Sopurghan ( fa, سپورغان, also

Romanize Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...

d as Sopūrghān; also known as Separghān, Soporghān, and Supurgan) is a village in

Tala Tappeh Rural District Tala Tappeh Rural District ( fa, دهستان طلاتپه) is a rural district (''dehestan'') in Nazlu District, Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, ...

, Nazlu District, Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 243, in 71 families.

Name

According to Vladimir Minorsky, the name of this village is derived from the Mongolian language, Mongolian word
suburghan
', meaning a stupa.

History

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 people, 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.

Location

Sopurghan is located 26 kilometres northeast of the city of Urmia and 2 kilometres from the edge of Lake Urmia.

References

Populated places in Urmia County {{Urmia-geo-stub