Malekshahi County

For the village in Kermanshah province, see Seh Chekan-e Meleh Shahi. For the former administrative division of Mehran County, see Malekshahi District.

Malekshahi County (Persian: شهرستان ملکشاهی)^[a] is in Ilam province, Iran. Its capital is the city of Arkavaz.^[11][b] The Malekshahi tribe is the largest Kurdish tribe in Ilam.^{[citation needed]}

Malekshahi County Persian: شهرستان ملکشاهی
County
Location of Malekshahi County in Ilam province (center, pink)
Location of Ilam Province in Iran
Coordinates: 33°18′N 46°35′E[1]
Country	Iran
Province	Ilam
Capital	Arkavaz
Districts	Central, Gachi
Population  (2016)[2]
• Total	21,138
Time zone	UTC+3:30 (IRST)

History

In 2008, Malekshahi District^[c] was separated from Mehran County in the establishment of Malekshahi County, which was divided into two districts of two rural districts each, with Arkavaz as its capital.^[11] The village of Delgosha was elevated to the status of a city.^[13] After the 2011 National Census, the village of Mehr became a city as well.^[14]

Demographics

Population

At the time of the 2011 census, the county's population was 22,587 people in 5,626 households.^[15] The 2016 census measured the population of the county as 21,138 in 6,022 households.^[2]

Administrative divisions

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

Malekshahi County Population

Administrative Divisions	2011[15]	2016[2]
Central District	16,144	15,374
Chamzey RD	2,957	2,722
Shuhan RD	829	675
Arkavaz (city)[b]	12,358	11,977
Gachi District	6,298	5,609
Gachi RD	2,011	520
Kabirkuh RD	2,086	2,210
Delgosha (city)	2,201	1,819
Mehr (city)		1,060
Total	22,587	21,138
RD = Rural District

See also

Media related to Malekshahi County at Wikimedia Commons

Notes

1. The name in Persian (ملگشاهی) is from the old name, Melkishi, a Kurdish^[3] tribe spread from Ilam to Ardahan province in Turkey. There is a Georgian counterpart to this tribe, namely the Melikishvili. The Malekshahi form one of the largest tribes in Iran, Iraq and Turkey. Melikshahi Kurdish language and dialect is Malekshahi.^{[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]}
2. Formerly Qaleh Darreh-ye Malekshahi^[12]
3. Formerly Arkavazi District^[12]