The province of West Azarbaijan is 37,614 km2 (14,523 sq mi) in the north-west of Iran. Urumieh is the capital city of the province. The townships of Piranshahr, Oshnavieh, Bukan, Urmia, Takab, Chaldran, Khoy, Sardasht, Salmas, Shahindej, Maku, Mahabad, Miandoab and Naqadeh are in this province.
This province has a mountainous terrain in which the high Zagros Mountains span over an area from the northwest to the southeast. The water obtained from the melting snow flows through the various valleys in the vicinity, ultimately flowing into Lake Urumieh, the Kloy (Zaab) River.
Pleasant climatic conditions have created suitable living conditions in the Azarbaijan provinces. It is here where humanity's first traces of wine were discovered.
Climatically, the province is influenced by the humid air currents of the Atlantic Ocean, and in the winter months the Mediterranean air currents have an effect here, bringing down the temperature. Generally the climate is variable, rising to 34ºC in hot summer months and dropping to -16ºC in the winter season, such that the cities of Urumieh and Maku have dry summers and cold winters, Mahabad has long, dry summers and extremely cold winters, whereas Naqadeh and Miandoab experience a semi-humid climate with mild summers and cold winters.
Lake Urumieh, West Azarbaijan, Iran (Photographed by: Hamid Sedghi Nejad)
The name "Azarbaijan" comes from the ancient Middle Persian name Ator Patkan. Excavation sites such as Teppe Hasanlu firmly establish the age of the province back to the 6th millennium BCE. Here in Hasanlu, the famous Golden Vase was found in 1958.
Teppe Hajifiruz is also located in this region, where the world's earliest trace of wine was found.
Gooy Teppe is yet another site of significance. Here from 800 BCE, we find a metal plaque depicting a scene from Gilgamesh. Ruins such as these and the UNESCO world heritage site at Takht-e-Suleiman illustrate the historical importance of this province through the millennia.
Definitions:
* HASC : Hierarchical Administrative Subdivision Codes * ISO : Codes from ISO 3166-2 * Dom : Province Domain codes
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