| Meyāneh[1] ميانه |
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| — city — | |
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Meyāneh[1]
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Iran |
| Province | East Azerbaijan |
| County | Meyaneh |
| Bakhsh | Central |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 87,385 |
| Time zone | IRST (UTC+3:30) |
| • Summer (DST) | IRDT (UTC+4:30) |
Meyaneh (Persian: ميانه - meanning "the middle"; Azerbaijani: میانا or میانه; also Romanized as Meyāneh, Miane, Miyāna, Mīāneh, and Mīyaneh)[2] is a city in and the capital of Meyaneh County, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 87,385, in 22,728 families.[3]
Meyaneh is situated in a valley. The original name of the city was Miyanej, and was often referred to as Garmrood. Meyaneh is approximately 439 kilometres (273 mi) northwest of Tehran and approximately 187 kilometres (116 mi) southeast of East Azerbaijan's largest city and capital, Tabriz. Meyaneh is one of the region's oldest cities and its foundations date back to the pre-Islamic era of Iran and the emergence of the kingdom of Media. The city has been an economic and cultural crossroads for many years.
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During ancient times, Meyaneh passed through the hands of several dynasties and kingdoms, such as Media, the Achaemenid Empire, and Atropatene, and was home to a tribe called the Sagartians. With the Islamic conquest of Persia in the 7th century, the Median residents were converted and the city of Meyaneh became Muslim. After the arrival of the Seljuk Turks in the 11th century the city became Turkified over several centuries and the language of the city's residents eventually became Turkic. Much of the architecture in the vicinity of Meyaneh was built during the reign of the Mongols (13th-14th centuries) who at one point destroyed the entire city. Many of the residents in Meyaneh fought the Mongols during their invasion of northern Iran.
Historical monuments in Meyaneh include the Imamzadeh Esmail tomb, The Maiden Fort, and Tark stone Mosque. An other monument of Meyaneh, Pol Dokhtar Bridge (pictured), was partly destroyed in December 1946 by communist separatists of the "Democrat Party of Azerbaijan" in a futile attempt to halt the advance of the Imperial Iranian Army.
Meyaneh is East Azerbaijan's third largest city after Tabriz and Maragheh, and its population is constantly rising. The city has recently inaugurated many companies and is currently an economically strategic city for East Azerbaijan.
Among famous people from Meyaneh are Jafar Panahi, director of the movies The Circle, The White Balloon and Crimson Gold, singers Dariush Eghbali and Davood Behboodi, volleyball player Behnam Mahmoudi, Olympic medalist Yossef Karami, and famous Businessman Ali Javanmardy.