Sopurghan (Persian: سپورغان, also Romanized as Sopūrghān; also known as Separghān, Soporghān, and Supurgan; in Armenian: Սուփուրղան)[1] is a village in Tala Tappeh Rural District, Nazlu District, Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 243, in 71 families.[2]
Sopurghan سپورغان | |
|---|---|
village | |
  Sopurghan | |
| Coordinates: 37°45′09″N 45°11′56″E / 37.75250°N 45.19889°E | |
| Country |  Iran |
| Province | West Azerbaijan |
| County | Urmia |
| Bakhsh | Nazlu |
| Rural District | Tala Tappeh |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 243 |
| Time zone | UTC+3:30 (IRST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+4:30 (IRDT) |
Name
According to Vladimir Minorsky, the name of this village is derived from the Mongolian word suburghan, meaning a stupa.[3]: 77
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 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.[4]
Location
Sopurghan is located 26 kilometres northeast of the city of Urmia and 2 kilometres from the edge of Lake Urmia.[5]
