Miandoab County () is in West Azerbaijan province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Miandoab.
At the 2006 census, the county's population was 245,153 in 59,998 households. The following census in 2011 counted 260,628 people in 73,388 households. At the 2016 census, the county's population was 273,949 in 83,234 households. Marhemetabad District was separated from the county in 2020, to form Chaharborj County, and at the same time, Baruq District became Baruq County. The county is located to the south of Urmia Lake and between the two rivers Zarrineh and Simineh.
The name of this county means "between the two rivers" (the Zarrineh and Simineh). According to the condition of rivers and geographical location of the region, the communication route of the provinces of West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, Kurdistan and Zanjan is through this city.
History
The discovery of several ancient monuments around Miandoab indicates that the region was settled long ago. Archaeological excavations and artifacts such as the Qara Quzulu hill date back to 800 to 4100 BC. Menorsky, a contemporary Russian orientalist, believes that there are territories south of Lake Urmia. It is non-Indian and European, such as Al-Abrian, Kharkhar and Alpi, and in the southwest it refers to a country called "Parswa" in 844 BC, and in the southeast "Parsava" from 836 BC to "Matai". Then after 714 BC named the "Manna" who around 830 to 858 BC as a neighbor attached to the "Parsva." According to historians , this Manna tribe was in the village of "Dash Tappeh" in Miandoab, and an inscription in this field has been obtained from there. "
The migration of the Qara Papaqs and in the early reign of Agham Mohammad Khan Qajar, following the forced migration of a population from the Kerman region, were added to the inhabitants of the city and the Kermanis were mixed with the natives of Miandoab for two generations.
During the turbulent years of World War I, Miandoab, like others in the region, experienced famine and instability, as the Iranian government was in a state of chaos and political turmoil. At the end of World War II, the Soviet Army took control of the region following the deportation of Reza Shah.
Administrative divisions
The population history of Miandoab County's administrative divisions over three consecutive censuses is shown in the following table. The latest census shows three districts, 11 rural districts, and three cities.
Language
The language used by the majority of the people in this city is Azerbaijani Turkish, but around the city of Miandoab, towards the city of Mahabad, the people of several villages speak Sorani Kurdish.
Religion
Most of the residents of Miandoab are Shia, and a significant minority of Sunni and a small minority of Yarsani live in the area.
Agriculture
The favorable geographical location led to high agricultural growth and as a result, the industrial development of Miandoab region. Miandoab sugar factory was built in the early twentieth century with the cooperation of Belgian engineers. The construction of the Nowruzlu diversion dam in the 1971 drew more development and industrialization.
Ancient relics
There are traces of Medes as well as Urartians in the village of Dash Tappeh.
Other ancient relics of this city are as follows:
Fortress of Husseinabad
Hosseinabad mud and clay fort is located 15 km from Miandoab. Since this fort was the summer fortress of the Hulagu Khan, it is also known as Hulagu khan's Fortress.
Parts of the fortress wall and the indoor space and the foundations of one of the watchtowers now are visible.
Mirza Rasool or Tatao bridge
On the Simineh river, a Qajar bridge named Mirza Rasool can be seen. This bridge, with 80 meters length and 6.4 meters wide, has five spans with gabled arches, which can be seen on the road from Miandoab to Mahabad. This historical bridge was registered on July 20, 1998, with the registration number 2068 as one of the national monuments of Iran and hosts a significant number of tourists, especially during Nowruz. The foundations of this bridge are made of cut stone made of travertine and below it, a piers is used to prevent shocks and water intensity, and the arches of the bridge are in the form of two folds and arches. Some believe that this bridge was built during the Qajar period with seven spans and 200 years old, but it was later found that this bridge dates back to the Safavid period and 'Mirza Rasool' only repaired this bridge during the Qajar period.
Kouseh-lar bridge
The second historical bridge in Miandoab is a bridge called Kouseh-lar," located in a village of the same name.