these new settlers, in return, had to have 400 horsemen ready for disposal for the government. Just prior to their arrival, the district had a population of 4–5,000 families of both Kurds and Muqaddam Shia Turks. The district would gradually fall into the hands of the Karapapakh newcomers. The state-supported Karapapakh consolidated their power quickly by attacking the Kurdish Mangur and Zerza tribes. In 1914, 80 Assyrian families were left in the town, and 120 Jewish families of which most have since then migrated to Israel. The Jews of Naqadeh County were "probably the oldest element in the present population" of the county. In 1917, there were 598 Assyrians in 108 families at Sulduz; 35 were elderly, 60 were orphans, and 84 were able-bodied. During the Ottoman occupation from 1908 to 1912, the Karapapakh population suffered considerably as they were seen as Iranian agents. The Ottomans attempted to destroy the tribal structure and free the rayah of the town. The town would change hands between the Ottomans and the Russians in this period, until the Iranians took control in 1919. Ethnic relations were friendlier despite clashes during the 1940s when the town was part of the short-lived Republic of Mahabad. The local Azerbaijanis were favored by the state and dominated the town politically and socially, which added to the ethnic violence in the town. Kurdish separatism and the political demands by Kurds were a source of concern for the Azerbaijanis, fearing the loss of influence in the region. In April 1979, after the Iranian Revolution, the two ethnic groups clashed in the town and about 100 to 300 people were killed. The reason for the clashes was the relatively liberal political atmosphere in the country which pushed the Kurds to openly aspire for self-governance. The new government furthermore recruited local Shia Azerbaijanis to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps which went on to massacre the Kurds of nearby Qarna, Qalat and Egriqash. In recent years, nationalist Azerbaijani events have been repressed by the state, while Kurdish nationalism has become more radical as seen with the attraction among the youth towards the Kurdistan Free Life Party. Notable people Mohammad Oraz - alpinist See also Teppe Hasanlu References Bibliography Populated places in Naqadeh County Cities in West Azerbaijan Province Assyrian settlements Kurdish settlements in West Azerbaijan Province Historic Jewish communities in Asia