The locals of Sham Asbi identify the first part of the village's name with Sham, i.e. "Syria", interpreting it as "a place with Syrian horses".[5] According to Alice Assadoorian in Iran and the Caucasus, the toponym appears to be an old compound, and thus the folk etymology "can hardly be satisfying".[5] Assadoorian notes that the final –ī in the place name alludes to a patronymic formation, which allows for the resconstruction of the Middle Iranian form of the toponym as *Šāmaspīk or *Šāmāspīk, which translates as "a village belonging to (or founded by) *Šāmāsp".[5] The name *Šāmāsp is a familiar personal name, and derives from Old Iranian*S(i)yāmāspa-, i.e. "(a man) having black or dark studs" (compare AvestanSyāvaspi- and ArmenianŠawasp).[5] Assadoorian argues that there was "secondary dissimilation of the initial s- to š-".[5]
Demographics
Population
At the time of the 2006 National Census, the village's population was 2,148 in 511 households.[6] The following census in 2011 counted 2,609 people in 734 households.[7] The 2016 census measured the population of the village as 2,817 people in 820 households. It was the most populous village in its rural district.[2]
^Also romanized as Shām Asbī; also known as Shamaspi[3]
References
^OpenStreetMap contributors (18 August 2024). "Sham Asbi, Ardabil County" (Map). openstreetmap.org (OpenStreetMap) (in Persian). Retrieved 18 August 2024.
^Sham Asbi can be found at GEOnet Names Server, at this link, by opening the Advanced Search box, entering "-3084402" in the "Unique Feature Id" form, and clicking on "Search Database".
