Osku County

Osku County is in East Azerbaijan province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Osku.
Osku is one of the oldest cities in East Azerbaijan, according to old books, and is like stepping into a time machine. The city is located on a volcano hillside and has many caves in the city. Attractions such as Kandovan and natural landscapes make Osku one of the touristic cities in Iran. It is one of the few cities in Iran where batik printing centers still remain in operation. Osku is presently known as the capital of batik in Iran. Hilleh [Historical Village] is another historical village near to the city, currently abandoned.

History

The village of Sahand was elevated to the status of a city in 2008.

Demographics

Ethnicity

The inhabitants of Osku are Azerbaijani Turks, who have lived in the city for more than 100 years.

Population

At the time of the 2006 census, the county's population was 84,061 in 23,613 households. The following census in 2011 counted 98,988 people in 30,091 households. The 2016 census measured the population of the county as 158,270 in 50,674 households.

Administrative divisions

Osku County's population history and administrative structure over three consecutive censuses are shown in the following table.