URMIA, A CITY FULL OF BELIEFS AND CULTURE

Nia S. Amira
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There was villages under the rules of Kingdom of Van in Urmia plain at the be­ginning of 2000 BC stated Vladimit Mi­norsky. The excavations of the amcient ruins near Urmia led to the discovery of utesils that date to the 20th century BC.

Urmia is the second largest city in the Iranian Azerbaijan and the capital of West Azerbaijan Province. Urmia situated at an altitude of 1,330 m above sea level, and is located along the Sha­har Chay river on the Urmis Plain. Lake Urmia is one of the world’s largest salt lakes, lies to the east of the city and mountains Turkish border area lies to the west.

Urmia is the 10th most populated city in Iran. There are anround 667,499 in­habitans according to the 2012 census , And the people are predominantly Iranian Azer­baijanis who speak the Azeri. There are also minorities of Kurds, Assyrians, and Armenians. The city is the trading center for a fertile agricul­ture region where fruits (especially apples and grapes) and tobacco are grown.

For centuries the city has had a diverse population including MuslimsShiah and Sunny, Christian (Catholic, Prostentant, Nestorians, and Orthodox), Jews, Baha’is and Sufi.

During the 19th century, the region became the center of a short lived Assyrians Renes­saince with many books and newspaper being published in Syriac. The better armed Assyrians managed however to capture the whole city fol­lowing a brief battle. The region descended into chaos again after the assassination of the As­syrian Patriarch Shimum XXI, Benyamin at the hands of Simko Shikak one month later.

Turkish armies and Simko managed the city in June and July 1918. Thousands of Assyrians were massacred as part of the Assyrian Geno­cide, other found refuge under British protec­tion in Iraq.