Merivan

The city is located in the western part of Kurdistan, in a mountainous area, at an altitude of 1289 meters above sea ​​level ^[3] . Merivan is located approximately 75 kilometers west-north-west (WNW) from Sanandaj , the provincial capital and 460 kilometers west of Tehran , the capital of the country.

According to the census, in 2006 the population was 91,664 ^[2] ; Kurds (native speakers of Sorani ) predominate in the national composition, in the confessional - Sunni Muslims .

Thus, the demographic growth slowed down significantly: the average annual growth rate of the population of Merivan was extremely high in 1991–1996 — 6% per year, but markedly lower — less than 2% per year in 2006–2012.

The city was founded at the very beginning of the 20th century. The founder of the city is considered a member of the ruling dynasty of Qajars Farhad Mirza. He ordered to build a fortress in the area of ​​modern Merivan. In 1908, Haj-Farhad Mutamad-ud-Daula rebuilt the fortress, making it more powerful and called it "Shahabad fortress". Back in the early 1950s. Merivan was a small village with dirt roads and several shops. In 1955, primary and secondary schools appeared in Merivan, and in 1957 the city hall was built. In 1960, the city began to produce artesian water for the needs of the local population ^[5] .

The climate of the city is determined by the high-altitude location (1289 m), as well as the influence of Mediterranean air masses. During the year, a large amount of precipitation falls (500-900 mm), which contributes to the abundance of vegetation in the region.

10 kilometers to the northeast of the city is the Garan Bridge, which is thrown over the river of the same name, which does not dry out in summer ^[6] . The Imam fortress (Khan-Ahmad), built around 1535, is located 3 kilometers east of Merivan. During the Iran-Iraq war, Iraqi bombing caused it considerable damage ^[7] . Also in the area of ​​Merivan, one of the largest border markets of the western part of Iran is operating.
The environs of Merivan contain a number of unique natural objects and landscapes . To the west of the city, at an altitude of 1285 meters above sea level, is the picturesque mountain lake Zarivar ^[8] , the length and width of which are 4.5 and 2 kilometers, respectively. Merivan is surrounded by forests ^[9] , occupying an area of ​​about 185,000 hectares. In the nearby mountains, on a rocky surface, human figures are cut out, as well as cuneiform inscriptions dated to the end of the 2nd - the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. er ^[ten]