Located 128 kilometers northwest of the city of Sanandaj, Marivan borders Saqez in the north, Paveh in the south and Iraq in the west and northwest. The city has mountain climate and experiences cold, snowy winters and fairly hot summers.
The name of the city is said to have originally been Mehravan – consisting of two parts ‘Mehr ,’ which is a reference to Mithra the ancient Persian divinity of light, and ‘Van’, which means place – meaning the ‘Home of Mithra.’
The Neolithic and Copper Age finds at the ancient ruins around Marivan indicate the long history of human settlement in the area. Its location on the road to Ctesiphon and Takht-e-Soleiman (Solomon’s Throne) or the Adur Gushnasp Fire Temple was one reason much attention was paid to this city in the Parthian (247 BC–224 CE) and Sassanid (226-651 CE) eras.
The presence of several castles and fortresses in the area indicate that Marivan was a strategic location for the Kurdish tribes. Ardalan Vassals (1169–1867), who traced their lineage back to the Sassanids, renovated one of the many fortresses in the area namely Helou Khan Fortress also known as the Marivan Fortress.
Marivan is located next to the Zarivar Lake and enjoys astounding natural beauty. The scenic nature of Marivan and its proximity to the tiered village of Oraman Takht have made the city a popular destination.
The city came under sever attack during the 1980s Iraq-Iran war but was never occupied by Iraqi forces.
Some of the prominent personalities to hail from this city include 13th century poet Piryones, poet Nari Mela Kake Heme (1874-1944), poet Qane (1898-1965), writer, poet and jurist Mala Abdul Karim Mudarris (1901–2005) and mathematician Caucher Birkar (1978).
