Shāhīn Dezh, Iran

History

The modern town of Shahin Dezh was formerly known as Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh. The name Ṣāʾīn (also spelled Sāīn, Shahin, etcetera.) is derived from the Mongol sayin, which translates as "good".

The local Turkic Afshars were brought to the area from Shiraz at the beginning of the 19th century by Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (r. 1797–1834), the second Qajar shah ("king") of Iran. Later, a segment of these Afshars had to migrate to Urmia in order to make way for the Chardawri (Chardowli) Lurs. The chief of the Chardowli's resided at Mahmuddjik and was the commander of c. 5,000 men. In 1830, Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh was sacked by Kurds led by Sheikh Ubeydullah. 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.

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. The lake of Chamli Göl, near the village of Badarli with its floating island were likewise well known at the time. Some of the Afshars of Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh belonged to the Yarsanism sect.

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.

From the History section of Shahin Dezh on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.