Seqqez is in Kurdistan in Western Iran. It has a population of around 165,000 in the city in 2015, and 226,000 in the metropolitan area. Saqqez is the second most populous city in Kurdistan province after Sanandaj.

Understand

Saqqez's history goes back to the 7th millennium BCE. It is famous as a centre of performing arts, painting, sculpture, music, literature, poetry and cinema.

The Surani dialect of the Kurdish language is the common language of the Kurdish people, and most of the services in the city are done in this language, but the people of Saqqez speak Persian.

Get in

Due to the mountainous nature of the area, you should make sure that the roads leading to Saqez are open and safe during the cold and rainy season.

The main road to the north and the city of Bukan, West Azarbaijan province, and the cities of Urmia and Tabriz.

The main road to the north-west and Baneh city and the border between Siran Band Baneh and the country of Iraq.

The main road to the south-east and the cities of Diwandre and Sanandaj and along to Kermanshah province.

A side road to the south-west and the border of Bastam and Marivan city and along it the international border of Bashmaq.

There is no rail service, and a local airport is under construction.

By bus

Saqqez has three passenger terminals: Bukan passenger terminal, Baneh passenger terminal and the main terminal of the city, which has buses to most cities in Iran and is known as the Sanandaj terminal.

See

Shrines and religious places

• Naqshbandiyeh monastery in Saqqez market
• Omar Bin Khattab Mosque in Shahnaz
• Domnare mosque in the middle of the castle, south of the ruins and ruins of the castle
• Sheikh Mazhar Mosque in the middle of the fort, below the Jame Mosque
• Haj Sheikh Mostafa mosque and monastery in Sarpache, Sheikh Bazaar
• Dar al-Safa Mosque in Karimabad neighborhood
• Omar Bin Khattab Mosque in Shahnaz
• Muhammad Rasulullah Mosque in Cham Vali Khan (Vali Khan River)
• Osman bin Affan mosque in Farhangian town
• Haj Hakim Niloufri Mosque and Mausoleum at Azadegan Crossroads

Museums

• Saqqez has a museum in the historic Haj Saleh bathhouse.

Historical areas

• Zivie Castle
• Crafto Cave
• Haj Saleh bath
• Tarjan Mosque
• Tajwanchi Caravanserai
• Seqqez market
• Historical Qur'an of Sheikh Hasan Molanabad

Natural attractions

• Kazemi Dam Lake (Lagzi)
• Sershio forests on the road from Saqez to Marivan
• Jagal Mountain
• Mulla Mohammad mountain
• Banafsheh Mountain

Do

• Lagzi Lake
• Saqez or Wozneh ski resort in Gardne Khan on the Saqez-Baneh axis. This track is on the northern side of Vozneh mountain, which is open for skiing for more than 6 months of the year in terms of snow removal. The height of its peak is 2,700 meters above sea level and the length of the track is 1,200 meters.
• Saqez car racing and motorcycle track
• Trial track of Kaveh complex, three swimming pools and Zozan recreational-commercial complex
• Kaveh and Kord indoor pool and an outdoor Shiloh pool, which has been converted into a fish breeding complex.
• Horse riding track and stable next to Shilo pool

Eat

There are luxurious restaurants in the city, especially in Kurdistan Boulevard, Azadi Square, and Army Boulevard, as well as coffee houses and canteens in most parts of the city that distribute and sell Iranian and local halal and Islamic food.

Kalana (ke laneh) is a special local bread.

Connect

The internet situation is good in the areas close to the city center: there are plenty of internet cafes. Saqqez city is easily accessible by 3G networks of Mobile First, Rightel and Irancell in the city and they provide the possibility to connect to high speed internet. Similarly, Saqez city is covered by Irancell and Mobile First 4G network. In Saqqez, internet companies like Mobeen Net, High Web, Telecom, Pars Online, Shuttle, Asiatec, etc. provide services