Urmia history - Asker Khan Afshar Urumi

Asker Khan Afshar Urumi, Qajar's Ambassador to The Court of Napoleon.
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West Azerbaycan - Urmia City

West Azerbaycan - Urmia (Urmiye) City

West Azerbaijan - Urmia City and Winter Photo Gallery

West Azerbaijan - Urmia City and Winter Photo Gallery

Sunset of the Lake Urmia

Lake Urmia (Urmiye) facing environmental crisis

Urmia Lake, which is registered as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, will be dried up within three years, announced a local official in the Environmental Protection Organization in West Azarbaijan.
“Considering the current trend of the environmental crisis in Urmia Lake, the lake will be completely dried up within three years,” Hassan Abbasnejad said on Sunday.
The Urmia Lake is a salt lake lying in the northwestern Iran and is home to various migratory birds including flamingos, pelicans, spoonbills, ibises, storks, avocets, stilts, and gulls. The lake is located between the provinces of East Azarbaijan and West Azarbaijan. It is the third largest salt water lake on earth with a surface area of approximately 5,200 square kilometers.
Unfortunately, what the experts forecast ten years ago is coming true and this precious ecological asset will be completely destroyed in the near future, Abbasnejad said.
He went on to say that the destruction of the lake will create serious environmental problems for the region’s ecological system and climate.
Abbasnejad also said that due to high evaporation rate, currently the deepest part of the lake is only two meters deep and the lake has been shrunk by 60 percent resulting in the rise in the level of water salinity and in turn fall in the oxygen content of the lake water.
The reduction of the oxygen has endangered the life of the only living creature in the lake namely Artemia, which serves as a food source for flamingos and other migratory birds.
The official cited high evaporation rate, reduction in the amount of the water which pours into the lake, low precipitation, and overexploitation of the underground water resources as the main causes of the dilemma.
Experts say construction of dams on rivers feeding the lake and also droughts have significantly decreased the annual amount of water Urmia Lake receives. They also say that the construction of a bridge across the lake has upset its ecological balance.
The local environmental official also announced that a working group has been established to find ways to save the lake and manage the crisis, adding 1.8 billion dollars has been earmarked for this purpose.
He went on to say that pumping water into the lake, cloud seeding, optimizing the use of the nearby underground water resources and revising the irrigation systems used in the nearby farmlands are the major measures to be taken to save the lake.
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Situation of the Urmia Lake Drying

Situation of the Urmia lake  - may 2009

Situation of the Urmia lake - october 2010

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Qoyun Dagi Island (Kabudan) - Lake Urmia

Qoyun Dagi Island (Kabudan) - Lake Urmia

Urmia And Qouyoun dagy Island

As one of Lake Urmia islands, Qouyoun dagy has been registered as a protected biosphere since 1967 by the Iranian Environmental Protection Organization. Except for the Hsaha Island, all Lake Urmia islands including Qoyoun Dagy have been registered as National Park. 

Qouyoun Dagy Island is situated in the southeastern waters of the lake, 12km off the Port of Rahmanloo. With a length of 9km and width of 4km, the island spans over an area of 3175 hectares in total. It has an altitude of 1521m above the sea level, and is one of the largest and most beautiful islands of Lake Urmia. 

Unfortunately, the victim of two mammalian conspiracy Western colonialism and PanIranist have been named for the deer and sheep in Mesopotamia and Eastern Armenian ewe and Deer of  Iran has changed ּ 

Qouyoun dagy is the only one of the Lake Urmia islands with fresh water throughout the year. The wildlife’s needed fresh water is supplied by two springs in the south side of the island. 

Each part of the island has a unique picturesque beauty on its own. The presence of large bird species such as the golden eagle and Egyptian vulture has made the island even more special. Other bird species include white-bottomed bird, stone bird, oriole, greenfinch, seagull, hoopoe, partridge and aquatic species such as Flamingo, red-billed coot and some species of geese. 

Flamingos inhabit the relatively quiet waters between the northwestern corner of Qouyoun Dagy and the islands of Dilak Adasi and Espir. Different kinds of Algae and aquatic crustaceans called Artemia Salina, which can be found in Lake Urmia waters, serve as the main food source for the flamingos. The island’s mouflons and rams have been declared as protected species since 1961. Today, their number has swollen to more than 3500. 

The main habitats of the mouflons, rams and Iranian yellow deers in the Qouyoun Dagy Island are Ghooch Darahsi, Jen Darahsi, Gola Darahsi, Hassan Agha Darahsi, Zarza, Shekargah, small Qara Dagh and great Qara Dagh.

These areas have been recorded altogether by UNESCO as one of the 59 biosphere reserves with rare flora and fauna.