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Provincial capital of Western Azarbaijan in an altitude of 1,340 m above sea level at the extreme northwest of Iran, Orumieh is 946 km away from Tehran by road. The origins of Orumieh (or Rezaieh from 1930 till 1988), according to some sources, go back to the civilization of Urartu, in whose language Urmi of the Urartians, is the legendary birthplace of Zoroaster and the burial place of one of the Three Magi. The town nestles amid the foothills of the Turkish frontier, facing a turquoise colored lake of inland water. A big market-town, Orumieh has over 650,431 inhabitants of the most diverse ethnic and religious background: Iranian Turks, Kurds, Chaldean Christians, Muslims and Catholics. The largest inland water body in Iran, Lake Orumieh 20 km to the east of the town, with an area of 5,000 square kilometers and an average depth of 5 meters, is so full of salt ( though less so than the Dead Sea) that it cannot support any animal or vegetable life. However, because of containing natural salts and mud, the same water is used by patients who suffer from dermal and rheumatic troubles. At Golmankhaneh harbor, there are coastal beaches ready to welcome the travelers. It is almost 140 km long and 40 km wide; and there are several uninhabited but environmentally protected beautiful islands in the southern parts, where wild beasts and animals live. Kabudan (formerly Shahi), occasionally a peninsula when a strip of mud dries long enough to connect it to the shore, is the second largest island of the lake after the inhabited Eslami Island. Its surface area is 3170 hectare; 12 km in length and 25 km in width, it has an altitude of 1275 m. A large number of birds such as flamingos, pelicans, wild geese, and gulls are living on and around the island. Hunting is prohibited here and entrance therein is subject to authorization given by the Environment Protection Department of the Province. Apart from a road under construction across the Lake, there are some boat facilities for passengers between the Eastern and Western Azarbaijans as well. The Kabudan Island is the place where Hulagu Khan was buried together with his concubines and a legendary store of riches. Kabudan is the prototype of the "Treasure Island." Friday Mosque Of the most important buildings of the town worth visiting, first of all we could mention the Friday Mosque (Masjid-e Jom’eh or Masjid-e Jam’e) dating from Seljuk times, 13th century AD (with later restorations), and located inside bazaar; however, it is thought to incorporate an earlier structure. The vaulting of the cupola and the spacious prayer Hall of the mosque are of particular architectural interest as regards the construction of vault, thickness of the foundation, and the solid stone body of the building. Seen from the outside, the cupola rests upon a polygonal brick base of sixteen sides which gradually rise up to the top of the cupola growing into circular shape. The mihrab room richly adorned with the typical decoration of the period – exuberant foliage and geometric patterns framed within panels of beautifully executed Kuffic script as well as its fine carved stucco work – is of the square Seljuk "kiosk mosque" type, influenced not by Islam at all, but by the square Sassanian fire-temples seen, for instance, at Naqsh-e Rostam. Stucco plaster is known to have been used as a building material in Iran for at least 2,500 years; it was developed as a decorative medium by the Sassanians and continued to be used as such in mosques and shrines, as well as private houses, from early Islamic days until the present. Lower down, the mihrab is enframed by two engaged columns decorated with plaster moldings. In the middle, there is an inscription which contains the name of the artist and the date 1277 AD. Besides this inscription there is another one of the inner side of the walls and the cupola, giving an account of the construction of the mosque and its later reparations. Seh Gonbad Not far from the Friday Mosque is the funerary tower called Seh Gonbad, or Three Cupolas in Pasdaran Avenue. This circular brick tower is a 12th century AD construction with a crypt in the lower part and a portal decorated with superb designs. Three inscription friezes carved on stone in Kuffic style, can still be seen at the entrance of the monument, and the date given at the end of the inscription is the month of Moharram in Hijrah year 580 (1184 AD). Besides its almost 9 meter high cupola with beautiful stalactite work, the colourful decorations and fine stone ornaments of the monument bestow a particular artistic charm on it. The monument bears great resemblance to the Tower of Ala ad-Din in Varamin, and has two separate rooms, built inside the tower. Its main cupola is coupled by two smaller ones. Hence the popular name Seh Gonbad, under which it is generally known. Bazaar Orumieh has a lively covered bazaar which, though considerably later in date than the Esfahan bazaar, is built upon the same traditional lines. The domed vaults have circular openings to provide light, but they also let in rain and cold so that the tendency today is to cover them with glass. Actually, the bazaar consists of a network of smaller bazaars: grocers, goldsmiths, cloth dealers, coppersmiths, shoemakers, felt makers, dyers, tinsmiths and knife makers. The absence of motor traffic adds greatly to the attraction of these old bazaars. Orumieh Museum Orumieh Museum with an area of 750 square meters, consists of two halls, one larger than the other. It is located at Shahid Dr Beheshti Avenue, where you can see archaeological and ethnological objects from the earliest prehistoric, preIslamic and Islamic eras, as well as national art relics. Visiting Hours: everyday 8:30 am 18:00 p.m. Tel: (0441) 27722.
EXCURSIONS AROUND ORUMIEH MAKU When travelling on road from Tabriz to Orumieh, instead of bearing left to Khoi, if you continue on the road to Bazargan and Turkey, you will come to Maku (22 km from Turkey) from which several Armenian churches of the eleventh and twelfth centuries may be visited. Maku, straggling along either side of a mountain gorge at an altitude of 1,634 m above sea level, is the place where travelers following the main highway into Turkey bid farewell to civilization until Erzerum, 324 km to the west. Baqeheh Juq Palace-Museum This historical two-storied palace stands in the center of a spacious garden covering 11 hectares. The building, dating back from the late Qajar period, was built by the orders of Eqbal os-Saltaneh Maku’ei, a military commander of Muzaffar od-Din Shah Qajar. After renovation, other structures were added to the building by his son. The architecture of this palace is a combination of Iranian and European styles (particularly the 19th century Russian architectural style). It was dwelt in by the family of Sardar-e Maku’ei until 1974, when it was purchased by the former Ministry of Culture and Art. After the victory of the Islamic Revolution it has been opened to visitors since 1979. Objects on exhibition include precious items such as carpets, furniture, chandeliers, textiles, etc. Visiting Hours: everyday 08:00-12:00 a.m. and 17:00-18:00 p.m. Tel: (04634) 36455. Kara Kelisa The Armenian Church and Monastery of St. Thaddeus, known also as Kelisa-ye Tatavus by the name of St. Tadi, and locally called Kara Kelisa (the Black Church) is situated in desolate, but nowadays easily accessible, country about 18 km south of Maku. According to Armenian legend, the Apostle Thadeus (generally identified as St. Jude) reached here about 66 AD and built the world’s first church. Actually, little is known of Thaddeus, one of Christ’s disciples to whom there are only passing references in the Bible. According to the same legend, he and another disciple, Simon the Zealot, were later martyred and buried in the site of Iran’s first church. Among the Armenians he is revered as the apostle of the Christian church in Persia and one of its first martyrs. The present cruciform building, said to be on the site of this early church, stands on a hill within fortified walls and consists of two distinct parts: a domed sanctuary end built largely of dark stone, probably dating from the tenth or eleventh century, and the main body of the church, built of light sandstone, under a second and larger tent dome whose twelve-sided drum is pierced by an equal number of windows. According to an inscription dating 1329 this latter section was rebuilt after an earthquake in 1319; considerable additions were, however, made during the 19th century, possibly when there was an abortive move to transfer here from Echmiadzin in Russia the seat of Armenian Catholics. The exterior walls are, like those of other early Armenian churches, decorated with bas-reliefs, the effigies of saints and a lively frieze of vine leaves and animals on the newer building being particularly striking. Ruined buildings within a walled compound adjoining the western fortified walls indicate that a considerable monastic settlement once existed there. The church has one service a year, on the feast day of St. Thaddeus (around 19 June), when Armenian pilgrims from all over Iran camp for three days to attend the ceremonies. At other times, this isolated church is rarely visited. Enter through a south gateway, the key for which is kept in the hamlet; ask for the Kelid-e Kelisa. The keys for the outer monastery buildings are not kept in the Kara Kelisa. There are a few Urartian sites around Maku and to either side of the road to and from Orumieh to the south, but none of these can be easily reached from Maku. If you are interested, you could hire a taxi to the small Urartian citadel or Sangar about 10 km to the west of Maku, just to the north of road to Bazargan. MIAN DO-AB Takht-e Suleiman The ancient, historical fort Takht-e Suleiman occupies an area of 124,000 square meters and is one of Iran’s most important ancient monuments, comprising ruins dating back to the Sassanian, Ashkanian, and Moghul periods. Located in a distance of 45 km to the north east of Takab district at an altitude of 2,400 meters, it consists of a majestic building about 20 meters high, erected on top of a hill, plus a strong stone battlement. One enters the monument through a large gate above which traces of an inscription in Kuffic style can be seen, which belong to the Moghul period and is indicative of repairs of the place in that period. The present monument is believed to have originally been the site of the famous Azargashasb Shiz fire-altar and the birth place of Zaroaster, and its construction has been attributed to the Parthian and Sassanian sovereigns. In the central part of the hill there is a large pool built of stone for water storage purposes. During the 1970’s a joint Irano-German excavation mission was involved in scientific investigations at the site and discovered a number of remains belonging to the Sassanian and Moghul periods. The most important part of the Takht-e Suleiman ruins is that which comprises the entrance gate, the entrance door to the Azargashasb fire-altar, the fortification towers, the walls of the complex, the Sassanian ivan ( repaired during the reign of Moghuls), the central pool of the fire-temple, and a number of Islamic structures. From the view point of construction and architecture, the monument is highly remarkable. Adjoining the site are the ruins of Takht-e Bulqais and Suleiman’s dungeon (Dakhmeh-ye Zendan-e Suleiman). Tappeh Hasanlu This is a long-lived tell 85 km south of Orulieh and 12 km east of Naqadeh (itself a historic area with many relics of ancient civilization of Iran), excavated by Dyson from 1965 on. Actually, it consists of a 20-meter high central hill surrounded by a number of 15-meter high peripheral hills. Historical evidence indicate that the central hill formed the main edifice and the its citadel was a town with temples and administrative parts, the population of which resided on the encircling hills. Once can discern the general layout of the citadel and parts of the foundations of a ring wall. We can also identify two rooms with columns – of which nothing remains except the stone bases – and a clay pedestal. Nearby are two store rooms where large terra-cotta jars – used for storing wine – and funnels were discovered. There is a House of Pearls named after the many white pearls and shells that were found there; these probably came from the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean islands. Craftsmen and merchants took refuge there in times of war, abandoning their houses outside the walls. It is best known for a gold bowl with relief decoration of weather gods and scenes from the mythology of the Hurri unearthed during the summer of 1958. This had been looted about 800 BC by soldiers from Urartu ( a kingdom adjoining Lake Van, to the east) who, however, were killed by the collapse of a burning roof before they could escape. The bowl is related artistically to the finds from Marlik and Ziwieh. ADDRESSES
AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS ACCESS AND DISTANCES: 894 km to Tehran; 297 km to Tabirz; 443 km to Sanandaj; 579 km to Kermanshah; 625 km to Hamadan; 513 km to Ardabil. ACCIDENTS: Shahid Esmail-e Shafi’e Pour 35935. AIR AGENT: Caspian
Air 35203 About 25 minutes by road north of town, on Salmass Road 22206, 23569. There is no airport bus service. BANKS AND EXCHANGE OFFICES: Bank
Melli Iran, on Kashani Street. Haft-e Tir Blvd on the eastern approaches to the city. All the bus companies operating out of Orumieh have offices at this terminal. You can get buses to nearly all major towns of Iran. CITY DIALING CODE NUMBER: The dialing code for Orumieh is 0441. DRUG STORE (24-HOUR): Jaber
ibn-e Hayyan, Ghodss Street 25747. Dial 118, 115, 24081-2. GOVERNOR’S OFFICE: Farmandari, Amini Street 25227. MEDICAL SERVICES: Motahari
Hospital, Kashani Street 37078-80. On the north side of Enghelab Square 110, 44710. POST AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS: The main post office is at the southern end of Imam Ave. For long-distance calls go to the telephone office a little further up, just north of the intersection with Ghodss Street. To get the operator dial 116; for directory inquiries dial 118. RESTAURANTS: Two good places where you can get a bite to eat are the Reza Hotel and Orumieh Inn. There are some chelo kababis and snack bars along Imam Khomeini Ave. Ahmadi Eating Salon is recommended for humble cooking. Some of the Restaurants are: Darya-e
Nur, Taleghani Street 50773. Shared taxis run along the main roads of Orumieh, with the greatest concentration in Imam Khomeini Ave. Azarbaijan
Taxi, Shahid Raja’i Street 40135.
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