Saqqez

Saqqez
Saqqez; سه‌قز, Seqiz
	City
	Saqqez in the evening
	Saqqez
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Country	Iran
Province	Kurdistan
County	Saqqez
Bakhsh	Central
Elevation	1,476 m (4,843 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	139,738
Time zone	IRST (UTC+3:30)
• Summer (DST)	IRDT (UTC+4:30)

Saqqez (Kurdish: Seqiz‎, سه‌قز; Persian: سقز‎‎), also known as Saghez, Saqqiz, and Sakīz,^[1] is a city which is the capital of Saqqez County, Kurdistan Province, Iran. According to the 2011 census, its population was 139,738.

History

The Kurds and their Iranian ancestors have lived in Saqqez and its surrounding area since about 1000 BC. By the mid-seventh century BC the Scythians reached their zenith in western Asia under Bartatua, and the Saqqez region was their political center.^[2] During the pre-Islamic era Saqqez and its surrounding area made up a small country, Sagapeni, believed to be related to the ancient Iranian Sakas (Scythians) from which the city's name derives. Saqqez has two parts: historic and new.

Jewish bazaar in Saqqez

Naqshbandi Khanqahh in the Saqqez bazaar

Wildlife

Grassy plain, with low mountains in the background

Kamatouh plain

Saqqez has a variety of wildlife, including bears (wrch), wolves, squirrels, partridge, eagles, foxes, antelope, quail and hogs.

Climate

At an altitude of 1,476 metres (4,842 feet), Saqqez has a varied climate with cold snowy winters and hot dry summers. According to the Köppen climate classification, the city has a hot-summer variant of the continental Mediterranean climate. In summer, the temperature fluctuates widely due to the thin, dry air and low summertime humidity. In 1969 Saqqez recorded a temperature of −36 °C (−33 °F), the lowest ever recorded by an Iranian weather station until Kheirabad Zanjan recorded −36.4 °C (−33.5 °F) on January 29, 1997.^[3]^[4] Saqqez again reached −36°C. during the February 3–9 1972 Iran blizzard. Saqqez unofficially reached −45.8 °C (−50.4 °F) in December 2006 and −42.3 °C (−44.1 °F) in January 2007, the lowest temperatures recorded in an Iranian city.^[5]^[6]

Climate data for Saqqez, Iran
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	18.2 (64.8)	20 (68)	24 (75)	29 (84)	34.4 (93.9)	39 (102)	43 (109)	42 (108)	39 (102)	32 (90)	26 (79)	22.2 (72)	43 (109)
Average high °C (°F)	2.4 (36.3)	4.7 (40.5)	11.0 (51.8)	17.3 (63.1)	23.1 (73.6)	29.8 (85.6)	34.3 (93.7)	34.2 (93.6)	29.8 (85.6)	22.2 (72)	13.4 (56.1)	6.1 (43)	19.03 (66.25)
Average low °C (°F)	−8.1 (17.4)	−6.7 (19.9)	−1.2 (29.8)	3.6 (38.5)	6.6 (43.9)	9.5 (49.1)	14.0 (57.2)	13.4 (56.1)	8.3 (46.9)	4.4 (39.9)	−0.3 (31.5)	−4.6 (23.7)	3.24 (37.83)
Record low °C (°F)	−33 (−27)	−36 (−33)	−27.6 (−17.7)	−9 (16)	−5 (23)	−0.6 (30.9)	3.8 (38.8)	4.8 (40.6)	−0.4 (31.3)	−7 (19)	−24 (−11)	−32 (−26)	−36 (−33)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	66.6 (2.622)	58.7 (2.311)	79.5 (3.13)	83.6 (3.291)	52.0 (2.047)	5.8 (0.228)	2.9 (0.114)	2.5 (0.098)	1.4 (0.055)	27.8 (1.094)	56.9 (2.24)	61.7 (2.429)	499.4 (19.659)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	8.5	8.3	10.0	9.8	7.0	1.2	0.7	0.6	0.5	4.3	6.2	8.1	65.2
Average relative humidity (%)	73	70	64	58	52	40	35	33	33	47	63	71	53.3
Mean monthly sunshine hours	121.5	142.2	177.4	213.1	287.1	345.1	357.4	344.3	311.1	254.3	174.1	123.4	2,851
Source: Synoptic Stations Statistics