The modern town of Shahin Dezh was formerly known as Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh.[6] The name Ṣāʾīn (also spelled Sāīn, Shahin, etcetera.) is derived from the Mongolsayin, which translates as "good".[6]
The local TurkicAfshars were brought to the area from Shiraz at the beginning of the 19th century by Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (r. 1797–1834), the second Qajarshah ("king") of Iran.[6] Later, a segment of these Afshars had to migrate to Urmia in order to make way for the Chardawri (Chardowli) Lurs.[6] The chief of the Chardowli's resided at Mahmuddjik and was the commander of c. 5,000 men.[6] In 1830, Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh was sacked by Kurds led by Sheikh Ubeydullah.[6] Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh, being the site of an Iranian military garrison in the past, safeguarded the entrance to the Azerbaijan Province through the Zarrineh valley.[6]
The ancient Karaftu caves, first described by Robert Ker Porter (1777–1842), and the old site of Takht-e Soleyman were formerly located in the territory of the Afshars of Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh.[6] The lake of Chamli Göl, near the village of Badarli with its floating island were likewise well known at the time.[6] Some of the Afshars of Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh belonged to the Yarsanism sect.[6]
The old site of Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh is now occupied by the modern town of Shahin Dezh, which is also the chef-lieu of Shahin Dezh County. In c. 1950, its population was 3,170 which by 1991 had increased to 25,050.[6]
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 34,204 in 8,671 households.[7] The following census in 2011 counted 38,396 people in 10,782 households.[8] The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 43,131 people in 12,826 households.[2]
See also
Notes
^Also romanized as Shāhīn Dezh; also known as Sahin Dazh, Şā’īn Dezh, and Shahindej; formerly Sāīn Kala (صائین قالا) and Şā’īn Qal‘eh;[3]Azerbaijani: سایینقالا;[4]Kurdish: ساین قەڵا, romanized as Sayin Qella
^Shahin Dezh can be found at GEOnet Names Server, at this link, by opening the Advanced Search box, entering "-3081937" in the "Unique Feature Id" form, and clicking on "Search Database".