| Sarpol-e Zahab County | |
| Native Name: | Persian: شهرستان سرپل ذهاب |
| Settlement Type: | County |
| Image Map1: | IranKermanshah-SVG.svg |
| Map Caption1: | Location of Kermanshah province in Iran |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Iran |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Kermanshah |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Sarpol-e Zahab |
| Parts Type: | Districts |
| Parts Style: | para |
| P1: | Central |
| P2: | Dasht-e Zahab |
| P3: | Qaleh Shahin |
| Population As Of: | 2016 |
| Population Total: | 85342 |
| Coordinates: | 34.4667°N 101°W |
| Coordinates Footnotes: | [1] |
| Timezone: | IRST |
| Utc Offset: | +3:30 |
Sarpol-e Zahab County (Persian: شهرستان سرپل ذهاب) is in Kermanshah province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Sarpol-e Zahab,[2] whose people are adherents of Shia, Sunni and Yarsan.[3]
After the 2011 National Census, Jeygaran and Sarqaleh Rural Districts were transferred from Salas-e Babajani County to the Central District. Qaleh Shahin Rural District was separated from it in the establishment of Qaleh Shahin District, which was divided into two rural districts, including the new Sarab-e Qaleh Shahin Rural District.[4]
After the 2016 census, Dasht-e Zahab, Jeygaran, Posht Tang, and Sarqaleh Rural Districts were separated from the Central District in the establishment of Dasht-e Zahab District. In addition, several villages merged to establish the new village of Kuik, capital of the district.[5]
At the time of the 2006 census, the county's population was 81,428 in 18,233 households.[6] The following census in 2011 counted 85,616 people in 21,677 households.[7] The 2016 census measured the population of the county as 85,342 in 23,696 households.[8]
Sarpol-e Zahab County's population history and administrative structure over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table.
| Administrative Divisions | 2006 | 2011 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central District | 81,428 | 85,193 | 73,942 | |
| 6,518 | 6,407 | 5,480 | ||
| Dasht-e Zahab RD | 6,925 | 6,854 | 6,465 | |
| 13,768 | 16,643 | 8,360 | ||
| Jeygaran RD | 2,032 | |||
| Posht Tang RD | 6,476 | 6,474 | 5,582 | |
| Qaleh Shahin RD | 13,109 | 13,006 | ||
| Sarqaleh RD | 542 | |||
| Sarpol-e Zahab (city) | 34,632 | 35,809 | 45,481 | |
| Dasht-e Zahab District | ||||
| Qaleh Shahin District | 11,265 | |||
| 5,291 | ||||
| 5,974 | ||||
| Total | 81,428 | 85,616 | 85,342 | |
Archaeologists published in the journal Antiquity in August 2019 about the discovery of a defensive wall named "Gawri wall" or "Gawri Chen Wall" which was found near the present-day Iranian-Iraqi border and stretched about 115 kilometers. It is estimated that the wall was built during the rule of the Parthians or Sasanians.[9] [10]
According to Sajjad Alibeigi, "With an estimated volume of approximately one million cubic meters of stone, it would have required significant resources in terms of workforce, materials and time. Remnants of structures, now destroyed, are visible in places along the wall. These may have been associated turrets [small towers] or buildings."[11] [12]