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Sanandaj

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Sanandaj is a large and important city in Iran. It is the capital of the Kurdistan province.

Sanandaj city center
Sanandaj city center

This city is a major center for Kurdish culture. It is famous for music, poetry, and making carpets. In 2019, UNESCO named it a Creative City of Music. It is the second largest Kurdish city in the country. It is also the 20th largest city in all of Iran.

The city sits in a very interesting place. It is located between the Qishlaq river and Mount Awidar. The mountain helps separate Sanandaj from Hasanabad. Hasanabad was the old capital of the Ardalan region. The weather here can change quite a lot. Summers are very hot and dry. Winters are often cold and wet. The temperature can reach 44°C in the summer. In the winter, it can drop to -31°C.

History tells us that Sanandaj has old roots. Records from the 14th century mention a name called "Sinna." Before that, the main city nearby was called Sisar. Some people think Sisar means "the hundred springs." A ruler named Soleyman Khan Ardalan may have founded the city around 1636. Later, the city grew a lot under Aman Allah "the Great." In the 1800s, it was a busy place for trade. People there sold furs, carpets, and other goods.

Many different groups of people have lived in Sanandaj. Most people are Kurdish and speak Central Kurdish. They use Persian for school and for government work. In the past, there were also Jewish, Armenian, and Assyrian communities. Some Assyrian people spoke a special dialect called Senaya. Today, the city has many people living in many homes. The population has grown steadily over the years. It has grown from about 311,000 people in 2006 to over 412,000 in 2016.

Sanandaj is a very busy place with many jobs. Carpet making is the biggest industry there. The city also has many factories that make tires and metal tools. There are even plants that make sugar and milk. You can fly into the city using its international airport. If you visit, you might stay in one of its many hotels. You can also visit Abidar Forest Park. This park is home to the world's largest open-air cinema.

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File:Sanandaj city center.jpg
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