Rawandiz | |
|---|---|
City | |
 View of Rawandiz | |
  Rawandiz Location in Iraq | |
| Coordinates:36°36′43″N44°31′29″E / 36.61194°N 44.52472°E /36.61194; 44.52472 | |
| Country |  Iraq |
| Autonomous region |  Kurdistan Region |
| Governorate | Erbil Governorate |
| District | Rawandiz District |
| Elevation | 658 m (2,159 ft) |
| Population (2003) | |
• Total | 95,089 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 |
Rawandiz (Kurdish:ڕەواندز,romanized: Rewandiz)[1][2] is a city in theKurdistan Region ofIraq, located in theErbil Governorate inSoran district, close to theborders with Iran andTurkey. It is only 7 km from the city center of Soran city and it is located 10 km to the east of theBekhal Waterfall. The city is 123 km from Erbil. The city along with the Soran district is surrounded by theZagros mountain range; Korek Mountain is to the south, Hindren Mountain to the north, Zozik Mountain to the west, and Bradasot Mountain to the east. Rawandiz is populated entirely byKurds.
The name Rawandiz (lit. 'fortress of the Rawand'), gets its name from Kurdish noble family Rawwadi/Rawandi, they were a leading family ofHadhbāniKurdish tribe.[3]
In the time of theNeo Assyrian Empire, from the 10th to the 7th centuries BC, the area lay on the trading route toNineveh.[4]
The town of Rawandiz was established by theRawadid dynasty in the 10th century. The area came under the rule of theEmirate of Bradost after theBattle of Chaldiran in 1514.[5] The town would later come under the rule of theSoran Emirate until 1836.[6]
In 1915, during theFirst World War, the town was occupied by the Russians and Assyrians.[7] The Rawandiz massacre took place, where the Kurdish Muslim population was massacred by the Russian army and allied Assyrian militants; after Nikolai Baratov'sCossacks recaptured the town, only 20 percent of the Kurdish population managed to survive.[8] In 1922 the town was occupied by theTurks, until they were driven out at the end of the year.[9] The British army occupied the town on 22 April 1923. The British decided to stay in place to await the arrival of a special commission to fix the border between Turkey and Iraq, believing that if they left the Turkish troops would return.[10]
Between 1928 and 1932 the British built a strategic road fromErbil, through Rawandiz, to the Iranian border near modern-dayPiranshahr. The construction of the road was directed by the New Zealand engineerA. M. Hamilton.[11] In 1940, the population was 1970.[6]
As of July 2007, Rawandiz was undergoing major reconstruction. Thebazaar was being relocated to make room for a new road. In July 2011, in a response to a Turkish military offensive, local artists decided to paint the debris from the raids.[12] In 1930, A. M. Hamilton noted: "it has always been a place of grim deeds and bloody retributions. Its greater and its lesser rulers alike have nearly all met with violent deaths and even today this reputation is being well earned".[11] The anthropologistEdmund Leach went to Rawandiz in 1938, to study the Rawandiz Kurds, intending to make this the subject of his thesis. His field trip had to be aborted because of theMunich crisis, but he nevertheless published his monograph "Social and Economic Organization of the Rowanduz Kurds" two years later.[13][14]
Like most of Iraqi Kurdistan, Rawanduz has a hot-summerMediterranean climate (Csa) with very hot dry summers and cool, wet winters. The winters see lows belowfreezing in many nights, makingfrost prevalent. Snowfall occurs occasionally.
| Climate data for Rawandiz | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 5.3 (41.5) | 9 (48) | 13.4 (56.1) | 20 (68) | 28.1 (82.6) | 33 (91) | 36 (97) | 42 (108) | 38 (100) | 28.2 (82.8) | 18.5 (65.3) | 11.4 (52.5) | 23.6 (74.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.3 (31.5) | 3.5 (38.3) | 6.7 (44.1) | 14.5 (58.1) | 21.4 (70.5) | 26.5 (79.7) | 29.8 (85.6) | 32.7 (90.9) | 28.4 (83.1) | 20.8 (69.4) | 12.8 (55.0) | 6.7 (44.1) | 17.0 (62.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −6 (21) | −2 (28) | 0 (32) | 9 (48) | 14.7 (58.5) | 20.0 (68.0) | 23.6 (74.5) | 23.4 (74.1) | 18.9 (66.0) | 13.4 (56.1) | 7.2 (45.0) | 2.0 (35.6) | 10.4 (50.6) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 147 (5.8) | 169 (6.7) | 141 (5.6) | 98 (3.9) | 41 (1.6) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (0.0) | 12 (0.5) | 77 (3.0) | 108 (4.3) | 794 (31.4) |
| Source: Climate Data[15] | |||||||||||||
The striking scenery has been noted by a number of visitors to the region. A. M. Hamilton relates that the Rawanduz gorge was said to be the finest in Asia.[16]
The Pank Tourist Resort, which was opened in 2007, it was the first suchresort in Iraq. It includes aFerris wheel and other rides, including atoboggan and Bobsled. Also includes a five-star hotel, restaurants, swimming pools, saunas, tennis courts, helipads and mini golf.[17]Mount Korek is one of the top 10 destinations to visit in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, there is a 4 kilometer long Doppelmayr Teleferic (cable car) from its Bekhal Bottom station to Mount Korek. The mountain is developed as an international destination. The Resort has developed 132 villas and several rides in his project which is called "The Korek Mountain Resort & Spa". There are also restaurants, cafes and helipads. The resort is a summer retreat providing cool environs when the whole region reels under high temperatures. During winters, it turns into a Ski Resort.[18]
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