Sanandaj

Sanandaj (Persian: سنندج; fa Kurdish: سنە, romanized: Senneh[1]) is a city in the Central District of Sanandaj County, in the Kurdistan province of Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district.[2] With a population of 850,000,[3] it is the second largest Kurdish city and 20th largest city overall in Iran. The city is considered a historic centre of Kurdish cultural and intellectual life, particularly noted for its tradition of Kurdish music, poetry, and carpet weaving.[4][5]

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Demographics
* 2.1 Ethnicity
* 2.2 Language
* 2.3 Religion
* 2.4 Population
* 3 Geography
* 3.1 Location
* 3.2 Climate
* 4 Economy
* 5 Notable people
* 6 See also
* 7 Notes
* 8 References
* 9 Sources
* 10 Further reading
* 11 External links

## History

Sanandaj's founding is fairly recent, (about 250 years ago), yet in its short existence it has grown to become one of the centers of Kurdish culture.[6][7] During the Iran–Iraq War the city was attacked by Iraqi planes and saw disturbances.[8] Since 2019, UNESCO has recognized Sanandaj as Creative City of Music.[9]

The name "Sinna" first appears in records from the 14th century CE.[10] Before this, the main city in the region was Sisar, whose exact location is unknown.[10] Sisar was also called "Sisar of Sadkhaniya", or "Sisar of the hundred springs", and it has been proposed that the current name of "Sinna" is a contracted form of "Sadkhaniya".[10]

The name "Sisar" disappears in the 14th century and the name "Sinna" replaces it, for example in the works of Hamdallah Mustawfi who refers to a mountain and a pass with this name.[10] Then the Kurdish historian Sharaf al-Din Bitlisi mentions that in 1580 an Ardalan ruler named Timur Khan had a land grant including Sinna and the earlier Ardalan capital of Hasanabad.[11] However, the local historian Ali-Akbar Munshi Waqayi-Nigar wrote in 1892/3 that Sinna was founded later, by the ruler Soleyman Khan Ardalan, on the site of an earlier settlement; the chronogram he gives for this event corresponds to 1046 AH, or 1636-7 CE.[11]

Sinna was developed significantly under the reign of Aman Allah "the Great" (from 1797-1825).[11] 19th-century Sinna was "a lively commercial center, exporting oak galls, tragacanth, furs, and carpets".[11] Its population was mostly Kurdish, with a significant Jewish minority and smaller numbers of Armenian and Assyrian Christians (the latter of which are predominantly Chaldean Catholic).[11]

## Demographics

### Ethnicity

The population of Sanandaj is mainly Kurdish. The city also had an Armenian minority who gradually emigrated from the city. Until the Iranian Revolution (1979), the city had a small Aramaic-speaking Jewish community of about 4,000 people.[6] The city boasted a sizable Assyrian community that spoke a unique dialect of Aramaic called Senaya, they are mostly members of the Chaldean Catholic Church.[12] The Kurdish character of Sanandaj has been extensively documented in urban studies scholarship. Alizadeh and colleagues (2019) characterise Sanandaj as a paradigmatic example of a traditional Kurdish city, noting that its urban morphology, architectural heritage, and social organisation have been shaped over centuries by Kurdish cultural norms.[13]

### Language

The linguistic composition of the city:[14]

| Sanandaj linguistic composition

Language |  |  | percent |
Central Kurdish |

| 86%
Hawrami |

| 7%
New Persian |

| 4.95%
Southern Kurdish |

| 2%
Aramaic |

| 0.05%

The predominance of Central Kurdish in the city reflects the broader demographic composition of Iranian Kurdistan. Persian serves primarily as the language of education, government, and inter-ethnic communication, while Kurdish is the dominant vernacular of daily life.[15]

### Religion

Most of the people of Sanandaj follow the Shafi‘i branch of Sunni Islam.[16][17]

### Population

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 311,446 in 81,380 households.[18] The following census in 2011 counted 373,987 people in 106,771 households.[19] The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 412,767 people in 126,240 households.[20]

The city is the second largest Kurdish city in Iran, behind Kermanshah.[21]

## Geography

### Location

The city is between the Qishlaq river, a tributary of the Diyala, and Mount Awidar, which separates it from the old Ardalan capital of Hasanabad.[11] Carpet making is the biggest industry in Sanandaj.[11]

### Climate

Sanandaj city center in 2021

Sanandaj has a Mediterranean climate (Csa) according to the Köppen climate classification, bordering on a humid continental climate (Dsa), with cold and wet winters and very hot and dry summers.

The synoptic station of Sanandaj started working in the autumn of 1959.[22]

Highest recorded temperature: 44°C on 16 July 1981[23]

Lowest recorded temperature: -31°C on 6 February 1974[24]

Script error: No such module "weather box".

## Economy

The economy of Sanandaj is based upon the production of carpets, processed hides and skins, milled rice, refined sugar, woodworking, cotton weaving, metalware and cutlery.[27][28]

In Sanandaj, there is a combined cycle power plant with a capacity of 1000 megawatts, a petrochemical plant, a tractor manufacturing plant, a tire manufacturing plant, a tile and ceramic manufacturing plant, a pasteurized milk manufacturing plant, and hundreds of other factories.

There is also an international airport in Sanandaj.

In Sanandaj, there are two 5-star hotels, Laleh Hotel and Jin Plus Hotel, two 4-star hotels, Shadi Hotel and Shahu Hotel, and two 3-star hotels, Jahangardi Hotel and Farhangian Hotel.

The world's largest open-air cinema is located in Abidar Forest Park.

## Notable people

* Mastoureh Ardalan, Kurdish poet and historian
* Jalal Malaksha, Kurdish poet
* Mazhar Khaleqi, Kurdish singer
* Abbas Kamandi, Kurdish singer
* Nasser Razazi, Kurdish singer
* Voria Ghafouri, Kurdish footballer
* Zhina Modares Gorji is a local bookseller and podcaster who was sentenced to over twenty years in Sanandaj prison on several charges. The sentence was reduced on appeal to two years and four months for "propaganda against the state" in 2024.[29]

## See also

## Notes

## References

1. ↑ "Senneh rug". https://www.britannica.com/art/Senneh-rug.
2. ↑ Habibi, Hassan (2 November 2017) (in fa). ﻿Approval of the organization and chain of citizenship of the elements and units of the national divisions of Kurdistan province, centered in the city of Sanandaj﻿ (Report). Ministry of the Interior, Defense Political Commission of the Government Board. Proposal 3233.1.5.53; Letter 907-93808; Notification 83352/T130K. https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/113045. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
3. ↑ "آمار جمعیتی شهرستان سنندج :: فرمانداری سنندج". http://sanandaj.gov.ir/Default.aspx?TabID=2.
4. ↑ Alizadeh, Hooshmand (2021). Building a Traditional Kurdish City: The Urban Morphology of Sanandaj. Palgrave Macmillan.
5. ↑ Alizadeh, Hooshmand (2006). "The Concept of Kurdish City". The International Journal of Kurdish Studies 20 (1/2): 13–52.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Geoffrey Khan, The Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Sanandaj, Piscataway NJ: Gorgias Press, p. 1.
7. ↑ Sanandaj Encyclopædia Britannica, retrieved 16 July 2014.
8. ↑ "Sanandaj | Iran | Britannica". https://www.britannica.com/place/Sanandaj.
9. ↑ "Sanandaj one-year anniversary as a UNESCO Creative City of Music | Creative Cities Network". https://en.unesco.org/creative-cities/events/sanandaj-one-year-anniversary-unesco-creative-city-music.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Minorsky, Vladimir (1997). "SĪSAR". in Bosworth, C.E.; van Donzel, E.; Heinrichs, W.P. et al.. The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Vol. IX (SAN-SZE). Leiden: Brill. pp. 680–1. ISBN 90-04-10422-4. https://ia600603.us.archive.org/14/items/EncyclopaediaDictionaryIslamMuslimWorldEtcGibbKramerScholars.13/09.EncycIslam.NewEdPrepNumLeadOrient.EdEdComCon.BosDonHeinLec.etc.UndPatIUA.v9.San-Sze.Leid.EJBrill.1997..pdf. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 Minorsky, Vladimir (1997). "SANANDADJ". in Bosworth, C.E.; van Donzel, E.; Heinrichs, W.P. et al.. The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Vol. IX (SAN-SZE). Leiden: Brill. pp. 6–7. ISBN 90-04-10422-4. https://ia600603.us.archive.org/14/items/EncyclopaediaDictionaryIslamMuslimWorldEtcGibbKramerScholars.13/09.EncycIslam.NewEdPrepNumLeadOrient.EdEdComCon.BosDonHeinLec.etc.UndPatIUA.v9.San-Sze.Leid.EJBrill.1997..pdf. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
12. ↑ Khan, Geoffrey (2009) (in en). The Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Sanandaj. Gorgias Press. pp. 3–4. ISBN 978-1-60724-134-8.
13. ↑ Alizadeh, Hooshmand; Bahrami, Behzad; Farahani, Leila Mahmoudi (2019). "Geophysical Setting and Urban Form of a Traditional City: Examination of the Kurdish City of Sanandaj, Iran". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers – Urban Design and Planning 172 (6): 215–228. doi:10.1680/jurdp.18.00048.
14. ↑ "Language distribution: Kordestan Province". http://iranatlas.net/index.html?module=module.language-distribution.kordestan#eyJ0IjoieCIsImkiOiIyYzg5NmZiZWU2ZmNiZTNmNWQ3ODZkNGNjNzIwYWQxYiIsInMiOjE2MzI2MTAyNjI2NjV9.
15. ↑ Khan, Geoffrey (2009). The Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Sanandaj. Gorgias Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-60724-134-8.
16. ↑ "Intelligence Ministry "Invites" Rouhani Campaign Manager to Stop Advocating for Sunni Muslim Rights". 17 November 2017. https://www.iranhumanrights.org/2017/11/intelligence-ministry-invites-rouhani-campaign-manager-to-stop-advocating-for-sunni-muslim-rights/.
17. ↑ BC.Diakonoff, I. M. (1985), "Media", The Cambridge History of Iran, 2 (Edited by Ilya Gershevitch ed.), Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-20091-2
18. ↑ (in fa) (Excel) ﻿Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1385 (2006): Kurdistan Province﻿ (Report). The Statistical Center of Iran. http://www.amar.org.ir/DesktopModules/FTPManager/upload/upload2360/newjkh/newjkh/12.xls. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
19. ↑ (in fa) (Excel) ﻿Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1390 (2011): Kurdistan Province﻿ (Report). The Statistical Center of Iran. https://irandataportal.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/Kurdistan.xls. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
20. ↑ (in fa) (Excel) ﻿Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1395 (2016): Kurdistan Province﻿ (Report). The Statistical Center of Iran. https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/census/1395/results/abadi/CN95_HouseholdPopulationVillage_12.xlsx. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
21. ↑ "Sanandaj - Creative Cities Network". UNESCO. https://www.unesco.org/en/creative-cities/sanandaj.
22. ↑ "Statistics of 200 synoptic stations in the country" (in Persian). Iran Meteorological Organization. http://www.chaharmahalmet.ir/iranarchive.asp.
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Form 7: TEMPERATURE RECORDS HIGHEST IN C. Station: Sanandaj(40747)". Iran Meteorological Organization. http://www.chaharmahalmet.ir/stat/archive/iran/kor/SANANDAJ/7.asp.
24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Form 6: TEMPERATURE RECORDS LOWEST IN C. Station: Sanandaj(40747)". Iran Meteorological Organization. http://www.chaharmahalmet.ir/stat/archive/iran/kor/SANANDAJ/6.asp.
25. ↑ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020: Sanandaj-40747" (CSV). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-2-WMO-Normals-9120/Iran/CSV/Sanandaj_40747.csv.
26. ↑ "Form 32: NO. OF DAYS WITH SNOW OR SLEET Station: Sanandaj(40747)". Iran Meteorological Organization. http://www.chaharmahalmet.ir/stat/archive/iran/kor/SANANDAJ/32.asp.
27. ↑ "کردستان از نظر نرخ بیکاری در جایگاه دوم کشور قرار گرفت". http://www.yjc.ir/fa/news/4806092/کردستان-از-نظر-نرخ-بیکاری-در-جایگاه-دوم-کشور-قرار-گرفت.
28. ↑ "سرمایه‌گذاری در صنعت و معدن کردستان، 4 برابر کمتر از متوسط کشوری است". http://www.sanayenews.com/provinces/east-western/kordestan/3711.
29. ↑ KHRN (2024-10-07). "KHRN: Kurdish activist’s 21-year sentence reduced to two years, four months" (in en). https://kurdistanhumanrights.org/en/news/2024/10/07/kurdish-activists-21-year-sentence-reduced-to-two-years-four-months.

## Sources

* Yamaguchi, Akihiko (2021). "The Kurdish frontier under the Safavids". in Matthee, Rudi. The Safavid World. Routledge. pp. 556–571.

## Further reading

* Alizadeh, Hooshmand (2021). Building a Traditional Kurdish: City The Urban Morphology of Sanandaj. Palgrave Macmillan.
* Khan, Geoffrey; Mohammadirad, Masoud (2024). Language Contact in Sanandaj: A Study of the Impact of Iranian on Neo-Aramaic. De Gruyter Mouton.
* Yona, Sabar (2010). "Sanandaj". in Norman A. Stillman. Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World. Brill Online. https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-in-the-islamic-world/*-COM_0019140.

## External links

* Sanandaj
* Sanandaj Online Community
* Islamic Azad University of sanandaj

Template:Kurdistan Province

Template:Sanandaj County

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Provincial capitals of Iran

* Ahvaz
* Arak
* Ardabil
* Bandar Abbas
* Birjand
* Bojnord
* Bushehr
* Gorgan
* Hamadan
* Ilam
* Isfahan
* Karaj
* Kerman
* Kermanshah
* Khorramabad
* Mashhad
* Qazvin
* Qom
* Rasht
* Sanandaj
* Sari
* Semnan
* Shahr-e Kord
* Shiraz
* Tabriz
* Tehran
* Urmia
* Yasuj
* Yazd
* Zahedan
* Zanjan

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