Mehrabad (Persian: مهراباد, also romanized as Mahrābād and Mehrābād; also known as Mīhrābād) is a village in, and the capital of, Haram Rud-e Olya Rural District of the Central District of Malayer County, Hamadan province, Iran.
Geography and Administration
The village is located at coordinates 34°19′50″N 48°44′32″E. Administratively, it belongs to the Central District of Malayer County, within the Haram Rud-e Olya Rural District, of which it serves as the capital.
Demographics
According to the official censuses conducted by the Statistical Center of Iran, the population of Mehrabad has fluctuated over the years:
- 2006 Census: 696 people, living in 176 households.
- 2011 Census: 704 people, living in 205 households.
- 2016 Census: 550 people, living in 173 households.
The 2016 census recorded a notable decrease in population compared to the two previous counts.
Etymology
The name "Mehrabad" (مهراباد) is a common Persian place name composed of "Mehr" (مهر), meaning "sun," "love," or "kindness" (and also the name of the Zoroastrian deity Mithra), combined with the suffix "-abad" (آباد), meaning "cultivated place" or "settlement." Thus, the name can be interpreted as "settlement of Mehr" or "place of kindness/sun."
