East Azerbaijan is one of the most archaic territories inIran. During the reign ofAlexander III of Macedon in Iran (331 BCE), a warrior known as Attorpat led a revolt in this area, then a territory of theMedes, and thereafter it was calledAttorpatkan. Since then this vicinity has been known asAzarabadegan,Azarbadgan andAzarbayjan.
Islamic researchers proclaim that the birth of the prophetZoroaster was in this area, in the vicinity of Lake Orumieh (Chichesht), Konzak City. Needless to say, this province was subject to numerous political and economical upheavals, attracting the interest of foreigners. The Russians in particular have tried to exert a lasting influence in the region over the past 300 years, occupying the area on numerous occasions. Theconstitutionalist movement of Iran began here in the late 19th century.
Begin preparatory work to form a national autonomous Azerbaijan district with broad powers within the Iranian state and simultaneously develop separatist movements in the provinces ofGilan,Mazandaran,Gorgan, andKhorasan".[6]
In Qarajadaḡ (todayArasbaran), that is, the region between the Aras river and the Sabalan mountain range, there are six Shiʿite, Turkic-speaking tribes ofKurdish origin: Chalabianlu, Mohammadkhanlu, Hosaynkhanlu, Hajialilu, Hasanbeiglu and Qarachorlu.[8]
Demographic Breakdown by Sex in East Azerbaijan Province (2016)
Male (50.88%)
Female (49.12%)
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the province's population was 3,527,267 in 911,241 households.[9] The following census in 2011 counted 3,724,620 people in 1,085,455 households.[10] The 2016 census measured the population of the province as 3,909,652 in 1,223,028 households.[2]
Administrative divisions
At the 1986 census, there were twelve counties in East Azerbaijan province. By the 1996 census, two additional counties had been formed:Jolfa (from part ofMarand), andMalekan (from part ofBonab). Between 1996 and 2002, five new counties were formed:Ajabshir,Azarshahr,Charuymaq,Osku, andVarzaqan.[11] The table below illustrates further changes since the 2006 census.
The population history and structural changes of East Azerbaijan Province's administrative divisions over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table.
The province covers an area of approximately 47,830 km², it has a population of around four million people. The province has common borders with the Republic of Azerbaijan, Armenia andAutonomous Nakhchivan in the north,West Azerbaijan in the west,Zanjan in the south, andArdabil in the east. A fine network of roads and railways connects East Azerbaijan to other parts ofIran and neighboring countries.
The highest point in East Azerbaijan is the volcanic peak of Sahand Mountain at 3,707 m (12,162 ft) of elevation, lying south ofTabriz, whereas the lower-lying areas are around Garmadooz (Ahar). The hills and mountains of the province are divided into three ranges: theQara Daq Mountains, the Sahand and Bozqoosh Mountains, and the Qaflan Kooh Mountains.
Climate
The climate of East Azerbaijan is affected by Mediterranean Continental as well as the cold semi-arid climate. Gentle breezes off theCaspian Sea have some influence on the climate of the low-lying areas. Temperatures run up to 8.9 °C in Tabriz, and 20 °C in Maraqeh, in the winter dropping to −10 to −15 °C at least (depending on how cold the overall year is). The ideal seasons to visit this province are the spring and summer months.
Average monthly precipitation (inmm) for selected cities in East Azerbaijan
From a cultural point of view, the most outstanding features are the language,Azerbaijani, and folklore of this region. The language of Azerbaijan is originally "a branch of the Iranian languages known as Azari" (seeAncient Azari language).[26][27][28] However, the modern Azeri language is a Turkic language very closely related to the language ofRepublic of Azerbaijan and Turkey.[29] Apart from this, the province also boasts numerous learned scholars, gnostics, several national poets such asMowlana Baba Mazeed,Khajeh Abdol Raheem Aj Abadi,Sheikh Hassan Bolqari, andAbdolqader Nakhjavani, to name a few, and the contemporary poetOstad Mohammad Hossein Shahriyar. The currentleader of Iran,Ali Khamenei, also originally comes from this region.
Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization has registered 936 sites of historical significance in the province. Some are contemporary, and some are from the antiquity of ancient Persia. "Zahak Citadel", for example, is the name of an ancient ruin in East Azerbaijan, which according to various experts, was inhabited from the second millennium BC until the Timurid era. First excavated in the 1800s by British archeologists,Iran's Cultural Heritage Organization has been studying the structure in 6 phases.[1]
East Azerbaijan enjoys a rich compendium of Azeri traditions. Many local dances and folk songs continue to survive among the various peoples of the province. As a longstanding province ofIran, Azerbaijan is mentioned favorably on many occasions inPersian literature byIran's greatest authors and poets.
East Azerbaijan province is an industrial centre ofIran. East Azerbaijan province has over 5000 manufacturing units (6% percent of national total). The value of product from these units in 1997 was US$374 million (373 billion rials = 4.07% of the national total). Total investments were valued at US$2.7 billion (2.4513 trillion rials) in 1997.[30]
Some of the major industries in East Azerbaijan are glass industries, paper manufacturing, steel, copper and nepheline syenite, oil refinery, petrochemical processing facilities, chemical products, pharmaceutical processing, foundries, vehicle and auto-parts industries, industrial machines, agricultural machines, food industries, leather, and shoe industries.
East Azerbaijan has an excellent position in the handicraft industry of Iran, which has a large share in the exports of the province. Tabriz carpets are widely known around the world and in international markets for their vibrant designs and colors. At present there are about 66,000 carpet production units in the province, employing some 200,000 people. The annual production of these carpets is roughly 792,000 m², which comprises more than 70% of Iran's carpet exports. 35% of all Iranian carpets are produced in East Azerbaijan. East Azerbaijan province is also one of the richest regions of Iran in natural minerals, with 180 mines in 1997, of which 121 units are currently in operation, and the rest are being planned.
UNESCO has two Biosphere reserves in East Azerbaijan province. One inLake Urmia and the other atArasbaran.
Colleges and universities
East Azerbaijan also has some of Iran's prestigious universities including:
^Decree of the CC CPSU Politburo to Mir Bagirov, CC Secretary of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, on "measures to Organize a Separatist Movement in Southern Azerbaijan and Other Provinces of Northern Iran". Translation provided by The Cold War International History Project at TheWoodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
^Rahimi, Mohammad Reza (c. 2022) [Approved 7 September 1389].Letter of approval regarding country divisions in Kaleybar County.qavanin.ir (Report) (in Persian). Ministry of the Interior, Council of Ministers. Proposal 1/4/42/111195. Archived fromthe original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved20 November 2023 – via Laws and Regulations Portal of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
^Mokhbar, Mohammad (22 June 2024) [Approved 2 August 1403].Letter of approval regarding country divisions in East Azarbaijan province.sdil.ac.ir (Report) (in Persian). Ministry of the Interior, Council of Ministers. Notification 18807/T60375AH. Archived fromthe original on 1 September 2024. Retrieved1 September 2024 – via Shahr Danesh Legal Research Institute.
^See alsoAhmad Kasravi,Azari or The Ancient Language of Azerbaijan (Āzari yā Zabān-e Bāstān-e Āzar'bāi'jān), in Persian, third edition (Tehran, 1325AH/1946). This text can be downloaded free of charge from the bibliography section (Ketāb Shenāsi) of:Ahmad Kasravi, 1891-1946.
^According to the information released by the office of the provincial governor.
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