Kurdistan province ( Ostān-e Kordestān) is one of 31 provinces of Iran. The province is in area and its capital is the city of Sanandaj.

Kurdistan province is located in the west of Iran, in Region 3. It borders the Kurdistan region of Iraq to the west, and the Iranian provinces of West Azerbaijan to the north, Zanjan to the northeast, Hamadan to the east, and Kermanshah to the south. It forms part of the area unofficially known as Iranian Kurdistan.

History

The earliest human occupation of Kurdistan dates back to the Paleolithic Period when Neanderthals lived in the Sirwan Valley of Kurdistan more than 40,000 years ago.Biglari, F and S. Shidrang (2019) Rescuing the Paleolithic Heritage of Hawraman, Kurdistan, Iranian Zagros, Near Eastern Archaeology 82 (4): 226-235.https://doi.org/10.1086/706536

Demographics Language and ethnicity Whilst most of the people of this province speak Kurdish, other languages such as Azerbaijani and Persian are also common.

Iranian Kurds make up the majority of the population, but Iranian Azeris populate the eastern provincial borderlands. Most of the Kurdish population speak Sorani Kurdish, but Southern Kurdish is spoken in the eastern parts of the province, including in Bijar and Dezej, while Gorani is the main language in many villages in the southwestern part of the province. Oghuz Turkic varieties can be found in the far-eastern part of the province, including in the cities of Delbaran, Pir Taj, Serishabad, Yasukand, and Tup Aghaj. These varieties are described as distinct from Iranian Azerbaijani, although they are closely related to it. While not being the primary language in any settlement in the province, Persian is increasingly becoming the first language, especially among the population in the eastern parts of the province.

Religion A significant majority of the people of Kurdistan province follow the Sunni denomination of Islam. A minority of Shia, Yarsanism and Christian followers also live in this province.

Population At the time of the 2006 National Census, the province's population was 1,416,334 inhabitants in 337,179 households. The following census in 2011 counted 1,493,645 living in 401,845 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the province as 2,152,471 in 471,310 households.

Administrative divisions

The population history and structural changes of Kurdistan province's administrative divisions over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table. Each county is named after the city that serves as its administrative capital.

+ Kurdistan province Counties 2006 2011 2016 Baneh 116,773 132,565 158,690 Bijar 95,461 93,714 89,162 Dehgolan — 62,844 64,015 Divandarreh 82,628 81,963 80,040 Ghorveh 196,972 136,961 140,192 Kamyaran 104,704 105,996 102,856 Marivan 150,926 168,774 195,263 Sanandaj 409,628 450,167 501,402 Saqqez 205,250 210,820 226,451 Sarvabad 53,992 49,841 44,940 Total 1,416,334 1,493,645 1,603,011

Cities According to the 2016 census, 1,134,229 people (over 70% of the population of Kurdistan province) live in the following cities:

City Population Armardeh 2,305 Babarashani 509 Baneh 110,218 Bardeh Rasheh 1,020 Bijar 50,014 Bolbanabad 3,193 Buin-e Sofla 1,518 Chenareh 455 Dehgolan 25,992 Delbaran 6,713 Dezej 2,219 Divandarreh 34,007 Ghorveh 78,276 Kamyaran 57,077 Kani Dinar 13,059 Kani Sur 1,284 Marivan 136,654 Muchesh 3,370 Pir Taj 1,199 Saheb 3,101 Sanandaj 412,767 Saqqez 165,258 Sarvabad 5,121 Serishabad 7,196 Shuyesheh 1,302 Tup Aghaj 1,645 Uraman Takht 3,176 Yasukand 3,490 Zarrineh 2,091

Most populous cities The following sorted table lists the most populous cities in Kurdistan in 2016.

RankCityCountyPopulation1SanandajSanandaj412,7672SaqqezSaqqez165,2583MarivanMarivan136,6544BanehBaneh110,2185QorvehQorveh78,2766KamyaranKamyaran57,0777BijarBijar50,0148DivandarrehDivandarreh34,0079DehgolanDehgolan25,99210Kani DinarMarivan13,059

Culture

Clothing

The people of this province have special clothes that they have been wearing for centuries. The important point about the clothes of the people of this province is that even after the spread of modernism all over the world, the people of this province still try to be faithful to their past traditions in the field of lifestyle.

Dance and music

Among the cultural symbols of Kurdistan people are Kurdish dance and singing. This cultural tradition is very popular not only in this province but also throughout the country.

Important annual celebrations Chaharshanbeh Suri

Chaharshanbeh Suri or Charshanbeh Suri is an Iranian festival of the fire dance celebrated on the eve of the last Wednesday of the year, of ancient Zoroastrian origin. It is the first festivity of Nowruz, the Iranian New Year. In this celebration, people light fires on the mountains and on the roofs of houses, dance, and rejoice.

Nowruz

Nowruz is one of the most important ceremonies that has been celebrated by Iranians for millennia. Nowruz and related ceremonies are celebrated in the most opulent way possible in Kurdistan province. As the spring equinox, Nowruz marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, better i.e. the moment at which the Sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day is calculated exactly every year. Traditional customs of Nowruz include fire and water, ritual dances, gift exchanges, reciting poetry, symbolic objects and more.They celebrate the new year, which they call Chār shanba sur, on the first Wednesday of April, slightly later than the Iranian new year, Now-Ruz, on 21 March. (...) . The fact that Kurds celebrate the Iranian new year (which they call "Nawrôz" in Kurdish) does not make them Zoroastrian" – Richard Foltz (2017). "The 'Original' Kurdish Religion? Kurdish Nationalism and the False Conflation of the Yezidi and Zoroastrian Traditions". Journal of Persianate Studies. Volume 10: Issue 1. pp. 93, 95.

Economy The major activities of the inhabitants are agriculture and modern livestock farming. Wheat, barley, grains and fruits are the major agricultural products. The chemical, metal, textile, leather and food industries are the main industrial activities in this province. This province has one of the largest rates of unemployment in Iran. According to Iranian statistics, more than twenty thousand people depend on being a kolbar for sustenance.Fars News: The situation of kolbars vaguer than ever.

Colleges and universities Kurdistan University of Medical SciencesKurdistan University of Medical Sciences Tohid Medical Center University of Kurdistan Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj Branch

See also Hajar Khatoon Mosque Iranian Kurdistan Kurdistan Kurdistan (disambiguation) Uramanat Villages

Notes

References

Bibliography

External links

Kordestan Province Cultural Heritage Organization Pālangān Under Snow—some photographs