The modern town of Shahin Dezh was formerly known as Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh. The local
Turkic Afshars were brought to the area from
Shiraz at the beginning of the 19th century by
Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (1797–1834), the second
Qajar shah ("king") of
Iran. Later, a segment of these Afshars had to migrate to
Urmia in order to make way for the Chardawri (Chardowli)
Lurs. The chief of the Chardowli's resided at Mahmuddjik and was the commander of men. In 1830, Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh was sacked by
Kurds led by
Sheikh Ubeydullah. Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh, being the site of an Iranian military garrison in the past, safeguarded the entrance to the
Azerbaijan Province through the Zarrineh valley. The ancient
Karaftu Caves, first described by
Robert Ker Porter (1777–1842), and the old site of
Takht-e Soleyman were formerly located in the territory of the Afshars of Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh. The lake of Chamli Göl, near the village of
Badarli with its floating island were likewise well known at the time. Some of the Afshars of Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh belonged to the
Yarsanism sect. The old site of Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh is now occupied by the modern town of Shahin Dezh, which is also the chef-lieu of
Shahin Dezh County. In , its population was 3,170 which by 1991 had increased to 25,050. The fortress of Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh is sometimes confused with
the similarly named fortress on the
Abhar river to the east of
Soltaniyeh, which was mentioned by
Hamdallah Mustawfi (1281 – after 1339/40). ==Demographics==