* Urmia *
Urmiya, Orumiyeh, Orumieh,Urma
Capital of West Azerbaijan province, northwestern Iran, situated on a large, fertile plain to the west of Lake Urmia; and eastern side of Turkish border and marginal range of mountains.Formerly known as Reza'iyeh, Urmia dates back to 2nd millennium BC, and is one of the reputed birthplaces of Zoroaster. Urmia is home to Iran's longest established Christian community.Urmia is the trade center for a fertile agricultural region where fruit (especially Apple and Grape) and Tobacco are grown. An important town by the 9th cent., Urmia was seized by the Seljuk Turks (1184), and later occupied a number of times by the Ottoman Turks. Urmia was the seat of the first U.S. Christian mission in Iran (1835). Around AD 1900, Christians made up more than 40% of the city's population, however, most of the Christians fled in 1918.The city of Urmia, in northwest of Iran, is considered one of the ancient cities of the country and a Cradle of civilization.The diggings in the ancient ruins around Urmia led to the discovery of utensils, some of which date back to some 2000 years B.C.There have been villages in the Urmia plain some 2000 years B.C., with their civilization under the influence of Van nation.In the ancient times, the west bank of Urmia lake was called Gilzan, and in the ninth century B.C. an independent government ruled there which later joined the Urartu or Mana empire; in the eighth century B.C., the area was a vassal of the Asuzh government until it joined the Median Empire after its formation.According to historical documents, the western part of the Urmia Lake has been a center of attention of the prehistoric nations, the evidence of which are: numerous ancient hills in the area, such as Gouy Tapeh, 6 kilometers southeast of the lake which competes with the oldest hills of Mesopotamia, Asia the Minor, and the Iranian Plateau.The claim that the area was the birthplace of Zoroaster, or even the burial site of one or two of the Zoroastrian priests who allegedly traveled to Bethlehem for Christ's birth indicate that the city has been one of the largest religious and scientific centers of the ancient times.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 crowned in Urmia in 1795. Due to Urmia's relatively large Christian population growth 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. (Wikipedia) - Urmia For other uses, see Urmia (disambiguation). "Rezaiyeh" redirects here. For the villages in Yazd Province, see Rezaiyeh, Bafq and Rezaiyeh, Mehriz.
Urmia ارومیه Oroumieh
Nickname(s): Cradle of Water, Paris of Iran
Coordinates: 37°33′19″N 45°04′21″E / 37.55528°N 45.07250°E / 37.55528; 45.07250Coordinates: 37°33′19″N 45°04′21″E / 37.55528°N 45.07250°E / 37.55528; 45.07250
Country Iran
Province West Azerbaijan
County Urmia
Bakhsh Central
• Mayor Hazratpoor (حضرت پور)
Elevation 1,332 m (4,370 ft)
• Total 1,265,721
• Population Rank in Iran 7th
Time zone IRST (UTC+3:30)
• Summer (DST) IRDT (UTC+4:30)
Area code(s) 0443
Website www.urmia.ir
Welcome to Bakeri City
Urmia (pronounced ( listen)) (Azerbaijani:اورمیّه ,ﺍﻭﺭﻣﻮ ,Urmiyə ,Urmu ; Persian:ارومیه. Kurdish: Ûrmiye, Wirmê, or Urmê; Aramaic: ܐܘܪܡܝܐ‎; Armenian: Ուրմիա) is a city in and the capital of West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. Urmia is situated at an altitude of 1,330 m above sea level, and is located along the Shahar Chay river (City River) on the Urmia Plain. Lake Urmia lies to the east of the city, with the mountainous Turkish border to the west.
Urmia is the 10th most populated city in Iran. At the 2012 census, its population was 1,265,721 with 700,000 households. The city''s inhabitants are predominantly Azeris, who live alongside minorities of Kurds, Assyrians, Jews and Armenians.
The city is the trade center for a fertile agricultural region where fruit (especially apple and grape) and tobacco are grown. An important town by the 9th century, Urmia was seized by the Seljuk Turks (1184), and later occupied a number of times by the Ottoman Turks. Urmia was the seat of the first U.S. Christian mission in Iran (1835). Around AD 1900, Christians made up more than 40% of the city''s population, however, most of the Christians fled in 1918 as a result of the Persian Campaign during World War I and the Armenian and Assyrian Genocides.
4.1 Language and people
5 Parks and touristic centers
7 Ethnography
9 Consulates
10.1 Higher education
10.2 Libraries
11.1 Television
11.3 Press
12 Infrastructure
12.1 Health systems
13 Notable people
The name Urmia derives from the Kingdom of Urartu. This is due to Urartian accredited fortresses and countless artifacts found spanning across Azerbaijan and into of what is today the Azerbaijan province of Iran denoting an Urartian etymology. The city''s Armenian population also complements the idea of an Urartian origin. According to Vladimir Minorsky, there have been villages in the Urmia plain some 2000 years B.C., with their civilization under the influence of the Kingdom of Van. The excavations of the ancient ruins near Urmia led to the discovery of utensils that date back to 2000 years B.C.. In the ancient times, the west bank of Urmia lake was called Gilzan, and in the ninth century B.C. an independent government ruled there which later joined the Urartu or Mana empire; in the eighth century B.C., the area was a vassal of the Asuzh government until it joined the Median Empire after its formation. Richard Nelson Frye also suggested a Urartian origin for the name.
T. Burrow connected the origin of the name Urmia to Indo-Iranian urmi- "wave" and urmya- "undulating, wavy", which is due to the local Assyrian folk etymology for the name which related "Mia" to Aramaic Syriac meaning "water." Hence Urmia simply means ''Watertown" — a befitting name for a city situated by a lake and surrounded by rivers, would be the cradle of water. This also suggests, that the Assyrians referred to the Urartian influence in Urmia as ancestors of the inhabitants of the Sumerian city state Ur, referenced Biblically as "Ur of the Chaldees". Further association of the Urmia/Urartian/Ur etymology from the Assyrian folk legend is the fact that the Urartian language is also referenced as the Chaldean language, a standardized simplification of Neo-Assyrian cuneiform, which originated from the accreditation to Urartian chief god Ḫaldi or Khaldi. Thus the root of Urmia is an Assyrian reference to the etymology of the Urartu/Ur Kingdoms and the Aramaic word "Mia" meaning water, which as T. Burrow noted, referenced the city that is situated by a lake and surrounded by rivers.
As of 1921, Urmia was also called, Urumia and Urmi. During the Pahlavi Dynasty (1925–1979), the city was called Rezaiyeh (Persian: رضائیه‎) after Rezā Shāh, the dynasty''s founder, whose name ultimately derives from the Islamic concept of rida via the Eighth Imam in Twelver Shia Islam, Ali al-Ridha.
HistoryPeople of Ourmiah awaiting the Shah, 1911Ourmiah Fruit Market, 1911
According to historical documents, the western part of the Urmia Lake has been a center of attention of the prehistoric nations, the evidence of which are the numerous ancient hills in the area, such as Gouy Tapeh, 6 km (3.7 mi) southeast of the lake which competes with the oldest hills of Mesopotamia, Asia the Minor, and the Iranian Plateau.
The claim that the area was the birthplace of Zoroaster (also called Zarahustra) is disputed because most experts agree Zoroaster was most likely born in the eastern part of Greater Iran, or even the burial site of one or two of the Zoroastrian priests who allegedly traveled to Bethlehem for Christ's birth indicate that the city has been one of the largest religious and scientific centers of the ancient times.
The Columbia Encyclopedia mentions that Urmia was an important town in the region during the 9th century.
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 crowned in Urmia in 1795.
Due to the presence of substantial Christian minority at the end of the 19th century, Urmia was also chosen as a site of the first American Christian mission in Iran in 1835. Another mission soon became operational in nearby Tabriz as well. During World War I the population was estimated as 30,000 by Dr. Caujole, a quarter were Assyrians and 1,000 were Jews.
During the 19th century, the region became the center of a short lived Assyrian renaissance with many books and newspapers being published in Syriac. Urmia was also the seat of a Chaldean diocese.
At the beginning of the First World War tens of thousands of Assyrians and Armenians from Anatolia found refuge in Urmia. The city changed hands several times between Russians and Kurds the following two years. The influx of Christian refugees and their alliance with the Russians angered the Muslims who attacked the Christian quarter in February 1918, The better armed Assyrians managed however to capture the whole city following a brief battle. The region descended into chaos again after the assassination of the Assyrian patriarch Shimun XXI Benyamin at the hands of Simko Shikak one month later. Turkish armies and Samko managed to finally take and plunder the city in June/July 1918. Thousands of Assyrians were massacred, others found refuge under British protection in Iraq.
Geography Climate
Urmia''s climate is cold semi-arid (Köppen: BSk) with cold winters, mild springs, hot dry summers and warm autumns. Precipitation is heavily concentrated in late autumn, winter, and especially spring, while summer precipitation is very scarce.
Climate data for Urmia (Orumiyeh)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.4 (61.5) 18 (64) 26 (79) 26 (79) 30.6 (87.1) 36 (97) 38 (100) 38 (100) 35 (95) 30 (86) 22 (72) 17 (63) 38 (100)
Average high °C (°F) 2.6 (36.7) 4.8 (40.6) 10.4 (50.7) 16.8 (62.2) 22.2 (72) 27.5 (81.5) 31.2 (88.2) 31 (88) 27.1 (80.8) 20.1 (68.2) 12.2 (54) 5.7 (42.3) 17.6 (63.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) −3.3 (26.1) −1.5 (29.3) 4.5 (40.1) 10.5 (50.9) 15.5 (59.9) 20.2 (68.4) 23.8 (74.8) 23.1 (73.6) 19 (66) 12.5 (54.5) 6.1 (43) 0.4 (32.7) 10.9 (51.61)
Average low °C (°F) −6.1 (21) −4.8 (23.4) −0.1 (31.8) 5.2 (41.4) 9.1 (48.4) 12.9 (55.2) 16.6 (61.9) 15.9 (60.6) 11.5 (52.7) 6.6 (43.9) 1.4 (34.5) −3.2 (26.2) 5.4 (41.8)
Record low °C (°F) −22.8 (−9) −22 (−8) −19 (−2) −12 (10) −1.6 (29.1) 4 (39) 10 (50) 8 (46) 3.4 (38.1) −5 (23) −13.4 (7.9) −20 (−4) −22.8 (−9)
Precipitation mm (inches) 30.2 (1.189) 33.2 (1.307) 52.3 (2.059) 62.2 (2.449) 45.6 (1.795) 14.2 (0.559) 5.5 (0.217) 2.1 (0.083) 4.4 (0.173) 21.8 (0.858) 40 (1.57) 29.7 (1.169) 341.2 (13.433)
Avg. precipitation days 9.6 9.4 11.4 12.7 12 5 2.2 1.7 2.1 7.1 8.3 8.5 90
Avg. snowy days 8.5 7.5 3.7 0.8 0 0 0 0 0 0.3 1.5 5.5 27.8
% humidity 76 74 65 60 58 51 48 48 49 60 70 74 61.1
Mean monthly sunshine hours 114 132.9 169.6 197.9 268.6 344.3 364 341.2 293.1 222.3 166.4 118.7 2,733
Source #1: World Meteorological Organisation
Source #2: NOAA (extremes, mean, snow, sun, humidity, 1961–1990)
DemographicsA general view of Urmia
According to official census of 2006, the population of Urmia city is about 577,307 (with 153,570 households).
Language and people
The population is mostly made of Azerbaijanis and alongside Kurds, Assyrians and Armenian minorities. The majority of the population also can speak Persian, the official language of Iran, in addition to their own native tongue.
The majority of people are followers of Shia Islam. There are also Catholic, Protestant, Nestorian, and Orthodox Christians. The city is also home to followers of Sunni Islam, followers of the Bahá''í Faith, followers of Judaism and followers of different kinds of Sufism.
Parks and touristic centers
Urmia has many parks and touristic costal villages in the shore of Urmia Lake. The oldest park in Urmia, called Park-e Saat, was established in the first Pahlavi''s era. Urmia''s largest park is Ellar Bagi Park (Azerbaijani "People`s Garden") along the Shahar Chayi, or the "City River".
Lakes and Ponds:
Urmia Lake Natural Park
Hasanloo Lake
Marmisho Lake
Shahrchay ِDam
Urmia Lake Islands
Lagoons:
Haft Abad
Soole Dokel
Dana Boğan
Ali Pancesi
Isti Sou
Park-e Saat (Clock Park)
Park-e Jangali (Jungle Park)
Ellar Bagi (People`s Garden)
Park-e Shahr (City Park)
Park-e Saheli (Riverside Park)
Park-e Shaghayegh
Alghadir Park
Tokhmemorghi (Oval) Park
Ghaem Park
and ....
Touristic Costal Villages:
Chichest
Khoshako
Landscape Attractions:
Ghasemloo Valley
Kazem Dashi Islet in Lake Urmia
Kashtiban Village
Imamzada Village
Silvana Region
Rashekan to Dash Aghol
Nazloo
Dalamper
Kaboodan Island
Sport is an important part of Urmia''s culture. The most popular sport in Urmia is volleyball. Urmia is Iran''s volleyball capital,its because of ranks that Heyat Volleyball Urmia VC got in Iranian Volleyball Super League and for the great volleyball players that are in Iran men''s national volleyball team and first class coaches in Iran.
2010 Asian Men''s Cup Volleyball Championship was held in Ghadir Arena in Urmia.
The city has been home to various ethnic groups during its long history. For this reason, the demographics of the city have undergone numerous changes. Some historical documents show that at the beginning of the 20th century, the city''s population had a significant Christian minority (Assyrians and Armenians). According to Macuch, and Ishaya, the city was the spiritual capital of the Assyrians from 1830 to the end of World War I by the influence of four Christian missions. Large number of the Assyrians and Armenians were killed in 1914 as result of the conflict with Ottoman forces. This led to a shift in the city''s demographics. During the era of Reza Shah Pahlavi, Iranian Assyrians were invited to return to the region and several thousand did return.
Today, scholars note that there are only around 5,000 Assyrians left in the city.
CultureJameh Mosque of Urmia.Museums
Natural History Museum – Displays the animals native to the vicinity of Urmia.
Urmia Museum – Archaeological museum affiliated with the faculty of Shahid Beheshti University.
Urmia Museum of Crafts and Classical Arts.
Urmia Museum of َAntrophology.
Consulate of Turkey in Beheshti Ave., Urmia, Iran.
EducationUrmia University''s hallA School in Urmia (1910)Higher education
Urmia was an important center for higher education approximately a century ago, indeed, medical faculty of Urmia which was built by Joseph Cochran and a team of American medical associates in 1878, is the first University of Iran. Unfortunately the faculty became shut down even before establishment of first official university of Iran, University of Tehran. Nowadays Urmia has become a considerable educational city. The city owns state and private universities and institutes listed below.
Universities in Urmia:
University Web Site
Urmia University
Malek Ashtar University of Technology Urmia Branch
Urmia University of Medical Sciences
Urmia University of Technology
Islamic Azad University of Urmia
Payame Noor University of Urmia
Elmi Karbordi University of Urmia
University College of Saba
University College of Azarabadegan
University College of Elm O fan
University College of Kamal
Shahid Beheshti Technical School
Ghazi Tabatabaee Technical School
The Girls Technical School of Urmia
Najand Institute of Higher Education
University College Afagh
Central Library of Urmia
Shahid Bahonar Library
Library of I.R.Iran Education Ministry
Library of Urmia Cultural and Artistical Center
Allame Tabatabayee Library
Library of Khane-ye-Javan
Library of Shahid Motahhari
Library of kanoon parvaresh fekri
Library of Ghaem
Library of Imam Ali
Media Television
Urmia has one state television channel West Azerbaijan TV that broadcasts in both Azerbaijani and Persian languages. It broadcasts internationally through satellite Intelsat 902.
Urmia has one radio channel broadcasting in both Azerbaijani, and Persian languages. The name of the local radio is Chichest.
Orumiye
Weekly:
Sedaye Urmia
Beside other minor Press that are being published regularly.
Infrastructure Health systems
The government of Iran operates the public hospitals in the Urmia metropolitan region, some of which are aligned with medical faculties. There are also a number of private hospitals and medical centers in the city.
Imam Khomeiny Hospital
Motahari Hospital
Imam Riza Hospital
Beheshti Hospital
Taleghani Hospital
Fatimiye Pro-Medical Clinic
Kosar Women''s Pro-Medical Clinic
Shafa Hospital
Solati Hospital
Seyedoshohada Heart Pr0-Hospital
Gholipour Children''s Pro-Hospital
Razi Psychiatry Pro-Hospital
504 Artesh Hospital
Arefian Hospital
Azerbaijan Hospital
Milad international medical center
Omid Cancer Pro-Clinic
Inner City:
Most Urmia residents travel by car through the system of roads and highways. Urmia is also served by taxi and bus.
Taxi and Public Bus
Urmia has taxi and public bus network. There are also some private groups, which provide services called Phone-taxi. and urmia metro lines is under the research.
Urmia is linked to Europe through Turkey''s roads and Sero border.
The city is going to link to Iran National Railways (IRIR, Persian: رجا ).
Urmia Airport opened in 1964 and is the first international airport in West Azerbaijan county, Iran. Its international air routes are to the following cities:
Arbil and Dohuk
Other west Azerbaijan international airport is Khoy airport. Domestic air routes to:Tehran, Mashhad, Kish Island, Shiraz, Esfahan.
Safi al-Din al-Urmawi (صفی الدین اورموی): Iranian Azerbaijani 13th-century poet and musical theorist
Heidar Amou Oghly (حیدرخان عمواوغلی): Founder of the Communist Party of Iran and the first Secretary of the Communist Party of Iran and effective activist movement constitutional
Saeid Marouf (میر سعید معروف لكرانی): Volleyball player
Reza Moridi (رضا مریدی): First Iranian Azerbaijani and second Iranian to be Canadian politician and legislative assembly of Canada
Habib Mohebian (حبیب محبیان): Known as Habib, a pop musician
Masoud Pezeshkian (مسعود پزشکیان): Minister of Health and Medical Education in the government of Mohammad Khatami
Gholamreza Hassani (غلامرضا حسنی): Friday prayer and supreme leader''s representative in West Azerbaijan Province
Parviz Fattah (سید پرویز فتاح): Energy minister in the government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Sadeg Mahsouli (صادق محصولی): State minister in the government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Mehdi Bakeri and Hamid Bakeri (مهدی و حمید باکری):Iranian Azerbaijani Key figures and generals of Iran-Iraq war. Mehdi Bakeri was mayor of Urmia
Davood Azad (داود آزاد): Musician
Joseph Cochran: Founder of first modern medical school in Iran
Tags:Ahmadinejad, American, Anatolia, Aramaic, Arbil, Archaeological, Armenian, Asia, Assyrian, Azad, Azerbaijan, Bahonar, Bakeri, Baku, Beheshti, British, Canada, Canadian, Cancer, Capital, Christ, Christian, Classical, Columbia, Communist, Communist Party of Iran, Damascus, Demographics, Dubai, Dynasty, Esfahan, Europe, Friday prayer, Geography, Ghadir, Greater Iran, Hasanloo, Hospital, I.R., Imam, Imam Ali, Iran, Iran-Iraq, Iranian, Iraq, Islam, Islamic, Islamic Azad University, Istanbul, Judaism, Karbala, Khan, Khatami, Khoy, Kish, Kish Island, Kurdish, Lake Urmia, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Malek, Mashhad, Mecca, Media, Mehdi, Mehriz, Mesopotamia, Milad, Mohammad Khatami, Nestorian, Orumiyeh, Ottoman, Ottoman Turks, Oval, Pahlavi, Pahlavi Dynasty, Paris, Parviz, Parviz Fattah, Persian, Plateau, Qajar, Radio, Reza Shah, Reza'iyeh, Rezaiyeh, Saba, Saeid Marouf, Safavids, Safi, Seljuk, Shah, Shahid Beheshti University, Shia, Shia Islam, Shiraz, Sport, Sufism, Sunni, Tabriz, Taleghani, Tehran, Turkey, Turkish, Turks, University of Tehran, Urmia, Urmia Airport, Urmia Lake, Volleyball, Website, West Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan Province, Wikipedia, World War I, Yazd, Yazd Province, Yerevan, Zoroaster, Zoroastrian
See also items containing : Urmia
Lady Urmia : بانوی ارومیه
Lake Urmia : دریاچه ارومیه
Lake Urmia Griffin : شیر دال دریاچه ارومیه
Urmia Airport : فرودگاه ارومیه
Urmia Lake : دریاچه ارومیه
Urmia Watershed Basin Drought Management Plan : برنامه مدیریت حوضه آبخیزداری خشکسالی ارومیه
Urmia-khabar.ir : Urmia-khabar.ir
Urmia-volley.ir : Urmia-volley.ir
Urmialake.ir : Urmialake.ir
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