the borders of Iran with Turkey and Iraq. ...

in order to make way for the Chardawri (Chardowli)

Lurs The Lurs, Lors or Luris () are an Iranian people living in western and southern Iran. The four Luri branches are the Bakhtiari, Mamasani, Kohgiluyeh and Lur proper, who are principally linked by the Luri language. Lorestan province is name ...

. The chief of the Chardowli's resided at Mahmuddjik and was the commander of men. In 1830, Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh was sacked by

Kurds Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...

led by

Sheikh Ubeydullah Sheikh Ubeydullah (1826-1883), also known as Sayyid Ubeydullah, was the leader of the first modern Kurdish nationalist struggle. Ubeydullah demanded recognition from Ottoman Empire and Qajar Iran authorities for an independent Kurdish state, or ...

. Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh, being the site of an Iranian military garrison in the past, safeguarded the entrance to the Azerbaijan Province through the Zarrineh valley. The ancient Karaftu caves, first described by

Robert Ker Porter Sir Robert Ker Porter, KCH (1777–1842) was a Scottish artist, author, diplomat, and traveller. Known today for his accounts of his travels in Russia, Spain, Portugal and Persia, he was one of the earliest panorama painters in Britain, was ap ...

(1777–1842), and the old site of Takht-e Soleyman were formerly located in the territory of the Afshars of Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh. The lake of Chamli Göl, near the village of Badarli with its floating island were likewise well known at the time. Some of the Afshars of Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh belonged to the

Yarsanism Yarsanism (), Ahl-e Haqq (; ), or Kaka'i, is an Ethnoreligious group, inherited, syncretism, syncretic religion founded by Sultan Sahak in the late 14th century in western Iran. The total number of followers of Yarsanism is estimated to be over ...

sect. The old site of Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh is now occupied by the modern town of Shahin Dezh, which is also the chef-lieu of

. In , its population was 3,170 which by 1991 had increased to 25,050. The fortress of Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh is sometimes confused with the similarly named fortress on the Abhar river to the east of

Soltaniyeh Soltaniyeh () is a city in the Central District (Soltaniyeh County), Central District of Soltaniyeh County, Zanjan province, Zanjan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. History Soltaniyeh, located some ...

, which was mentioned by

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 ...

(1281 – after 1339/40).

Demographics

Population

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 34,204 in 8,671 households. The following census in 2011 counted 38,396 people in 10,782 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 43,131 people in 12,826 households.

Notes

References

External links