Maku, Iran
city in West Azarbaijan Province, Iran
Maku (Persian: ماكو) is a city in the Central District of Maku County, West Azerbaijan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
Maku is 22 kilometres (14 mi) from the Turkish border in a mountain gorge at an altitude of 1,634 metres. The Zangmar River cuts through the city. The Maku Free Trade and Industrial Zone, which opened in 2011, is Iran's largest and the world's second largest free trade zone, encompassing an area of 5,000 square kilometres.
History
Maku was a region of the old Armenia c. 300–800, previously known as Artaz according to Aziz Atiya's History of Eastern Christianity.
The Castle of Maku, original Shavarshan, was the center of the domains of the princely Armenian family of Amatuni. The Artazian branch of Amatuni family ruled the Maku region of Artaz still in the XVth century and successfully defended it against Timurleng, when he besieged the castle of Maku. Maku was the capital of a Kangarli Khanate, one of numerous small, semi-independent Maku Khanates that emerged from the breakup of the Safavid Empire in the 18th century.
Maku served as the capital of the Kurdish Jalali dynasty into the 1860s when the centralizing Qajar government in Persia/Iran removed them, appointing a governor instead.
The city is well known in the history of the Baháʼí Faith for its fort where the Báb had been exiled to and imprisoned for nine months.
The public source identifies “Maku, Iran” as city in West Azarbaijan Province, Iran. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Maku, Iran and city.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Maku, Iran”, the useful work is to connect “city in West Azarbaijan Province, Iran” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q720318. Authority coordinates are 39.291, 44.458. None of the 2 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 2011.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Maku, Iran”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Maku, Iran primary sources, Maku, Iran archive and Maku research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Maku, Iran”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Maku, Iran” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.