About

Urmia is the capital of West Azerbaijan province, in the Azerbaijan region of Iran. It’s located near the Turkish and Iraq borders. Known as Rezayeh during the Pahlave era Orumiyeh (Urmia, Urumiyeh) is a logical stop en route to southeastern Turkey. It’s a large, very historic city.

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Planning a Trip

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Getting Around

By the newly built bridge over the Urmia Lake you can reach to Tabriz within 1.5 hours. There are daily buses from Van  in Turkey and Arbil in Iraq and also to Tehran and Tabriz and Iranian Major Western cities.

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History & Culture

Bountiful orchard made Orumiyeh the historically prosperous ‘Garden of Persia’. For centuries various Christian groups (Chaldeans, Armenians, Assyrians and Nestorians) lived harmoniously here alongside local Azari Muslims and a thriving Jewish community. However, in the 19th century overzealous Protestant and Catholic foreign missionary activities resulted in a harsh backlash against all non-Muslims. This was initially led by Kurdish groups fearing …

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Top Attractions

Lake Urmia: Lake Urmia is between the provinces of East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan in Iran, and west of the southern portion of the Caspian Sea. At its greatest extent, it was the largest lake in the Middle East and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, with a surface area of approximately 5,200 km2 (2,000 sq mi), a length of …

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