West Azerbaijan province with 43,660 km (including Lake Urmia) is located in the northwest of our country "Iran". Majority of the province inhabitants are Turks, who usually live in the central, northern and southeast plains of Vakrad, as well as western and southern parts of the province. A small number of Christian, Armenian, Assyrian and Zoroastrian minorities live in West Azerbaijan. While the majority of people in the province speak Azeri Turkish, Kurdish Armenian and Assyrian are other common languages in West Azerbaijan.
West Azerbaijan has a border with three countries of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iraq in the north and east, Kurdistan province in the south, Zanjan province in southwest and Azerbaijan province in the east. West Azerbaijan province has 17 cities, 36 districts, 36 counties, 109 villages and 3728 small villages with Urmia as the capital. This province, including Lake Urmia, is located in northwestern Iran and constitutes 2.25 percent of the total area of Iran.
The diversity of ethnicities and religions has led to a variety of the customs in West Azerbaijan. People living in this province celebrate Chaharshanbe Souri (the last Wednesday of the year) in a very glorious way, and especial traditions are observed on this day, especially in the villages, among which we can mention shawl Andazi. In this ceremony, young people go to the roofs of acquaintances' houses and hang handkerchiefs from the window to encourage the house owner to fill the napkin with nuts and fruits and pray for the young. In another tradition, women stand in the corners, put a key under their feet and start fortune-telling for the people who pass by. Urmia has a famous street food called Yer Alma Kebab, which can be found in various stalls and shops. This dish is prepared with baked potatoes, boiled eggs and local vegetables.
West Azerbaijan has a variety of souvenirs. Carrot and walnut halva are the most famous souvenirs of the province, especially Urmia. Bastakh or Luzanak is another famous pastry in the city that is prepared with starch. The honey and sunflower seeds of this region are also of high quality and are known as souvenirs. Carpet and kilim weaving are common in most cities of West Azerbaijan as two of the famous handicrafts of this city. Woodcarving and wooden statue making are also among the handicrafts of this province. Ruduzi (an art similar to needlework but made of silk threads), traditional printing and pottery are also known as part of the arts and handicrafts of this province.
Extensive fertile mountains, high mountains, mild and fresh weather, flowing rivers, fertile vineyards, orchards full of various fruits, lush pastures and forests, plains and valleys full of wild flowers and azure lake have turned West Azarbaijan to one of the most beautiful and pleasant regions of Iran. West Azerbaijan is the second most water-rich province of the country with 23 permanent and seasonal rivers in West Azarbaijan province, the most important of which are Simineh River, Zarrineh River, Vogdar Chai, Mahabad River, Baranduz Chai, Shahrchai Urmia, Zola Chai Vazab Kuchak, etc. It has natural attractions like Prison of Solomon, Kazim Dashi, Lake Urmia, Basaltic Prisms, Kani Gravan Mineral Spring, Saholan Cave. Besides natural attractions, West Azerbaijan houses many historical attractions such as Khoy Bazaar, Sorp Serkis Church, Khoy Stone Gate, Jameh Mosque of Urmia, Farhad Crypt, Tomb of Shams-e Tabrizi, Chapel of Dzordzor, Takht-e Soleyman, Monastery of Saint Thaddeus, The Tomb of Seyyed Sadr al-Din, Teppe Hasanlu, Se-Gonbad Tower, and Maku Baghcheh Jugh Museum and Palace.
Tags: Takht-e Soleyman, West Azerbaijan Province, Monastery of Saint Thaddeus, West Azerbaijan Attractions, Lake Urmia, Solomon Prison, Chapel of Dzordzor, Teppe Hasanlu
Saholan Cave, one of the largest water caves in Iran, is located 43 km northeast of Mahabad on the Mahabad-Bukan axis in West Azerbaijan. This cave, located near a village with the same name, is one of the unique natural caves in the country and the most amazing natural landscapes of West Azerbaijan.
St. Thaddaeus Church or Qareh Kelisa, one of the churches inscribed as the UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located 20 km northeast of Chaldoran city next to a village with the same name.
Takht-e Soleyman located in the southeast of West Azarbaijan Province near the city of Takab is an ancient site with an area of 74 square kilometers and also a relic of ancient Iran.
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