Sanandaj, Iran
سنندج
Sanandaj is a regional capital of 349,176 people in Kurdistan Province, Iran.
Why visit Sanandaj
Townapedia lists 13 museums and landmarks, 63 parks and trails, 97 places to eat, 26 places to stay and 19 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Qeshlaq Bridge, Iranian youth cinema society of sanandaj and Sepidar park.
Weather in Sanandaj
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Sanandaj
Sanandaj (Persian: سنندج; pronounced [sænænˈdædʒ] Kurdish: سنە, romanized: Senneh) is a city in the Central District of Sanandaj County, in the Kurdistan province of Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. With a population of 850,000, it is the second largest Kurdish city and 20th largest city overall in Iran. The city is considered a historic centre of Kurdish cultural and intellectual life, particularly noted for its tradition of Kurdish music, poetry, and carpet weaving.
From the Wikipedia article Sanandaj (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Sanandaj on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do19
Iranian youth cinema society of sanandaj
Cinema and theater
کوچه ارشاد
Sa-We 09:00-20:00
7 more on the map.
Museums and landmarks13
Kurd House - Asif Mansion
Monument and historic site
امام خمینی, Sanandaj
1 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds63
51 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes97
Adan Café restaurant
Cafe · Coffee Shop, Chicken, Burger, Breakfast, Beef Bowl, Cake, Italian, Ice Cream, Italian Pizza, Pancake, Pizza, Sandwich, Tea · 2.0 km
معراج
Mo-Su 10:00-22:00
Zhinco Restaurant
Restaurant · Pizza, Chicken, Kebab, Regional, Cake, Salad, Lebanese, Steak House · 7.3 km
سنندج - قروه - همدان, سنندج
24/7
خانه کورن داگ (طعم و مزه )
Restaurant · Hot Dog · 1.0 km
128 پاسداران - ۶ بهمن, شهر سنندج
Mo-Su 09:00-22:00
Shaida restaurant
Restaurant · Kebab, Regional · 0.8 km
خیابان شهید تعریف، نرسیده به سه راه شهید تعریف، روبروی مرکز فنی و حرفه ای, شهر سنندج
Mo-Su 10:00-21:00
کافه وچان
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.2 km
بلوار جانبازان نرسیده به پل عابرپیاده, شهر سنندج
Mo-Su 07:00-23:00
Viona Coffee Resturant
Cafe · Pizza, Coffee Shop, Sandwich, Chicken, Kebab, Regional, Breakfast, Turkish, Lebanese · 1.9 km
دیدگاه, شهر سنندج
Mo-Su 09:00-23:00
باغ رستوران هیلانه
Restaurant · 10.3 km
بزرگراه سنندج - قروه - همدان
Mo-Su 09:00-21:00
کارگاه نان تنوری - تبریزی
Bakery · 12.0 km
صلوات آباد سنندج - قروه - همدان, سنندج
06:00-14:00
85 more on the map.
History
Sanandaj's founding is fairly recent (about 250 years ago), yet in its short existence it has grown to become one of the centers of Kurdish culture. During the Iran–Iraq War the city was attacked by Iraqi planes and saw disturbances. Since 2019, UNESCO has recognized Sanandaj as Creative City of Music.
The name "Sinna" first appears in records from the 14th century CE. Before this, the main city in the region was Sisar, whose exact location is unknown. Sisar was also called "Sisar of Sadkhaniya", or "Sisar of the hundred springs", and it has been proposed that the current name of "Sinna" is a contracted form of "Sadkhaniya".
The name "Sisar" disappears in the 14th century and the name "Sinna" replaces it, for example in the works of Hamdallah Mustawfi who refers to a mountain and a pass with this name. Then the Kurdish historian Sharaf al-Din Bitlisi mentions that in 1580 an Ardalan ruler named Timur Khan had a land grant including Sinna and the earlier Ardalan capital of Hasanabad. However, the local historian Ali-Akbar Munshi Waqayi-Nigar wrote in 1892/3 that Sinna was founded later, by the ruler Soleyman Khan Ardalan, on the site of an earlier settlement; the chronogram he gives for this event corresponds to 1046 AH, or 1636-7 CE.
From the History section of Sanandaj on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay26
Farhangian Hotel
Motel and hotel · 2.2 km
بلوار پاسداران - خیابان جام جم, Sanandaj
Churches and places of worship84
Shopping55
Gas and EV charging23
Schools, colleges and libraries155
Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj Branch
School · 1.4 km
سه راهی ادب - سایت مرکزی دانشگاه ازاد, شهر سنندج
مدارس غیر دولتی دخترانه راهیان کوثر
School · Shia · 2.0 km
بلوار جام جم, Sanandaj
Healthcare54
Dr. Derakhshan Nuclear Medicine Center
Clinic and pharmacy · 0.7 km
27 خیابان آبیدر کوچه گلبرگ, Sanandaj
داروخانه دکتر راستین
Clinic and pharmacy · 0.9 km
فلکه تعریف - ابتدای خیابان تعریف - ساختمان پزشکان یاسا, سنندج
Tohid Pharmacy
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.3 km
بلوار شهید سلیمانی - بیمارستان توحید, شهر سنندج
Red Crescent Pharmacy
Clinic and pharmacy · 0.7 km
پاسداران - ششم بهمن, شهر سنندج
Diabetes Clinic
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.4 km
بلوار شهید سلیمانی - بیمارستان توحید, شهر سنندج
Map of Sanandaj
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Sanandaj Airport (SDG) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 8 km away.
- Āsāvleh 5 km southeast, about 5 min by car
- Mārenj 30 km southeast, about 30 min by car
- Mūchesh 32 km southeast, about 32 min by car
- Qūrūq 33 km south, about 33 min by car
- Khāmesān 38 km south, about 38 min by car
- Govāz 39 km southwest, about 39 min by car
- Nasanār 42 km west, about 42 min by car
- Zovenj 43 km west, about 43 min by car
- Cheshmīdar 45 km west, about 45 min by car
- Marīvān 77 km west, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Aerial Photo Of Sanandaj 13960613 01, Bakhtiar Samadi بختیار صمدی, CC BY 4.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (33) (14838984868), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (11) (14839055777), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (5) (14838986328), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (6) (14838863289), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (17) (14838985828), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (22) (15022525511), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (28) (14839054837), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (31) (14839054637), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (3) (15025236962), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (23) (15002594236), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (2) (15025595685), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (38) (15025593885), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (35) (15025235392), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (39) (14839054357), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (10) (14839055867), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (20) (14838862459), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (32) (14838984928), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (9) (14839055967), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (15) (14838940490), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (29) (14838984998), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (19) (15022525801), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (21) (14838862399), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (37) (15025235352), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (40) (14838861289), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (12) (14838940660), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (16) (14838940380), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (34) (14838861599), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (13) (14838985988), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (30) (15025235812), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (18) (15002594596), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (36) (15025594075), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (1) (14838941120), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (14) (15002594806), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (26) (14839054927), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Sanandaj, Iran 2013 (8) (14838863239), Dr. Nasser Haghighat, CC BY 2.0
- Qeshlaq Bridge - Taken by Edriss (64), Edriss bahrampour, CC BY-SA 4.0
- University of Kurdistan, Γεωργός, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Dar ul-Ihsan Mosque 1399021723594690420311244, Keyvan Firouzei, CC BY 4.0
- Sanandaj 29514 PhotoT, Bakhtiar Samadi, CC BY 4.0
- Sanandaj, KhosroAbad 01, Γεωργός, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sanandaj Habibi Mansion 01, Γεωργός, CC BY-SA 4.0
- خانه آصف وزیری (1), Salar.arkan, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Hamam khan, Korsoon, Public domain
- Street-level photo, sarbarz, CC BY-SA 4.0
Page built November 8, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.

