Sarpol-e Zahab County

Sarpol-e Zahab County is in Kermanshah province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Sarpol-e Zahab, whose people are adherents of Shia, Sunni and Yarsan.

History
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.

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.

Population
At the time of the 2006 census, the county's population was 81,428 in 18,233 households. The following census in 2011 counted 85,616 people in 21,677 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the county as 85,342 in 23,696 households.

Administrative divisions
Sarpol-e Zahab County's population history and administrative structure over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table.

Archaeological findings
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.

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."