Osku County
{{Short description|County in East Azerbaijan province, Iran}}
{{for|the city|Osku}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name = Osku County
|other_name =
|native_name = {{langx|fa|شهرستان اسکو}}
|settlement_type = County
|image_skyline =
|imagesize =
|image_caption =
| image_map = East Azerbaijan.svg
| image_map1 = IranEastAzerbaijan-SVG.svg
| map_caption = Location of Osku County in East Azerbaijan province (center left, purple)
| map_caption1 = Location of East Azerbaijan province in Iran
|pushpin_map =
|pushpin_label_position =
|pushpin_map_caption =
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_name = {{flag|Iran}}
|subdivision_type1 = Province
|subdivision_name1 = East Azerbaijan
|seat_type = Capital
|seat = Osku
|parts_type = Districts
| parts_style = para
| parts =
| p1 = Central
| p2 = Ilkhchi
| p3 =
| p4 =
| p5 =
| p6 =
|leader_title =
|leader_name =
|established_title =
|established_date =
|area_total_km2 =
|population_as_of = 2016
|population_total = 158270
|population_density_km2 =
|coordinates = {{coord|37|53|30|N|45|51|00|E|dim:30km|display=inline,title}}
|coordinates_footnotes = {{Cite map |author=((OpenStreetMap contributors)) |url=https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=37.891667&mlon=45.85&zoom=11#map=11/37.8917/45.8500|website=OpenStreetMap |title=Osku County|date=5 September 2024|access-date=5 September 2024|lang=fa}}
|timezone = IRST
|utc_offset = +3:30
|elevation_footnotes =
|elevation_m =
|elevation_ft =
|website =
|footnotes = {{GEOnet3|9205846}}
}}
Osku County ({{langx|fa|شهرستان اسکو}}) is in East Azerbaijan province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Osku.{{cite report|title=Changes in country divisions in East Azarbaijan province|language=fa|website=rc.majlis.ir|via=Research Center of the System of Laws of the Islamic Council of the Farabi Library of Mobile Users|url=https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/117728|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140130080216/https://rc.majlis.ir/fa/law/show/117728|archive-date=30 January 2014|publisher=Ministry of the Interior, Political-Defense Commission of the Government Board|last=Habibi|first=Hassan|date=10 November 1392|orig-date=Approved 17 April 1376|id=Notification 57400 17940 K|access-date=6 December 2023}}
Osku is one of the oldest cities in East Azerbaijan, according to old books, and is like stepping into a time machine. The city is located on a volcano hillside and has many caves in the city. Attractions such as Kandovan and natural landscapes make Osku one of the touristic cities in Iran. It is one of the few cities in Iran where batik printing centers still remain in operation. Osku is presently known as the capital of batik in Iran. Hilleh Historical Village is another historical village near to the city, currently abandoned.
History
The village of Sahand was elevated to the status of a city in 2008.{{cite news|title=The fourth member of a city council was arrested: The council's office was sealed|language=fa|website=hamshahrionline.ir|via=Hamshahri Online|url=https://www.hamshahrionline.ir/news/776282/چهارمین-عضو-شورای-شهر-یک-شهر-دستگیر-شد-دفتر-شورا-پلمب-شد#ref=shahrekhabar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250325134621/https://www.hamshahrionline.ir/news/776282/چهارمین-عضو-شورای-شهر-یک-شهر-دستگیر-شد-دفتر-شورا-پلمب-شد#ref=shahrekhabar|archive-date=25 March 2025|publisher=Hamshahri Institute|access-date=25 March 2025|date=26 July 2023}}
Demographics
=Ethnicity=
The inhabitants of Osku are Azerbaijani Turks, who have lived in the city for more than 100 years.{{cn|date=September 2024}}
=Population=
At the time of the 2006 census, the county's population was 84,061 in 23,613 households.{{cite report|title=Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1385 (2006): East Azerbaijan Province|language=fa|publisher=The Statistical Center of Iran|website=amar.org.ir|url=http://www.amar.org.ir/DesktopModules/FTPManager/upload/upload2360/newjkh/newjkh/03.xls|access-date=25 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110920092432/http://www.amar.org.ir/DesktopModules/FTPManager/upload/upload2360/newjkh/newjkh/03.xls|format=Excel|archive-date=20 September 2011}} The following census in 2011 counted 98,988 people in 30,091 households.{{cite report|title=Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1390 (2011): East Azerbaijan Province|website=irandataportal.syr.edu|via=Iran Data Portal, Syracuse University|language=fa|publisher=The Statistical Center of Iran|url=https://irandataportal.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/East-Azerbaijan.xls|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116202318/https://irandataportal.syr.edu/wp-content/uploads/East-Azerbaijan.xls|archive-date=16 January 2023|access-date=19 December 2022|format=Excel}} The 2016 census measured the population of the county as 158,270 in 50,674 households.{{cite report|title=Census of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 1395 (2016): East Azerbaijan Province|language=fa|publisher=The Statistical Center of Iran|website=amar.org.ir|url=https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/census/1395/results/abadi/CN95_HouseholdPopulationVillage_03.xlsx|access-date=19 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113123618/https://www.amar.org.ir/Portals/0/census/1395/results/abadi/CN95_HouseholdPopulationVillage_03.xlsx|format=Excel|archive-date=13 November 2020}}
=Administrative divisions=
Osku County's population history and administrative structure over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table.
| class="wikitable"
|+ Osku County Population | |||
| Administrative Divisions | 2006 | 2011 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central District | style="text-align: right;"| 56,253 | style="text-align: right;"| 69,116 | style="text-align: right;"| 127,452 |
| style="padding-left: 1em;" | Bavil RD | style="text-align: right;"| 23,318 | style="text-align: right;"| 9,792 | style="text-align: right;"| 9,397 |
| style="padding-left: 1em;" | Gonbar RD | style="text-align: right;"| 7,315 | style="text-align: right;"| 7,704 | style="text-align: right;"| 7,763 |
| style="padding-left: 1em;" | Sahand RD | style="text-align: right;"| 9,480 | style="text-align: right;"| 9,933 | style="text-align: right;"| 9,339 |
| style="padding-left: 1em;" | Osku (city) | style="text-align: right;"| 16,140 | style="text-align: right;"| 16,983 | style="text-align: right;"| 18,459 |
| style="padding-left: 1em;" | Sahand (city) | style="text-align: right;"| | style="text-align: right;"| 24,704 | style="text-align: right;"| 82,494 |
| Ilkhchi District | style="text-align: right;"| 27,808 | style="text-align: right;"| 29,872 | style="text-align: right;"| 30,818 |
| style="padding-left: 1em;" | Jazireh RD | style="text-align: right;"| 3,574 | style="text-align: right;"| 3,014 | style="text-align: right;"| 2,499 |
| style="padding-left: 1em;" | Shurakat-e Jonubi RD | style="text-align: right;"| 10,307 | style="text-align: right;"| 11,627 | style="text-align: right;"| 11,745 |
| style="padding-left: 1em;" | Ilkhchi (city) | style="text-align: right;"| 13,927 | style="text-align: right;"| 15,231 | style="text-align: right;"| 16,574 |
| Total | style="text-align: right;"| 84,061 | style="text-align: right;"| 98,988 | style="text-align: right;"| 158,270 |
| colspan=4 | {{small|RD {{=}} Rural District}} |
See also
{{Commons-inline}}
{{Portal-inline|Iran}}
{{clear}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{East Azerbaijan Province|state=collapsed}}
{{Osku County|state=collapsed}}