Meshgin Shahr
Persian: مشگين شهر | |
---|---|
City | |
Coordinates: 38°23′26″N 47°40′27″E / 38.39056°N 47.67417°E[1] | |
Country | Iran |
Province | Ardabil |
County | Meshgin Shahr |
District | Central |
Area | |
• Total | 12 km2 (5 sq mi) |
Population (2016)[2] | |
• Total | 74,109 |
• Density | 6,200/km2 (16,000/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+3:30 (IRST) |
Website | www |
Meshginshahr at GEOnet Names Server |
Meshginshahr (Persian: مشگين شهر), also Romanized as Meshgīn Shahr; also known as Meshkīn Shahr or simply Mishgin; formerly Khiav (Persian: خياو), also Romanized as Kheyāv, Khīāv, Khiov, Khīyāv, and Khiyov,[3] is a city in the Central District of Meshgin Shahr County, Ardabil province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.[4]
At the 2006 census, its population was 61,296 in 14,920 households.[5] The following census in 2011 counted 66,883 people in 17,871 households.[6] The 2016 census showed a population of 74,109 people in 21,926 households.[2]
The 14th-century author Hamdallah Mustawfi mentioned the city, as Khiyāv, as one of the seven cities in the tuman of Pishkin, or Mishkin.[7] He distinguished between the cities of Khiyav and Pishkin — according to him, Khiyav lay to the south of Mount Sablan and had a warm climate, while Pishkin (which he said had formerly been called "Varāvī") was to the north of Mount Sablan and had a damp climate because the mountain shielded it from the sun.[7] Both cities drew their water from the streams coming down from the mountain.[7] The district of Pishkin, he wrote, grew both grain and fruit in abundance, while Khiyav mostly grew grain.[7] Pishkin was assessed for a tax value of 5,200 dinars, while Khiyav was assessed at 2,000.[7] Mustawfi wrote that Pishkin's population was mostly Shafi'i Sunnis, with Shi'i and Hanafi Sunni minorities.[7] He said nothing about Khiyav's religious makeup, but instead described its population as mostly "boot-makers and cloth-workers".[7]