Saqqez
Saqqez
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City | |
From top to bottom and from left to right: Saqqez in 2014, Do-Menara Historical Mosque, Omar Ibn Khattab Mosque, Saqqez to Marivan road Landscape in spring, Haj Saleh Historical Bath, Ziwiyeh Castle | |
Coordinates: 36°14′47″N 46°15′59″E / 36.24639°N 46.26639°ECoordinates: 36°14′47″N 46°15′59″E / 36.24639°N 46.26639°E | |
Country | ![]() |
Province | Kurdistan |
County | Saqqez |
Bakhsh | Central |
Government | |
• Mayor | Zana Salehibabamiry |
Elevation | 1,476 m (4,843 ft) |
Population (2016 Census) | |
• Total | 165,258 [1] |
Time zone | UTC+3:30 (IRST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+4:30 (IRDT) |
Website | saqqez |
Saqqez (Kurdish: سهقز, romanized: Seqiz, Persian: سقز), also known as Saghez, Saqez, Saqqiz, Saqiz, and Sakīz,[2] is a city which is the capital of Saqqez County, Kurdistan Province, Iran. According to the 2016 census, its population was 165,258.
Etymology[edit]
The name Saqqez derives from the Scythian word "Skate".[3]
Demographics[edit]
The city is populated by Kurds who speak Sorani.[4] David D'Beth Hillel (d. 1846) stated that the city was home to a small Jewish community with one synagogue around 1827/28.[5]
History[edit]
Saqqez is one of the oldest cities and regions in the Middle East, where many treasures, relics and historical objects have been discovered and kept in major museums in Iran and around the world. Saqqez's history goes back to the 7th millennium BC. Based on historical ruins and Antiques which have been found in Saqqez, like the historical treasures of Ziwiye hoard in the Ziwiyeh Castle, experts believe that the modern city of Saqqez was the ancient capital of the Median empire. when Sargon II (reigned 722 – 705 BC) attacked the Median Empire and forced them to flee to Ecbatana (modern day Hamadan) and made this city his capital. On the attack of Sargan II, the ruler of the Assyrian, the Medes were defended and their fortifications destroyed. Thereafter, the Scythians tried to rebuild this city and they chose Saqqez, then named Eskit as their capital. This city was repeatedly attacked by Assyrians and Romans. It is believed that excavations at the various sites in and around Saqez will shed light on its ancient history.[6][7]
Culture and Art[edit]
The city of Saqqez has been a place of culture and art since ancient times. At this city, Performing Arts and culture has a special place and artists have created valuable works in various fields of art such as theater, painting, sculpture, music, literature, poetry and cinema. In this city, every year at the end of the autumn season, a theater festival called The Kurdish Theater Festival is held, in which theater groups from all over Kurdistan perform their works. Also, in Saqqez, famous musicians and singers, such as Rashid Faiznejad perform their musics and songs in Kurdish language. Also there are well-known poets in this city, such as Abdul Karim Sahib, Mullah Ghafoor Dabbaghi, Jila Hosseini, Rahim Loghmani, Malekoalkalam majdi and Sheikh Hassan Molanabad.[8][9]
Geography[edit]
Geology[edit]
The city of Saqqez is built on long plains and hills, which are crossed by the main tributaries of rivers such as Zarrineh River and Simineh River. The lowlands and heights inside the city and the view of Saqqez River that passes through the center of this city are its special features. Saqqez is located in mountainous and highlands between the irregular heights of Zagros Mountains, and this special geomorphological feature has led to relatively cold climates and long winters and sometimes frost.[10][11]
Climate[edit]
At an altitude of 1,476 metres (4,842 feet), Saqqez has a Mediterranean continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dsa) with hot, very dry summers and cold, snowy winters. Summers feature large diurnal temperature variation due to decreased air density at high altitude and low humidity. In 1969 Saqqez recorded a temperature of −36 °C (−33 °F), the lowest ever recorded by an Iranian weather station until Kheirabad Zanjan recorded −36.4 °C (−33.5 °F) on January 29, 1997.[12][13] Saqqez again reached −36 °C during the February 3–9 1972 Iran blizzard. Saqqez unofficially reached −45.8 °C (−50.4 °F) in December 2006 and −42.3 °C (−44.1 °F) in January 2007, the lowest temperatures recorded in an Iranian city.[14][15]
Climate data for Saqqez, Iran | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 18.2 (64.8) |
20 (68) |
24 (75) |
29 (84) |
34.4 (93.9) |
39 (102) |
43 (109) |
42 (108) |
39 (102) |
32 (90) |
26 (79) |
22.2 (72.0) |
43 (109) |
Average high °C (°F) | 2.4 (36.3) |
4.7 (40.5) |
11.0 (51.8) |
17.3 (63.1) |
23.1 (73.6) |
29.8 (85.6) |
34.3 (93.7) |
34.2 (93.6) |
29.8 (85.6) |
22.2 (72.0) |
13.4 (56.1) |
6.1 (43.0) |
19.03 (66.25) |
Average low °C (°F) | −8.1 (17.4) |
−6.7 (19.9) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
3.6 (38.5) |
6.6 (43.9) |
9.5 (49.1) |
14.0 (57.2) |
13.4 (56.1) |
8.3 (46.9) |
4.4 (39.9) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
−4.6 (23.7) |
3.24 (37.83) |
Record low °C (°F) | −32 (−26) |
−33 (−27) |
−27.6 (−17.7) |
−9 (16) |
−5 (23) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
3.8 (38.8) |
4.8 (40.6) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
−7 (19) |
−24 (−11) |
−32 (−26) |
−36 (−33) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 66.6 (2.62) |
58.7 (2.31) |
79.5 (3.13) |
83.6 (3.29) |
52.0 (2.05) |
5.8 (0.23) |
2.9 (0.11) |
2.5 (0.10) |
1.4 (0.06) |
27.8 (1.09) |
56.9 (2.24) |
61.7 (2.43) |
499.4 (19.66) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 8.5 | 8.3 | 10.0 | 9.8 | 7.0 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 4.3 | 6.2 | 8.1 | 65.2 |
Average relative humidity (%) | 73 | 70 | 64 | 58 | 52 | 40 | 35 | 33 | 33 | 47 | 63 | 71 | 53 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 121.5 | 142.2 | 177.4 | 213.1 | 287.1 | 345.1 | 357.4 | 344.3 | 311.1 | 254.3 | 174.1 | 123.4 | 2,851 |
Source: Synoptic Stations Statistics |
Also see[edit]
- Bazaar of Saqqez
- Saqqez River
- Ziwiye hoard
- Ziwiyeh Castle
- Kurdish Theater festival
- Lagzi Dam
- Karaftu Cave
- Saqqez Airport
- Saqqez Industrial Estate
- Zarrineh River
References[edit]
- ^ https://www.amar.org.ir/english
- ^ Saqqez can be found at GEOnet Names Server, at this link, by opening the Advanced Search box, entering "-3082379" in the "Unique Feature Id" form, and clicking on "Search Database".
- ^ "شهرستان سقز". Islamic Azad University - Saqqez Branch (in Persian). Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ^ "Saqqez - Language distribution: Kordestan Province". Iran Atlas. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ^ Gerson-Kiwi, Edith (2008). "Kurdistan". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ^ Saqqez Coldest City of Iran, City with 3,000-year Civilization, toiran
- ^ Saqqez (Saghez) City, Iran tourism and touring organisation (NGO)
- ^ Kurdish Theater Festival is an opportunity to pay attention to traditional cultures, Iran Theater, 2019
- ^ A Kurdish Artist in Saqqez Summoned by the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence, Kurdistan Human Rights, 2019
- ^ Dating of late Pleistocene and Holocene fluvial sediments Using OSL, Uranium series and 14 C methods in the Saqqez River, Shahid beheshti University, 2020
- ^ Saqqez, mapnall
- ^ http://www.payvand.com/news/08/feb/1191.html
- ^ http://www.irimo.ir/english/monthly&annual/map/province/zanjan.asp Archived 2011-06-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2010-04-11.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- ^ http://www.irimo.ir Iranian Meteorological Organisation's "Century weather stats data bank"