Geography of Koya District
Koya district is one of the districts of Erbil province that has an important geographical position in Kurdistan and Iraq. The city is about 620m above sea level and is surrounded by two mountains: Mount Bawaji in the north, which reaches an altitude of 1260m, and Mount Haybat Sultan, which reaches an altitude of about 1092m in the east. The south of the city is a wide plain and, in some places, the soil will become hilly and undulating.
In 1918, Koya became a district. It is located 70 kilometers southeast of the Kurdistan Region capital (Erbil).
History of Koya District
The date of the construction of Koya is not mentioned in any historical source, but there are many different opinions that eventually all agree and create strong evidence that this city was inhabited two thousand years BC. Several ancient monuments, some of which are known as Gutti remains, can be seen in this town (Shila Castle - Jil Basar - Qazbegi - Klisa - Sato Castle - Goktapa - Shekhalwan - Siktan - Hamamok - Qayseri - Khan - Taqi Kon - Great Mosque - Zory cemetery).
The population of the city is 95,246, consisting of two ethnic groups, Kurds and Chaldeans. The Chaldeans live in the area of Hermota, a village south of Koya.
Since old times, Koya has been the birthplace of culture and science, and many intelligent and famous personalities such as Great Mullah - Haji Qadir Koyi - Sami Abdal the poet - Tahir Tawfiq, Mamosta Bakuri, Khala Sewa, Dildar the poet, and many others.
When you reach the town of Koya, you will see an old castle called Sara on a hill. This castle dates back to the Assyrian period and a new castle was built on the remains of the Assyrian castle during the reign of Mir Mohammed Pasha of Rwandz. It was turned into a barracks during the Ottoman period. The castle, which has not been explored much, consists of several large and small rooms, and in the middle is a large field that was used for military training in older times.
Koya has more than 80 monuments including Kharaba, Church, Shila Castle, Aski Koya, Gubtapa, Siktay Qayseri, Bawaji, Smaqoli Mirsayd, Chnarok, Hamamok, etc. The first school was officially established in 1885 in the city.
Main streets of Koya district
1- Sara Street
2- Takya Talaban Street
3- Haji Qadir Street
4- Newroz Street
5- The Main Street in Bazaar
Where does the name Koya come from?
There are several different opinions about the name of Koya.
According to Massoud Mohammed, the name dates back to pre-Ottoman times. For this opinion, he relied on the book "Azkari" by Imam Nawawi, which was copied by a man named "Khidr ibn 'Umar Kuysinjaqli" before the arrival of the Ottomans in the region and wrote his name at the end of the book. Therefore, it seems that this name dates back to an older time.
There are different opinions about the origin of the name. Karim Sharaza says the name originally comes from "ko" without any suffix, which means a group of people gathered in an area.
Administrative boundaries of Koya district
After World War I and the formation of the new Iraqi state, Erbil was separated from Kirkuk and became a special brigade and Koya became a district belonging to Erbil. Koya district consists of five sub-districts and 190 villages.
1- Ashti district: 22 villages, the most important villages are: Bogd, Kawlan, Kharaba, and Kurdawa.
2- Degala district: 52 villages, the most important of which are Bani Maran, Aliawa, and Gomatal.
3- Taq Taq district: 26 villages
4- Siktan district: 12 villages, the most important of which is Nazanin.
5- Segirdikan district: 11 villages.
Koya district is at a high level in terms of education and university and Koya University is considered one of the highest-level universities in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. In terms of tourism, it has several local parks such as Rayhana, Kosara Park on Mount Haybat Sultan, and several other small parks. The banks of the Little Zab River, especially on the border of Gurndi and Bogd, and many other places that the residents of the district and surrounding districts visit these places to have a good time.
Trading in the Koya district
Koya has always been of great importance in terms of trade because trade has been a major factor in the development of this city and compared to other economic activities (industry and agriculture) has played a major and special role. This city is located on the main trade road and trade caravans regularly went from Koya to Kirkuk, Baghdad, Mahabad, Sardasht, and Tabriz.
The location of Koya has always been on the trade route and occupies a strategic location. This has led to the city having traded with its neighbors since old times. Especially Koya region had various products in terms of industry and agriculture and these products were traded with other parts of Kurdistan. The trade has often reached Iran, Syria, and Turkey. Especially during the Ottoman period, when more than 200 loads of cattle went daily from Koya to other areas and so many came to the town. Tobacco from Ranya, Khoshnawti, and Rwandz were the main products traded. These products came to the great traders of Koya and they sent them to Baghdad.
