What is Mahabad?
{{no sources|date=January 2025}} [[File:Panoramic view of Mahabad-19510105-نمایی از شهر مهاباد-۱۳۳۷-۱۰-۱۵.jpg|thumb|Mahabad (1959)]] '''Mahabad and Piranshahr''' ({{lang-fa|مهاباد}}, {{lang-ku|مه‌هاباد, Mehabad}}); (Old name: سابلاخ: Sablakh, which may be of Mongolian origin) is a city in [[Iran]]. It is in the north-west of the country, in the region of [[Iranian Kurdistan]] and the [[Provinces of Iran|province]] of [[West Azarbaijan Province|West Azarbaijan]]. The city is south of [[Lake Urmia]] in a narrow valley 1,300 metres above sea level. There are about 162.434 people who live in the city. Mahabad is connected by road with [[Tabriz]] 300&nbsp;km north, [[Urmia]] 150&nbsp;km north and [[Arbil]], in [[Iraqi Kurdistan]]. The city is one center and symbol of the [[Kurdish people|Kurdish]] [[nationalism]]. The reason is because in 1945 it was the capital of the newly founded people's [[Republic of Mahabad]]. The republic was conquered by Iranian forces on 16 December 1946. The president was [[Qazi Muhammad]]. The majority of the population is Kurdish. During the revolution in Iran, on 3 September 1979 the city was bombed and occupied by Iranian forces. After the death of [[Shivan Qaderi]], a student and opposition activist in July 9 2005, the Kurdish population protested against the Iranian government. Mahabad also a branch of the [[Islamic Azad University]]. The region of Mukrian consists of Piranshahr and Mahabad. [[Category:Cities in West Azerbaijan Province]] [[Category:Kurdistan]]