Sopurghan
سپورغان | |
---|---|
village | |
Coordinates: 37°45′09″N 45°11′56″E / 37.75250°N 45.19889°E | |
Country | Iran |
Province | West Azerbaijan |
County | Urmia |
Bakhsh | Nazlu |
Rural District | Tala Tappeh |
Population (2006) | |
• Total | 243 |
Time zone | UTC+3:30 ( IRST) |
• Summer ( DST) | UTC+4:30 ( IRDT) |
Sopurghan ( Persian: سپورغان, also Romanized as Sopūrghān; also known as Separghān, Soporghān, and Supurgan; in Armenian: Սուփուրղան) [1] is a village in Tala Tappeh Rural District, Nazlu District, Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 243, in 71 families. [2]
According to Vladimir Minorsky, the name of this village is derived from the Mongolian word suburghan, meaning a stupa. [3]: 77
The earliest mention of Sopurghan is found in a letter to Pope Pius IV in 1562. The village is mentioned again in a manuscript donated to a church in Jerusalem in 1612.
Evidence from tombstones in the village cemetery show Assyrian presence in the village as early as 668 AD. In 1840, American Protestant missionaries built a primary school in the region. In 1862, a Russian survey showed 172 families and 2 priests living in the village. In 1883, a missionary established girls' school in the village, and in 1887, and Anglican mission established a Middle School for boys below 17. [4]
Sopurghan is located 26 kilometres northeast of the city of Urmia and 2 kilometres from the edge of Lake Urmia. [5]