Naqadeh Persian:نقده | |
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City | |
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  Naqadeh | |
| Coordinates:36°57′17″N45°23′17″E / 36.95472°N 45.38806°E /36.95472; 45.38806[1][2] | |
| Country | Iran |
| Province | West Azerbaijan |
| County | Naqadeh |
| District | Central |
| Population (2016)[3] | |
• Total | 81,598 |
| Time zone | UTC+3:30 (IRST) |
Naqadeh (Persian:نقده)[a] is a city in theCentral District ofNaqadeh County,West Azerbaijan province,Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.[6]
Naqadeh is the current name of the town (andcounty). The former name, known as Solduz (also spelled Sulduz, in Kurdish: Sundus), in reference to the Mongol[7] Sulduz tribe, may have replaced an older name (now lost) during the reign of theIlkhanid rulerGhazan in 1303.[8]
In 1303, during the reign ofIlkhanid rulerGhazan, the area comprising Naqadeh County was distributed in fiefs.[8] According to the orientalistVladimir Minorsky (died 1966), citing the 16th-century Kurdish prince and writerSharafkhan Bidlisi, during the rule of theTurkomanAq Qoyunlu andQara Qoyunlu (in about the 15th century), the Kurds of theMukri occupied the county of Naqadeh, and its old inhabitants were most likely "reduced to servitude".[8] Minorsky, citing a mutilated and undated part of Bidlisi's work, narrates that a certain Budak of the Kurdish Baban tribe captured the county in which Naqadeh is located from theQizilbash.[8] This event may refer to one of the abrupt outbursts of skirmishes which occurred on theSafavid frontier.[8]
In 1828, following theTreaty of Turkmenchay, Iranian crown princeAbbas Mirza handed over the district in which Naqadeh is situated as afief to 800 TurkicKarapapakh families and these new settlers, in return, had to have 400 horsemen ready for disposal for the government. Just prior to their arrival, the district had a population of 4–5,000 families of both Kurds andMuqaddamShia Turks. The district would gradually fall into the hands of the Karapapakh newcomers.[8] The state-supported Karapapakh consolidated their power quickly by attacking the Kurdish Mangur and Zerza tribes.[9]
In 1914, 80Assyrian families were left in the town, and 120Jewish families of which most have since then migrated toIsrael.[8] The Jews of Naqadeh County were "probably the oldest element in the present population" of the county.[8] In 1917, there were 598Assyrians in 108 families at Sulduz; 35 were elderly, 60 were orphans, and 84 were able-bodied.[10]
During theOttoman occupation from 1908 to 1912, the Karapapakh population suffered considerably as they were seen as Iranian agents. The Ottomans attempted to destroy the tribal structure and free therayah of the town. The town would change hands between the Ottomans and theRussians in this period, until the Iranians took control in 1919.[8]
Ethnic relations were friendlier despite clashes during the 1940s when the town was part of the short-livedRepublic of Mahabad.[11]
The localAzerbaijanis were favored by the state and dominated the town politically and socially, which added to the ethnic violence in the town.Kurdish separatism and the political demands by Kurds were a source of concern for the Azerbaijanis, fearing the loss of influence in the region. In April 1979, after theIranian Revolution, the two ethnic groups clashed in the town and about 100 to 300 people were killed. The reason for the clashes was the relatively liberal political atmosphere in the country which pushed theKurds to openly aspire for self-governance. The new government furthermore recruited local Shia Azerbaijanis to theIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps which went on to massacre the Kurds of nearbyQarna,Qalat andEgriqash.[12]
In recent years[when?],nationalist Azerbaijani events have been repressed by the state, while Kurdish nationalism has become more radical as seen with the attraction among the youth towards theKurdistan Free Life Party.[13]
The town has aShiaAzerbaijani (Karapapakh) majority, with aSunniKurdish minority. The main Kurdish tribes are the Mamash and Zerza, while theMangur and Mamachi tribe have had a historical presence in the town.Assyrians andJews formerly populated the town as well.[9] TheLazarist missionary movement led by Augustin-Pierre Cluzel was moreover active in the town in the 1840s.[14] In the early 19th century, Naqadeh had 4 to 5 thousand Kurdish and Mukaddam Turkic families. In 1828, PrinceAbbas Mirza resettled 800 Karapapakh families in Naqadeh.[9] In the 1930s,Shahsevans fromHashtrud arrived to the town as well.[15]
In 1979, it was estimated thatAzerbaijanis constituted 65% of the population, while the remaining portion wasKurdish.[16] In 1985, according toRichard Tapper, there were "Kurdicized Turks" in Naqadeh, some of whom were Sunni.[17]
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 72,975 in 18,320 households.[18] The following census in 2011 counted 75,550 people in 21,283 households.[19] The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 81,598 people in 24,482 households.[3]
Naqadeh is situated on the bank of the Bayzawa river, encompassing an old artificial mound. The county in which Naqadeh is located is to the south-west ofLake Urmia on the lower course of the Gadar river.[8]
Naqadeh is in the midst of the counties ofOrumieh,Piranshahr, Mahabad and Oshnavieh, and is the axis of communications due to its position.[20]
West Azerbaijan province, Iran | ||
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