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Rowanduz

Rawandiz
ڕەواندز
Rewandiz

Rawanduz, Rowanduz, Rwandz
Town
View on Rawandiz
View on Rawandiz
Rawandiz is located in Iraq
Rawandiz
Rawandiz
Location in Iraq
Coordinates: 36°36′43″N 44°31′29″E / 36.61194°N 44.52472°E / 36.61194; 44.52472Coordinates: 36°36′43″N 44°31′29″E / 36.61194°N 44.52472°E / 36.61194; 44.52472
Country  Iraq
Autonomous region  Kurdistan
Governorate Erbil Governorate
District Rawandiz District
Elevation 658 m (2,159 ft)
Population (2003)
 • Total 95,089
Time zone UTC+3

Rawandiz (Kurdish: ڕەواندز‎, Rewandiz; Arabic: رواندوز‎‎), also spelled Rawanduz, Rowanduz, or Rwandz, is a city of Iraqi Kurdistan, located in the Soran District of Erbil Governorate, Iraq, close to the borders with Iran and Turkey,it is located 10 km to the east from Bekhal Waterfall. Rawandiz was the capital of the historical Soran Emirate. The majority of its inhabitants are Kurds. In the past Rawanduz was known as a centre of Kurdish resistance against the Iraqi Government.

The name of the city derives from Rewandiz which means "castle of Rewands". The name "Rewand" was spelled as Orontes in ancient Greek sources.

In the time of the Neo Assyrian Empire, from the 10th to the 7th centuries BC, the area lay on the trading route to Nineveh. Rawandiz was the capital of the Soran Emirate, which is said to have lasted from 1399 to 1835.

The Assyrians relate that, in the 1830s, the governor of Rawandiz, nicknamed "Merkor", was known for his hatred of the Christian Assyrians. In 1833, he attempted to attack them but did not have enough manpower in his army. Merkor needed the soldiers in order to protect the Soran Emirate, thus he requested the Reshagha that he will make the Reshagha his prime minister if he killed Ali Beg, head of Yezidis. Reshagha accepted Merkor's offer and killed Ali Beg. Amir Muhammad then killed the Reshagha because he feared that the Reshagha would usurp his position. Amir Muhammad then used his enlarged army and attacked the unarmed Assyrian towns of Tel Keppe and Alqosh and killed thousands of their inhabitants, kidnapping the women and children. Merkor is usually attributed as Amir Muhammad, the then ruler of the Soran Emirate.


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