Early history According to
Vladimir Minorsky, there were villages in the
Urmia Plain as early as 2000BC, with their civilization under the influence of the
Kingdom of Van. Excavations of the ancient ruins near Urmia led to the discovery of utensils that date to the 20thcentury BC. In ancient times, the west bank of Urmia Lake was part of
Gilzan, and in the 9thcentury BC an independent government ruled there, which later joined the
Urartu or Manna empire; in the 8thcentury BC, the area was a vassal of the
Asuzh government until it joined the
Median Empire.
Assyrians who did survive the invasion of
Baghdad by
Timur fled through northern Iraq up into the Hakkari Mountains to the west of Lake Urmia and the area remained as their homeland until the 19th century. During the
Safavid era, the neighboring
Ottoman Turks, who were the archrivals of the Safavids, made several incursions into the city and captured it on more than one occasion, but the Safavids successfully regained control over the area. When in 1622, during the reign of Safavid king
AbbasI (1588–1629)
Qasem Sultan Afshar was appointed governor of
Mosul, he was forced to leave his office shortly afterwards due to the outbreak of a
plague. He moved to the western part of
Azerbaijan, and became the founder of the
Afshar community of Urmia. The city was the capital of the
Urmia Khanate from 1747 to 1865. The first monarch of Iran's
Qajar dynasty,
Agha Muhammad Khan, was crowned in Urmia in 1795.
19th century Due to the presence of a substantial
Christian minority at the end of the 19thcentury, Urmia was also chosen as the site of the first Christian missionaries from the United States in Iran in 1835 led by
Justin Perkins (1805–1869) with
Asahel Grant (1807–1844); and followed by
Fidelia Fiske (1816–1864),
Joseph Gallup Cochran (1817–1871), and
Joseph Plumb Cochran (1855–1905). Another mission was soon underway in nearby
Tabriz as well. During
World War I, the population was estimated by Dr.Caujole to be 30,000 people, a quarter of which (7,500) were Assyrians and 1,000 Jews.
20th century During late 1914 Ottoman forces under the command of
Enver Pasha stepped up clandestine activity in the region with the aim of committing the Ottoman Empire to war. During
World War I, the city changed hands several times between the
Russians and the Ottoman troops and their Kurdish allies in the following two years. In 1914, before the declaration of war against Russia, Ottoman forces crossed the border into Persia and destroyed Christian villages. Large-scale attacks in late September and October 1914 targeted many Assyrian villages, and the attackers neared Urmia. Due to Ottoman attacks, thousands of Christians living along the border fled to Urmia. Many Christians fled during the Russian withdrawal from Azerbaijan at the beginning of January 1915, and 20,000 to 25,000 refugees were left stranded in Urmia. Nearly 18,000 Christians sought shelter in the city's Presbyterian and
Lazarist missions. Although there was reluctance to attack the missionary compounds, many died of disease. Between February and May (when the Ottoman forces pulled out), there was a campaign of mass execution, looting, kidnapping, and extortion against Christians in Urmia. More than 100 men were arrested at the Lazarist compound, and dozens (including Mar Dinkha, bishop of Tergawer) were executed on 23 and 24 February. The Russian army advanced later in 1915. After Russia's withdrawal as a result of the 1917
Russian Revolution, about 5,000 Assyrian and Armenian militia policed the area, but they frequently abused their power and killed Muslims without provocation. From February to July 1918,
the region was engulfed by ethnic violence. On 22 February, local Muslims and the Persian governor began an uprising against the Christian militias in Urmia. The better-organized Christians, led by Agha Petros, brutally crushed the uprising; hundreds (possibly thousands) were killed. On 16 March, Mar Shimun and many of his bodyguards were killed by the Kurdish chieftain
Simko Shikak, probably at the instigation of Persian officials fearing Assyrian separatism, after they met to discuss an alliance. Assyrians went on a killing and looting spree; unable to find Simko, they murdered Persian officials and inhabitants. The Kurds responded by massacring Christians, regardless of denomination or ethnicity. Christians were massacred in Salmas in June and in Urmia in early July, and many Assyrian women were abducted. Christian militias in Azerbaijan were no match for the Ottoman army when it invaded in July 1918. Tens of thousands of Ottoman and Persian Assyrians fled south to
Hamadan, where the British
Dunsterforce was garrisoned, on 18 July to escape Ottoman forces approaching Urmia under
Ali İhsan Sâbis. The Ottoman invasion was followed by killings of Christians, including Chaldean archbishop
Toma Audo, and the sacking of Urmia.
21st century On March 22, 2025, large-scale demonstrations were held in the city. Slogans against Kurdistan were chanted during the demonstrations.
Anadolu Agency reported that there was ethnic tension between Turks and Kurds in the city and that Turks were protesting the
Nowruz celebrations held by Kurds living in the city a few days ago. Some protesters stated that the Iranian government was trying to change the demographics by bringing Kurds to the city. It was reported that those who participated in the demonstration chanted Turkish slogans such as "Urumiyah is Turkish and will remain Turkish" and "Urumiyah's Turkish identity is not negotiable". 2 days after the protest, 22 people were arrested. ==Demographics==