About Urmia city

1- Introduction

Urmia is the second largest city in the Iranian Azerbaijan and the capital of West Azerbaijan Province. Urmia is situated at an altitude of 1,330 m above sea level, and is located along the Shahar Chay River (City River) on the Urmia Plain. Lake Urmia, one of the world's largest salt lakes, lies to the east of the city and the mountainous Turkish border area lies to the west.

Urmia is the 10th most populated city in Iran. At the 2012 census, its population was 667,499 with 197,749 households. The city's inhabitants are predominantly Iranian Azerbaijanis who speak the Azerbaijani language. There are also minorities of Kurds, Assyrians, and Armenians. The city is the trading center for a fertile agricultural region where fruits (especially apples and grapes) and tobacco are grown.

An important town by the 9th century, Urmia was seized by the Seljuk Turks (1084), and later occupied a number of times by the Ottoman Turks. For centuries the city has had a diverse population which has at times included Muslims (Shias and Sunnis), Christians (Catholics, Protestants, Nestorians, and Orthodox), and Jews.

2-Parks and touristic centers

Urmia has many parks and touristic coastal villages in 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 "People`s Garden") along the Shahar Chayi, or the "City River".

Lakes and Ponds:

• Urmia Lake Natural Park
• Hasanloo Lake
• Marmisho Lake
• Shahrchay ِDam
• Urmia Lake Islands

Lagoons:

• Haft Abad
• Soole Dokel
• Dana Boğan
• Ali Pancesi
• Isti Sou

Parks:

• Park-e Saat (Clock Park)
• Park-e Jangali (Jungle Park)
• Ellar Bagi (People`s Garden)
• Park-e Shahr (City Park)
• Park-e Saheli (Riverside Park)
• Park-e Shaghayegh
• Alghadir Park
• Tokhmemorghi (Oval) Park
• Ghaem Park

and ....

Touristic Costal Villages:

• Bari
• Fanoos
• Sier
• Band
• Khoshako
• Chichest

Landscape Attractions:

• Qasimlu Valley
• Kazem Dashi Islet in Lake Urmia
• Kashtiban Village
• Imamzada Village
• Silvana Region
• Rashekan to Dash Aghol
• Nazloo
• Dalamper
• Kaboodan Island

Museums

• Natural History Museum – Displays the animals which are native to the vicinity of Urmia.
• Urmia Museum – Archaeological museum affiliated with the faculty of Shahid Beheshti University.
• Urmia Museum of Crafts and Classical Arts.
• Urmia Museum of َAnthropology.

3- Climate

Urmia's climate is cold semi-arid with cold winters, mild springs, hot dry summers and warm autumns. Precipitation is heavily concentrated in late autumn, winter, and especially spring, while summer precipitation is very scarce.

4- Transportation

Most of Urmia's residents travel by car through the system of roads and highways. Urmia is also served by Taxis and public Buss. There are also some private groups which provide services called "Phone-taxi. A metro line for Urmia is under research.

Urmia is linked to Europe through Turkey's roads and Sero border crossing. Urmia Airport opened in 1964 and was the first international airport in West Azerbaijan, Iran. As of April 2015 it only has regularly scheduled domestic flights to Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport. The city is not served by Iran National Railways

5- Health systems

The Iranian government operates public hospitals in the Urmia metropolitan region. There are also a number of private hospitals and medical centers in the city. Hospitals include:

• Imam Khomeiny Hospital
• Motahari Hospital
• Imam Riza Hospital
• Beheshti Hospital
• Taleghani Hospital
• Fatimiye Pro-Medical Clinic
• Kosar Women's Pro-Medical Clinic
• Shafa Hospital
• Solati Hospital
• Seyedoshohada Heart Pr0-Hospital
• Gholipour Children's Pro-Hospital
• Razi Psychiatry Pro-Hospital
• 504 Artesh Hospital
• Arefian Hospital
• Azerbaijan Hospital
• Milad international medical center
• Omid Cancer Pro-Clinic

For further information you can visit West Azarbayjan Heritage, Handcrafts Organization Web Site