Saqqez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Saqqez
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City
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     From top to bottom and from left to right: Kawsar Park in 2022, Saqqez in 2020, Domenareh Historical Mosque, Haj Saleh Historical Bath
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 Saqqez
Location in Iran
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Saqqez
Location in Iran Kurdistan
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| Country | Iran | |
| Province | Kurdistan | |
| County | Saqqez | |
| District | Central | |
| Elevation | 1,476 m (4,843 ft) | |
| Population
(2016)
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| • Total | 165,258 | |
| Time zone | UTC+3:30 (IRST) | |
Saqqez is a city in the Kurdistan province of Iran. It is the main city of Saqqez County. Saqqez is a very old city with a rich history and culture.
Contents
What's in a Name?
The name Saqqez comes from an old word, "Eskit", which later became "Sakez". This word is from the Scythian people.
Long ago, this area was called Izirtu. It was the capital city for a group of people called the Mannaeans. Some historians think the city's name might also be linked to a powerful ruler named Cyaxares. He lived a very long time ago, between 625 and 585 BC.
A Look Back in Time
Saqqez has a history that goes back about 9,000 years! Many old things have been found here, like the amazing treasures from the Ziwiye hoard. Experts believe that the city of Saqqez is built on the site of an ancient capital city. This was the capital of the Median empire.
Around 722 to 705 BC, a ruler named Sargon II attacked the Median Empire. The Medes had to leave their capital and move to Ecbatana. After this attack, the Scythians came and rebuilt the city. They chose Saqqez, which they called Eskit, as their new capital. Over time, the city was attacked many times by the Assyrians and Romans.
Later, in the medieval period, Saqqez was known as Barza. It was an important place where different roads met. This made it a key spot for travel and trade.
People and Languages
Who Lives in Saqqez?
Most of the people living in Saqqez are Kurds. They speak a language called Kurdish, specifically the Sorani dialect.
A long time ago, around 1827, there was also a small Jewish community in the city. They had their own place of worship called a synagogue.
| Languages in Saqqez | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| language | percent | |||
| Sorani Kurdish | 99% | |||
| Persian | 1% | |||
How Many People?
In 2006, about 131,349 people lived in Saqqez. By 2016, the population grew to 165,258 people. Most of these people are Kurds who speak the Kurdish language.
Nature and Weather
Saqqez's Landscape
Saqqez is built on wide plains and hills. Important rivers like the Zarrineh River and Simineh River have branches that flow through this area. The Saqqez River even runs through the middle of the city!
The city is surrounded by the Zagros Mountains. This means Saqqez has a special landscape with both lowlands and higher areas.
Climate and Seasons
Saqqez is located high up, about 1,476 meters (4,842 feet) above sea level. It has a Mediterranean continental climate. This means it has hot, very dry summers and cold, snowy winters.
Because it's so high up, the temperature can change a lot between day and night in the summer. Saqqez is known for its very cold winters. In 1969, it recorded a temperature of −36 °C (−33 °F), which was one of the coldest temperatures ever recorded in Iran at that time. It even reached −45.8 °C (−50.4 °F) unofficially in December 2006!
Most of the rain and snow happens in late winter and early spring. Summers are usually very dry with almost no rain.
| Climate data for Saqqez, Iran (normals 1991-2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 18.2 (64.8) |
20 (68) |
26.0 (78.8) |
30.4 (86.7) |
34.4 (93.9) |
39 (102) |
43 (109) |
42 (108) |
39 (102) |
32 (90) |
26 (79) |
22.2 (72.0) |
43 (109) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 3.6 (38.5) |
6.0 (42.8) |
11.8 (53.2) |
17.5 (63.5) |
23.0 (73.4) |
29.9 (85.8) |
33.9 (93.0) |
34.1 (93.4) |
29.3 (84.7) |
21.9 (71.4) |
12.7 (54.9) |
6.5 (43.7) |
19.2 (66.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −2.3 (27.9) |
−0.2 (31.6) |
5.1 (41.2) |
10.4 (50.7) |
14.9 (58.8) |
20.4 (68.7) |
24.7 (76.5) |
24.3 (75.7) |
19.3 (66.7) |
13.0 (55.4) |
5.5 (41.9) |
0.2 (32.4) |
11.3 (52.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −7.7 (18.1) |
−6.1 (21.0) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
3.0 (37.4) |
5.5 (41.9) |
8.4 (47.1) |
13.2 (55.8) |
12.9 (55.2) |
8.2 (46.8) |
4.2 (39.6) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
−5.1 (22.8) |
2.9 (37.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −33 (−27) |
−36 (−33) |
−27.6 (−17.7) |
−9 (16) |
−5 (23) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
3.8 (38.8) |
4.8 (40.6) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
−7 (19) |
−24 (−11) |
−32 (−26) |
−36 (−33) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 57.9 (2.28) |
59.0 (2.32) |
68.8 (2.71) |
67.5 (2.66) |
36.6 (1.44) |
5.7 (0.22) |
5.1 (0.20) |
1.6 (0.06) |
2.4 (0.09) |
28.5 (1.12) |
66.8 (2.63) |
59.4 (2.34) |
459.3 (18.07) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 8.3 | 7.5 | 8.7 | 8.5 | 5.9 | 1.2 | 1 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 4.2 | 6.7 | 7 | 59.9 |
| Average snowy days | 7.9 | 7.4 | 3.5 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 4.3 | 25.1 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 76 | 72 | 64 | 60 | 56 | 41 | 34 | 30 | 32 | 47 | 66 | 74 | 54 |
| Average dew point °C (°F) | −6.3 (20.7) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
1.9 (35.4) |
4.7 (40.5) |
4.8 (40.6) |
6.1 (43.0) |
4.3 (39.7) |
1.0 (33.8) |
0.4 (32.7) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
0.3 (32.6) |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 121.5 | 142.2 | 177.4 | 213.1 | 287.1 | 345.1 | 357.4 | 344.3 | 311.1 | 254.3 | 174.1 | 123.4 | 2,851 |
| Source 1: NOAA NCEI | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: IRIMO (sun-extremes)Synoptic Stations Statistics | |||||||||||||
Arts and Culture
Saqqez has always been a place where art and culture are important. Artists here create beautiful works in many areas. These include theater, painting, sculpture, music, literature, poetry, and cinema.
Every year, a special event called The Kurdish Theater Festival is held in Saqqez. Theater groups from all over Kurdistan come to perform their plays. Famous musicians and singers, like Rashid Fayznejad, also perform their music and songs in the Kurdish language. The city is also home to well-known poets such as Abdul Karim Sahib and Jila Hosseini.
Getting Around
Saqqez has an airport and a main bus station. The Saqqez Airport officially opened on November 3, 2023. This airport helps people travel to and from several cities in western Iran. It is especially useful for people in the nearby free trade zones of Baneh and Marivan.
See Also
In Spanish: Saqqez para niños
