Shahin Dezh
Persian: شاهيندژ | |
---|---|
City | |
Coordinates: 36°40′50″N 46°34′05″E / 36.68056°N 46.56806°E[1] | |
Country | Iran |
Province | West Azerbaijan |
County | Shahin Dezh |
District | Central |
Population (2016)[2] | |
• Total | 43,131 |
Time zone | UTC+3:30 (IRST) |
Shahin Dezh (Persian: شاهيندژ)[a] is a city in the Central District of Shahin Dezh County, West Azerbaijan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.[5]
Shahin Dezh is about 1,300 meters in elevation. The city is on the Zarrineh River, southeast of Lake Urmia.[citation needed]
The modern town of Shahin Dezh was formerly known as Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh.[6] The name Ṣāʾīn (also spelled Sāīn, Shahin, etcetera.) is derived from the Mongol sayin, which translates as "good".[6]
The local Turkic Afshars were brought to the area from Shiraz at the beginning of the 19th century by Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (r. 1797–1834), the second Qajar shah ("king") of Iran.[6] Later, a segment of these Afshars had to migrate to Urmia in order to make way for the Chardawri (Chardowli) Lurs.[6] The chief of the Chardowli's resided at Mahmuddjik and was the commander of c. 5,000 men.[6] In 1830, Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh was sacked by Kurds led by Sheikh Ubeydullah.[6] 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.[6]
The ancient Karaftu caves, first described by Robert Ker Porter (1777–1842), and the old site of Takht-e Soleyman were formerly located in the territory of the Afshars of Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh.[6] The lake of Chamli Göl, near the village of Badarli with its floating island were likewise well known at the time.[6] Some of the Afshars of Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh belonged to the Yarsanism sect.[6]
The old site of Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh is now occupied by the modern town of Shahin Dezh, which is also the chef-lieu of Shahin Dezh County. In c. 1950, its population was 3,170 which by 1991 had increased to 25,050.[6]
The fortress of Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh is sometimes confused with the similarly named fortress on the Abhar river to the east of Soltaniyeh, which was mentioned by Hamdallah Mustawfi (1281 – after 1339/40).[6]
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 34,204 in 8,671 households.[7] The following census in 2011 counted 38,396 people in 10,782 households.[8] The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 43,131 people in 12,826 households.[2]