Historical geography of Maku

Maku with the ancient names of Shavarshan and Artaz, in the northwestern corner of Iran, had a special place in the history of Iran and was one of the areas of conflict between Iranians and Armenians in ancient times. According to Armenian sources, the first settlement in the Maku region dates back to the Medes. Due to the burial of Thaddeus, one of the apostles of Jesus this land has a prominent religious position among the Armenians of the world. There are different opinions about the lexical origin of Maku and its scope, as well as its administrative and political connections with the land of Iran. The purpose of this article is to investigate and analyze the historical geography of Maku, its appellation and geographical boundaries using historical and geographical texts based on descriptive-analytical method and using library data. The results of the investigations carried out in this study show that the geographical location of Maku has had a major impact on its political, cultural and economic life, and the different aspects of its people's lives were influenced by geography and being located at its border point. Due to its location at the border point of the three countries of Iran, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire, Maku had a special importance in the relations between these three powers, and the rulers of that country had formed an autonomous government for themselves.