Soran, Iraq

City in Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Soran

City

Country|  Iraq
Autonomous region|  Kurdistan Region
Province| Erbil Province
Elevation

| 680 m (2,230 ft)
Population

• Total

| 350,000

Soran (Kurdish: سۆران ,Soran)[1] Classical Syriac: ܕܐܝܢܐ)[2][3][4] is a city in Erbil Governorate,[5] and the capital of Soran District in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Soran is one of the largest cities in Kurdistan Region with a population of about 350,000 people.[6]

## History

[edit]

Soran City as seen from Bradost Mt.

The city and district of Soran or Suran[7][8][9][10] is named after the Sorani Kurds who inhabit the same geographical region. Surani people are first attested during the rule of the Urartian Empire to have lived in modern Soran district stretching up to the areas around lake Urmia in Iran.[11][12] Sorani Kurds have given their name to the Sorani Dialect as well, which is one of the three branches of Kurdish language.

Cuneiform texts spanning the Early Bronze Age to the early Iron Age suggest the Soran district formed the territorial core of the Hurro-Urartian kingdom of Musasir (Ardini), famed as home to the trans-regional cult center of the Hurrian storm-god Haldi. The Assyrian king Sargon II in 714 BC during his renowned Eighth Campaign conquered Soran, which he refers to it as Sarun, and sacked the Kurdish fire temple and its treasury. Archaeological reconnaissance and excavations have revealed evidence for human occupation over the long duration of occupations with clear evidence of the region’s prosperity in the later Bronze and early Iron Age.[13][14][15][16]

The Muslim army led by Ubadah ibn al-Samit conquered Soran and the surrounding areas in 642 (22 A.H.), after they defeated the Kurdish forces in Mosul and Erbil plains.[17] The Muslim Empire gave Soran and Rawanduz area the name 'al-Hanana'.[18]

In the Medieval era Soran was at the heart of the Soran Emirate which was established by the Soran Dynasty, it lasted until late 19th century. Its most famous ruler was Muhammad Pasha of Rawanduz.

In the 1920s a settlement in Soran was established by the British to settle Assyrian Christian refugees as part of the Assyrian settlement scheme in northern Iraq known as the Z plan, and the settlement came to be known as Diana.[19][20][21][22]

The former Iraqi Baathist regime during Anfal Campaign and the Arabization process changed the city's name to Diana and later to Qadha Al Siddiq (District of Saddiq), after the Kurdish uprising in 1991 its name was changed back to Soran.

## Tourist areas

[edit]

Soran city is a very beautiful area. Due to its mountainous nature, it has many tourist attractions, including:

* Jondian
* Bekhal
* Geli Ali Beg Waterfall
* Hasan Beg
* Mustafa Beg
* Sakran

### Demographics

[edit]

While the vast majority of the population is Sunni Kurdish, Soran is home to a diverse array of ethnicities and religions, including Assyrian Christians and Yezidis. This diversity contributes to the cultural richness of the area.[23]

### Educational institutions

[edit]

In addition to Soran University, there are numerous primary and secondary schools in the district that offer education in Kurdish, Arabic, and English. The educational system is focused on promoting Kurdish culture and language.[24]

### Cultural festivals

[edit]

Soran hosts various cultural festivals throughout the year, celebrating Kurdish heritage, including Newroz (Kurdish New Year) and other traditional events that promote local customs and music.[25]

## Government

[edit]

The current sub-governor of the Soran district is Halgurd Sheikh Najib. He was appointed by the governor of Erbil.[26]

## Climate

[edit]

Soran has a Mediterranean climate (Csa) with very hot, dry summers, and cool to cold, damp, humid winters.

Climate data for Soran

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)  | 9.7
(49.5)  | 11.0
(51.8)  | 15.3
(59.5)  | 21.2
(70.2)  | 28.3
(82.9)  | 35.0
(95.0)  | 39.0
(102.2)  | 39.2
(102.6)  | 35.2
(95.4)  | 28.3
(82.9)  | 18.7
(65.7)  | 11.6
(52.9)  | 24.4
(75.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)  | 0.3
(32.5)  | 1.1
(34.0)  | 4.7
(40.5)  | 9.5
(49.1)  | 14.7
(58.5)  | 20.1
(68.2)  | 23.7
(74.7)  | 23.5
(74.3)  | 19.0
(66.2)  | 13.5
(56.3)  | 7.4
(45.3)  | 2.2
(36.0)  | 11.6
(53.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)  | 144
(5.7)  | 164
(6.5)  | 135
(5.3)  | 96
(3.8)  | 40
(1.6)  | 1
(0.0)  | 0
(0)  | 0
(0)  | 1
(0.0)  | 12
(0.5)  | 76
(3.0)  | 104
(4.1)  | 773
(30.5)
Source: [27]

## See also

[edit]

* Kurdistan (cultural area)
* Kurdistan Region (in Iraq)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Bi wêne…Rêjeya hatina geştyaran bo devera Soranê zêde bûye" (in Kurdish). 17 December 2019. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
2. ^ "Sedra Beth Mardutho". sedra.bethmardutho.org. March 21, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
3. ^ "Mark 12:23". Study Bible. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
4. ^ Cureton, William (2013). Ancient Syriac Documents Relative to the Earliest Establishment of.
5. ^ "Soran | Unbelievable Kurdistan - Official Tourism Site of Kurdistan". bot.gov.krd.
6. ^ "Where we work - Soran, Iraqi Kurdistan". Retrieved 2 July 2020.
7. ^ Eller, Jack David (1999). From Culture to Ethnicity to Conflict: An Anthropological Perspective on International Ethnic Conflict. University of Michigan Press. p. 157\. ISBN 978-0-472-08538-5.
8. ^ Jwaideh, Wadie (2006-06-19). The Kurdish National Movement: Its Origins and Development. Syracuse University Press. p. 307\. ISBN 978-0-8156-3093-7.
9. ^ McDowall, David (1997). A Modern History of the Kurds. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 29\. ISBN 978-1-86064-185-5.
10. ^ Iraq: Its People its Society its Culture. 1958. p. 40.
11. ^ Sansinenea, J. M. (1967). Ur de los vascos: teoría toponímica (in Spanish). Editorial Vizcaina. p. 660.
12. ^ Pecorella, Paolo Emilio; Salvini, Mirjo (1984). Tra lo Zagros e l'Urmia: ricerche storiche ed archeologiche nell'Azerbaigian iraniano (in Italian). Edizioni dell'Ateneo. p. 39.
13. ^ Danti, Michael. "The Rowanduz Archaeological Program 2013: First Report to the Kurdistan Regional Government".
14. ^ Allison Cuneo; Michael Danti (2016). "The Rowanduz Archaeological Program - Results from the 2015 field season". The 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.
15. ^ "People, gods & places". www.ucl.ac.uk. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
16. ^ Saggs, H. W. F. (1958). "The Nimrud Letters, 1952: Part IV". Iraq. 20 (2): 182–212\. doi:10.2307/4199640. ISSN 0021-0889. JSTOR 4199640. S2CID 249895568.
17. ^ Houtsma, M. Th (1993). E. J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam, 1913-1936. BRILL. p. 1136\. ISBN 978-90-04-09790-2.
18. ^ Penjweni, Sarwar. "The occupation of Shahrazur in three campaigns of Islamic conquests (in Kurdish).pdf".
19. ^ Jwaideh, Wadie (2006-06-19). The Kurdish National Movement: Its Origins and Development. Syracuse University Press. p. 224\. ISBN 978-0-8156-3093-7.
20. ^ Sela, Avraham (2002-09-05). Continuum Political Encyclopedia of the Middle East: Revised and Updated Edition. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 192\. ISBN 978-0-8264-1413-7.
21. ^ Robson, Laura (2017-04-18). States of Separation: Transfer, Partition, and the Making of the Modern Middle East. Univ of California Press. pp. 54–5\. ISBN 978-0-520-96566-9.
22. ^ Hamilton, Archibald Milne (2004) [First published 1937]. Road through Kurdistan: travels in Northern Iraq. Tauris Parke Paperbacks. p. 93\. ISBN 978-1-85043-637-9.
23. ^ "UNHCR Iraq". UNHCR. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
24. ^ "Education in the Kurdistan Region". Kurdistan Education. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
25. ^ "Newroz Celebrations in Soran". Kurdistan 24. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
26. ^ "Deputy Speaker Hawrami leads Parliament delegation to Soran and Rawanduz". Kurdistan Parliament. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
27. ^ "Climate statistics for Soran". Climate-Data. Retrieved 21 January 2017.

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