Urmia
Urmia (Persian: ارومیه, Turkish: Urumiah, Kurdish: Wurmê, Syriac: ܘܪܡܝܐ), previously called Rezaiyeh (رضائیه), is a city in northwestern Iran, and the capital of the West Azarbaijan province, situated on the western side of Lake Urmia near the Turkish border. Its population in 2005 is estimated at 602,403 [1].
Etymology
The name Urmia is thought to have come from Syriac, the language of the city's Assyrian founders: Ur, meaning "cradle", and mia, meaning "water". Hence, Urmia, situated by a lake and surrounded by rivers, is the cradle of water.
Administrative divisions
Urmia consists of five parts:
- Markazi (Central): Baranduzchay, Baranduzchay Shomali, Baranduzchay jonubi, bashqale, bakshluchay , Torkman, Dol, Rozechay, Nazluchay Jonubi, and its Center is Urmia
- Anzal: Anzal Jonoubi, Anzal Shomali, and its center is Qushchi
- Silvan: Tergawar, Margawar, Dasht, and its center is Silvane
- Somay Brados: Somay Jonubi, Somay Shomali, Bradost, and its center is Sero
- Nazlu: Talatape, Nazluchay, Nazluchay shomali, and its center is Nushin
Urmia University has a large accredited college of Agriculture. Urmia is situated in a fertile region where fruit (apples and grapes) and tobacco are grown. Many families have apple plantations of various sizes.
People
After the capital Tehran, Urmia is believed to be the most multi-cultural, multi-ethnic city in Iran, with a population composed mostly of Kurds, ethnic Turks, Persians, Armenians, Assyrians, and small groups of Jews &Arabs. The Kurds and Turks comprise the majority of Urmia and the main languages spoken in the city are Kurdish and Azerbaijani dialect of Turkish.
In the past, Urmia was the traditional home of Assyrians in Iran. However, during World War I almost the entire population fled the area due to battles between the Russian and Ottoman armies. During the era of Reza Shah Pahlavi, Iranian Assyrians were invited to return to the region and repopulate their villages and a few thousand did return. But since that time, most Assyrians are centered in Tehran and other major cities. [2]
History
The Columbia Encyclopedia mentions that Urmia was an important town in the region during the 9th century.[3]
Urmia, according to some historians, is also believed to be the birthplace of the prophet Zarathustra, the founder of the Parsi religion which is currently practised by small minority groups in Iran and India.
Oghuz Turks entered the area in the 11th century, and the city was reportedly sacked by the Seljuk Turks in 1184. The Ottoman Turks made several incursions into the city, but the Safavids were soon able to regain control over the area.
The first monarch of Iran's Qajar dynasty, Agha Muhammad Khan, was coronated in Urmia in 1795.
Due to Urmia's relatively large Christain population by the end of the 19th century, Urmia also became the seat of the first American Christian mission in Iran in 1835. Another mission soon became operational in nearby Tabriz as well. It is reported that by the turn of the century, Christians composed more than 50% of the city's population. Most of them, however, fled the city during or after WWI. Currently, Muslims constitute more than 95% of the population.
The Catholic Encyclopedia mentions Urmia as the seat of a Chaldean diocese.
Colleges and universities
Urmia University was first built by an American Presbyterian missionary in 1878. A medical faculty was also established there headed by Joseph Cochran and a team of American medical associates. Joseph Cochran and his colleagues were buried in an old cemetery in the vicinity of Urmia. Urmia University website says this about them:
- There they lie in peace away from their homeland, and the testimonial epitaphs on their tombs signify their endeavor and devotion to humanity.
The city today has the following major institutes of higher education:
- Urmia University of Medical Sciences
- Urmia University [4]
- Islamic Azad University of Urmia
See also
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