Soran () or Diyana (, ) is a city in

Erbil Governorate Erbil Governorate (; ) is a governorate of Iraq in the Kurdistan Region. It is the capital and economic hub of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordere ...

, and the capital of

Soran District Soran (, ) is a district and an independent administration of the Erbil Governorate, Kurdistan Region, in Iraq, bordering Iran and Turkey. Its main city is Soran. Soran District is similar to a county, and the seat of government is in Diana, h ...

Kurdistan Region Kurdistan Region (KRI) is a semi-autonomous Federal regions of Iraq, federal region of the Iraq, Republic of Iraq. It comprises four Kurds, Kurdish-majority governorates of Arabs, Arab-majority Iraq: Erbil Governorate, Sulaymaniyah Governorate ...

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. Soran is one of the largest cities in

with a population of about 350,000 people.

History

The city and district of Soran or Suran is named after the

Sorani Central Kurdish, also known as Sorani Kurdish, is a Kurdish dialect or a language spoken in Iraq, mainly in Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as the provinces of Kurdistan, Kermanshah, and West Azerbaijan in western Iran. Central Kurdish is one of the ...

Kurds Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...

who inhabit the same geographical region. Surani people are first attested during the rule of the Urartian Empire to have lived in modern Soran district stretching up to the areas around lake Urmia in Iran. Sorani

have given their name to the Sorani Dialect as well, which is one of the three branches of

Kurdish language Kurdish (, , ) is a Northwestern Iranian languages, Northwestern Iranian language or dialect continuum, group of languages spoken by Kurds in the region of Kurdistan, namely in southeast Turkish Kurdistan, Turkey, northern Iraqi Kurdistan, Ira ...

. Cuneiform texts spanning the Early Bronze Age to the early Iron Age suggest the Soran district formed the territorial core of the Hurro-Urartian kingdom of Musasir (Ardini), famed as home to the trans-regional cult center of the Hurrian storm-god Haldi. The

Assyria Assyria (Neo-Assyrian cuneiform: , ''māt Aššur'') was a major ancient Mesopotamian civilization that existed as a city-state from the 21st century BC to the 14th century BC and eventually expanded into an empire from the 14th century BC t ...

n king

Sargon II Sargon II (, meaning "the faithful king" or "the legitimate king") was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 722 BC to his death in battle in 705. Probably the son of Tiglath-Pileser III (745–727), Sargon is generally believed to have be ...

in 714 BC during his renowned Eighth Campaign conquered Soran, which he refers to it as Sarun, and sacked the

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

fire temple and its treasury. Archaeological reconnaissance and excavations have revealed evidence for human occupation over the long duration of occupations with clear evidence of the region’s prosperity in the later Bronze and early Iron Age. The Muslim army led by

Ubadah ibn al-Samit 'Ubadah ibn al-Samit ( ) was a companion of Muhammad and a well-respected chieftain of the Ansar tribes confederation. He participated in almost every battle during Muhammad's era. His official title, according to Muslim scholarly tradition, was ...

conquered Soran and the surrounding areas in 642 (22 A.H.), after they defeated the

forces in

Mosul Mosul ( ; , , ; ; ; ) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. It is the second largest city in Iraq overall after the capital Baghdad. Situated on the banks of Tigris, the city encloses the ruins of the ...

and

Erbil Erbil (, ; , ), also called Hawler (, ), is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The city is the capital of the Erbil Governorate. Human settlement at Erbil may be dated back to the 5th millennium BC. At the h ...

plains. The

Muslim Empire This article includes a list of successive Islamic states and Muslim dynasties beginning with the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (570–632 CE) and the early Muslim conquests that spread Islam outside of the Arabian Peninsula, and continui ...

gave Soran and Rawanduz area the name 'al-Hanana'. In the Medieval era Soran was at the heart of the

Soran Emirate Soran Emirate () was a medieval Kurdish emirate established before the conquest of Kurdistan by Ottoman Empire in 1514 and later revived by Emir Kor centered in Rawandiz from 1816 to 1836. Kor was ousted in an offensive by the Ottomans. Early ye ...

which was established by the Soran Dynasty, it lasted until late 19th century. Its most famous ruler was

Muhammad Pasha of Rawanduz Muhammad Pasha of Rawanduz (Kurdish language, Kurdish: ''Mîr Mihemed Paşa'', ; also known as ''Mirê Kor,'' Kor Mir- the "blind prince"; born in Rawandiz; 1783–1838) was the Kurds, Kurdish Mir (title), Mir of the Soran Emirate (1813–1838). H ...

. In the 1920s a settlement in Soran was established by the British to settle Assyrian

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

refugees as part of the Assyrian settlement scheme in northern Iraq known as the Z plan, and the settlement came to be known as Diana. The former Iraqi Baathist regime during

Anfal Campaign The Anfal campaign was a counterinsurgency operation which was carried out by Ba'athist Iraq from February to September 1988 during the Iraqi–Kurdish conflict at the end of the Iran–Iraq War. The campaign targeted rural Kurds because its p ...

and the

Arabization Arabization or Arabicization () is a sociology, sociological process of cultural change in which a non-Arab society becomes Arabs, Arab, meaning it either directly adopts or becomes strongly influenced by the Arabic, Arabic language, Arab cultu ...

process changed the city's name to Diana and later to Qadha Al Siddiq (District of Saddiq), after the Kurdish uprising in 1991 its name was changed back to Soran.

Tourist areas

Soran city is a very beautiful area. Due to its mountainous nature, it has many tourist attractions, including: * Jondian * Bekhal *

Geli Ali Beg Waterfall Geli Ali Beg Waterfall () is located in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which lies some 130 km north of Erbil. The waterfall is named after the Yazidis, Yazidi prince, Mîr Elî Beg who was executed by Muhammad Pasha of Rawanduz, Prince Muhammad ...

* Hasan Beg * Mustafa Beg * Sakran

Demographics

While the vast majority of the population is

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

, Soran is home to a diverse array of ethnicities and religions, including

Assyrian Christians Assyrians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to Mesopotamia, a geographical region in West Asia. Modern Assyrians share descent directly from the ancient Assyrians, one of the key civilizations of Mesopotamia. While they are distinct from ot ...

and

Yezidis Yazidis, also spelled Yezidis (; ), are a Kurdish-speaking endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The majority of Yazidis remaining in ...

. This diversity contributes to the cultural richness of the area.

Educational Institutions

In addition to Soran University, there are numerous primary and secondary schools in the district that offer education in Kurdish, Arabic, and English. The educational system is focused on promoting Kurdish culture and language.

Cultural Festivals

Soran hosts various cultural festivals throughout the year, celebrating Kurdish heritage, including Newroz (Kurdish New Year) and other traditional events that promote local customs and music.

Government

The current sub-governor of the Soran district is Halgurd Sheikh Najib. He was appointed by the governor of Erbil.

Climate

Soran has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typic ...

(''Csa'') with very hot, dry summers, and cool to cold, damp, humid winters.

References

{{Districts of Iraq Populated places in Erbil Governorate Assyrian communities in Iraq Kurdish settlements in Erbil Governorate