Urmia
Iran · Asia
About Urmia
Urmia is the largest city in West Azerbaijan Province of Iran. In the Central District of Urmia County, it is capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is situated near the borders of Iran with Turkey and Iraq.
The city lies at an elevation of 1,330 metres (4,360 ft) above sea level along the Shahar River on the Urmia Plain. Lake Urmia, one of the world's largest salt lakes, lies to the east of the city, and the border with Turkey lies to the west.
The city is the trading center for a fertile agricultural region where fruits (especially apples and grapes) and tobacco are grown. Even though the majority of the residents of Urmia are Muslims, the Christian history of Urmia is well preserved and is especially evident in the city's many churches and cathedrals.
An important town by the 9th century, the city has had a diverse population which has at times included Muslims (Shias and Sunnis), Christians (Catholics, Protestants, Nestorians, and Orthodox), Jews, Baháʼís and Sufis. Around 1900, Christians made up more than 40% of the city's population; however, in the next decades most of the Christians were either killed by the advancing Ottoman troops or in raids by Kurdish tribes or fled shortly after the end of the war.
Urmia, Takab and Piranshahr respectively have the highest number of registered provincial sites in the list of national sites.
Urmia is a historically diverse city where Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Persians, Assyrians, and Armenians have long lived side by side. It has also been home to Jewish and Baháʼí communities, reflecting its longstanding multicultural and multireligious character.
Urmia travel guide
Getting there
By plane 1 Urmia Airport (OMH IATA). There are two daily flights from Tehran, and flights from Mashhad and Van
By train 2 Urmia railway station (ایستگاه راهآهن ارومیه). There are direct trains from Tehran every second day and daily regional trains. (updated Jun 2021)
By car By the bridge over the Urmia lake you can reach Tabriz within 1½ hours.
By bus There are daily buses from Van in Turkey and Arbil in Iraq and also to Tehran, Tabriz and major Western Iranian cities.
By boat
See
Urmia has many parks and touristic coastal villages on the shore of Urmia Lake. The oldest park in Urmia, called Park-e Saat, was established in the first Pahlavi's era. Urmia's largest park is Ellar Bagi Park (Azerbaijani "Garden of the Peoples") along the Shahar Chayi, or the City River.
1 Urmia Lake (a few kilometers east of Urmia). The second saltiest lake in the world. You can go swimming and you will flow on the water. (updated Nov 2020) 2 Urmia Museum. 09:00-19:00 daily. An archaeological museum. (updated Nov 2020) 3 Church of Naneh Maryam (Saint Mary) (کلیسای حضرت مریم). The first church in the East built by the magi who made the journey to Jerusalem to see Jesus Christ. (updated Nov 2020) 4 Se Gonbad (Three Domes Tower) (سه گنبد ارومیه). The Three Domes Tower is in an alley branched off the Ostad Barzegar Street in the southeastern part of Urmia. (updated Nov 2020) 5 Jameh Mosque (Friday (Grand) Mosque) (مسجد جامع ارومیه). Urmia's Friday Mosque is in the middle of Urmia Bazaar. It has a vast courtyard and a large brick Shabestan (covered area), roofed in the middle part with a high dome. (updated Nov 2020) 6 Old Urmia Bazaa. The Urmia Bazaar is in the southeastern corner of Urmia. The major part of the bazaar which remains intact is flanked by the Imam (Asgarabadi), Eghbal and Mahabad (Montazeri) streets. (updated Nov 2023) 7 Band. Band is a village alongside the route to Piranshar, which is one of the major places for going out in Urmia. Here you can drink tea, smoke water pipe, eat kebab and enjoy long and warm evenings in summer time. (updated Nov 2023) 8 Marserkis Church. The Marserkis Church is one of the stone structures of the province. The roof and all walls are skillfully and solidly built with stones of irregular shapes. (updated Nov 2023) 9 Sardar Mosque. Built in the Qajar dynasty by Abd-o-Samad Khan, father of Agha Khan and great grandfather of Azim-o-Saltaneh Sardar, Sardar Mosque is situated some 500 m away from the Friday Mosque. In 1951, the latter installed a big clock on top of the entrance door, which is why it is also called the Sa’atlu (clock) Mosque. (updated Nov 2020) 10 Natural History Museum. Displays the animals native to the vicinity of Urmia. (updated Nov 2020) Nine Steps (Doquz Pelleh) Ice House. The Doquz Pelleh Ice House is situated by a little spring called “Darreh Chay” in an old district of Urmia called “Asgar Khan”. Doquz means “9” in Turkish. The ice house was regularly harvested by the people of Urmia before the city expanded to its present shape. Also, the Chaharshanbe Suri ceremonies used to be held besi
Sleep
1 Reza Hotel, Besat Street, ☏ +98 441 222 6580. 2 International Park Hotel (هتل بین المللی پارک), ☏ +98 443 1888. (updated Nov 2020)
Overview adapted from Wikipedia, travel guide fromWikivoyage (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.