Air pollution is one of the most complicated issues that humanity faces today. Dust particles are among the major sources of air pollution. Dust phenomenon has recently become a permanent environmental issue in western Iran. Although Sanandaj city enjoys good natural environmental conditions including more than 450 mm of annual rainfall and an appropriate forest and range vegetation cover and, therefore, is not the source of dust naturally, it has recently experienced atmospheric dust very frequently. Despite this, atmospheric dust in Sanandaj and its comparison with soils have not yet been well studied. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize dust samples from Sanandaj city from March 20 to October 22, 2015. During this period, a total of 168 dust samples were collected monthly from 24 sites in the city of Sanandaj using glass traps installed on the roof of one-story buildings. Besides, 24 surface soil samples from outside and 24 samples from inside Sanandaj were taken. The dust deposition rate (DDR) was calculated and the pH, EC, carbonates content and the concentration of soluble potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and bicarbonate solution were measured in the dust and soil samples. Furthermore, the total concentrations of copper, zinc, nickel, cobalt, cadmium, manganese, iron, chromium and lead were determined using an atomic absorption spectrometer. Clay mineralogy of four dust samples and four dominant soil samples from outside the city was also examined. Spatial distribution maps of dust deposition rate and selected geochemical parameters were prepared using the Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) method. The results showed that the highest and the lowest DDR values belonged to June and October, respectively. Despite the fact that April and May had the highest number of dusty days and also the highest concentration of PM 10 concentration, the DDR was very low due to the high rainfall and wind speed. Based on the dust and soil chemical properties, it seems that the main source of dust in the first four months was different from that of the next three months. In the first four months, dust seemed to have originated from soils with higher EC, carbonate content and soluble calcium and magnesium concentrations as compared to that of the surface soils which seem to contribute more to atmospheric dust in the next 3 months. The average concentrations of heavy metals in the dust is higher than those of the surface soils in the area. The deposition rate of heavy metals reduces from the southwest to the northeast and north of the city of Sanandaj. The mineralogy of clay sized dust particles in April and June showed that they contained kaolinite, chlorite, smectite, illite and palygorskite. Mineralogy of dust from these two months was similar to that of Iraqi soils. The mineralogy of clay sized dust samples from August and October showed the presence of kaolinite, montmorillonite, vermiculate and illite, which is very similar to that of the surface soils of the study area. It appears that atmospheric dust in Sanandaj area probably derive from two different sources. In spring, dust seems to mostly originate from traoundary sources the contribution of which would reduce during summer and fall seasons. Barrens soils in Iraq as well as dried surfaces of such lagoons as Hour-al-Azim seem to play a major role in producing dust particles. Appropriate management practices are necessary to reduce the negative impacts of atmospheric dust in Sanandaj and neighboring areas which would otherwise be extended to other cities even in central Iran. Keywords: Dust deposition, chemical properties, geochemistry properties, dust mineralogy, Sanandaj city