TEHRAN – The Urmia Museum of Anthropology in West Azarbaijan province is getting ready to host visitors as its restoration project is nearing completion, the deputy provincial tourism chief has said. 

The heating system and plumbing facilities inside the museum’s building have been repaired so far, Davud Farazi explained on Monday. 

The museum’s gutter, rooftop, doors, windows, and electrical installations are also being repaired and restored, the official added. 

The provincial capital of Urmia, also spelled Orumiyeh, lies just west of Lake Urmia on a large fertile plain that yields grains, fruits, tobacco, and other crops. The population is mainly Azeri Turkish, with Kurdish, Assyrian Christian, and Armenian minorities. The remains of ancient settlements are scattered over the plain, as are traces of the ancient kingdom of Urartu.

West Azarbaijan embraces a variety of lush natural sceneries, cultural heritage sites, and museums including the UNESCO sites of Takht-e Soleyman and Qareh Klise (St. Thaddeus Monastery), Teppe Hasanlu and the ruined Bastam Citadel.

The region was home to several ancient civilizations. According to Britannica, it was conquered by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC and was named Atropatene after one of Alexander’s generals, Atropates, who established a small kingdom there. Ultimately, the area returned to Persian rule under the Sasanians in the 3rd century CE.

ABU/AM