Maku (in Azeri pronunciation), Mâkou (in Persian pronunciation) ماكو in the North-West of the province of the Western Azerbaïdjan in Iran is a mountainous city. It is located of score measures in kilometres towards north of Chaldiran, the famous battle field between the Othomans and Shâh Ismail Safavide in 1514.

Etymology

Being always populated by the Armenians and the Turks Azeri, it is absolutely necessary to seek the root of the word in one as of these two languages. Have regard to the abundance of the Armenians of this area until the Timouride time it does not seem reasonable to accept this theory which the word Maki comes from Armenian word of “meki” within the meaning of the pasture. Because the placement of the area to the foot of assembles Agri Dagh (Ararat) and the abundance of the hundreds large pasture to the mountains of approximately, encourages this interpretation. Of other with dimensions the Spanish traveller Klavigho (Clavigo) at the beginning of fifteenth century, by speaking about the Armenian population of this city, recorded Maki. It is for what thus any other interpretation to allot it to the language Persan, which until our days never was of use in this area seems to us inaccurate.

History and tourism

Maku is located at 22 km of the Turkish border in a mountainous throat. It is known for its three historic buildings and its almost identical urban face in the middle of the stones. The Oratorien cave, the cathedral of holy Tadeus called also Qara Kelisa (the black church) founded at the 10th century and the palate of Sardar-e Maku founded at the time Qajar with its coloured frescos and its stucco. 97 pourcent inhabitants are Turkish-speaking, and the Kurdophone remainder. The most known family name of the city east Bayât. The Bayât family had had a domination independent on the town of Maku, during more than two centuries. Mirza Agassi, vizier of Mohammad Shah Qajar, belonged to this family. The last governor Bayât, Mortaza Golikhane Egbal Al-Saltanat, known under the name of Sardar de Maku, will be put at died by Reza Shah when he was Minister for the war of Qadjars.

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