Shahin Dezh

The modern town of Shahin Dezh was formerly known as Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh.^[7] The name Ṣāʾīn (also spelled Sāīn, Shahin, etcetera.) is derived from the Mongol sayin, which translates as "good".^[7]

The local Turkic Afshars were brought to the area from Shiraz at the beginning of the 19th century by Fath-Ali Shah Qajar (r. 1797–1834), the second Qajar shah ("king") of Iran.^[7] Later, a segment of these Afshars had to migrate to Urmia in order to make way for the Chardawri (Chardowli) Lurs.^[7] The chief of the Chardowli's resided at Mahmuddjik and was the commander of c. 5,000 men.^[7] In 1830, Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh was sacked by Kurds led by Sheikh Ubeydullah.^[7] Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh, being the site of an Iranian military garrison in the past, safeguarded the entrance to the Azerbaijan Province through the Zarrineh valley.^[7]

The ancient Karaftu Caves, first described by Robert Ker Porter (1777–1842), and the old site of Takht-e Soleyman were formerly located in the territory of the Afshars of Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh.^[7] The lake of Chamli Göl, near the village of Badarli with its floating island were likewise well known at the time.^[7] Some of the Afshars of Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh belonged to the Yarsanism sect.^[7]

The old site of Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh is now occupied by the modern town of Shahin Dezh, which is also the chef-lieu of Shahin Dezh County. In c. 1950, its population was 3,170 which by 1991 had increased to 25,050.^[7]

The fortress of Ṣāʾīn Qal‘eh is sometimes confused with the similarly named fortress on the Abhar river to the east of Soltaniyeh, which was mentioned by Hamdallah Mustawfi (1281 – after 1339/40).^[7]

At the time of the 2006 National Census, the city's population was 34,204 in 8,671 households.^[8] The following census in 2011 counted 38,396 people in 10,782 households.^[9] The 2016 census measured the population of the city as 43,131 people in 12,826 households.^[3]

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