Arikah Map

Elazığ

(Redirected from Elazig)

Coordinates: 38°33′N 43°37′E

Elazığ:Flag of Turkey.svgElazığ, Turkey
Map
Elazığ:Location in Turkey

Location in Turkey
Overview
Province Elazığ
Elevation 850 m
Coordinates 38°33′ N 43°37′ E
Postal code 06x xx
Area code 0312
Licence plate code 23
Mayor Süleyman Selmanoğlu (True Path Party)
Website http://www.elazig.bel.tr/


Elazığ is a city in the Elazığ Province of eastern Turkey and the seat of the province. It has a population of 266,495 (2000 census). The city is 1067 meters above sea level. Being a relatively young city that was founded in the 19th century, its location was called, prior to the foundation of the city, as Mezra by the Turkish, Zaza, and Kurdish-speaking inhabitants of the region, which simply means "the hamlet" [1]. "Mezra" still remains the Kurdish name of the city today. [2]


Contents

Name

Contemporary Elazığ was founded initially as an extension in the plain of the historic city of Harput, which is situated on a hill and difficult to access in winter. Under the reign Mahmud II, the governor Reşid Mehmed Pasha started the construction of the city with a casern, a hospital and a governor's mansion, which was transferred from Harput to here, to form the new core of the province (vilayet) seat.

The city was named "Mamüret'ül-Aziz" (the city built by Aziz in Turkish) in 1866 on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of enthronement of the Ottoman Sultan Abdülaziz, although he was not the initial founder. The city was known many years as "Elaziz" due to its ease of pronunciation until November 17,1937 when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of modern Turkey, changed the name of the city to "Elazık" (city of food). However, since it was hard to pronounce this word in Turkish, on December 10, 1937 the government changed the city's name to its final form as "Elazığ".

History

For the main article, see Harput.The area near Elazığ has been settled for centuries. An ancient town and citadel called Kharput (or Harput; Armenian: Kharpert), which means "rocky fortress," was built by the first Armenian kings about three miles from modern Elazığ. However, there is very little written about this city. While Kharput is still settled today, due to its high elevation and lack of water, it is slowly abandoned, with most residents moving to Elazığ. The two cities are in constant communication and Kharput still has about 30,000 inhabitants.

Kharput probably stands on or near the site of Carcathio-certa in Sophene, reached by Corbulo in A.D. 65. The early Muslim geographers knew it as Hisn Ziyad, but the Armenian name was Khartabirt or Kharbirt, whence Kharput.

William of Tyre wrote that Joscelin I, Count of Edessa (Jocelyn) of Courtenay, and King Baldwin II of Jerusalem were prisoners of the Amir Balak in Kharput's castle and were murdered by being cast from its cliffs after an attempted rescue. However, the story is fiction, as both were prisoners but were ransomed. William of Tyre calls the place Quart Piert or Pierre.

Contemporary Elazığ was founded and became the provincial seat in 1834.

An Armenian Uniat was diocese created in 1850.

The vilayet Kharput was founded in 1888, being the result of a provincial rearrangement, designed to ensure better control over the disturbed districts of Kurdistan. It has much mineral wealth, a healthy climate and a fertile soil.

Kharput has been an important station of the American missionaries for many years. The missionaries built a college, a theological seminary, and boys' and girls' schools. In November 1895, Kurds looted and burned the Armenian villages on the plain; and in the same month Kharput was attacked and the American schools were burned down. A large number of the Gregorian and Protestant Armenian clergy and people were massacred, and churches, monasteries and houses were looted.

According to Stephen Kinzer, Elazığ was also a scene of the Armenian Genocide in 1915.[3]

Elazığ today

Elazığ today is the capital of the Elazığ province, a bustling city with a university and an industrial base, although historic monuments are understandably scarce. The exception is of course the ancient Harput citadel and town, a dependency of the greater municipality of Elazığ today situated three miles to the north of the city center. The population of Elazığ is a mixture of Kurds, Turks and Azeris.[citation needed]

Geography and climate

Elazığ is situated on the northwest corner of a 30-mile-long valley, known locally as Uluova (literally the Great Valley). Its altitude is 3,300 feet: latitude and longitude are respectively: 38 degrees and 41 minutes North, and 39 degrees and 14 minutes East. Elazığ Province is surrounded by the Euphrates in the north, and since the completion of Keban Dam the rivers came to cover almost ten percent of the surface area (826 km²) of the province (8,455 km²). Elazig's adjacent province borders are with: Tunceli (North), Erzincan (North-West), Bingöl (East), Diyarbakır (South), and Malatya (West).

Economy

The main product of the area is wine and other agricultural products, and Elazığ serves as a market center. The state run vineyard of Elazığ is notable for its production of Buzbağ, a full flavor red wine.

Notable people from Elazığ

Attractions

Footnotes

  1. ^ For the naming history, see http://www.elazig.bel.tr
  2. ^ "Lîsteya bajarên Kurdistanê" from the Kurdish Wikipedia
  3. ^ The New York Times - "Turkish Region Recalls Massacre of Armenians", by Stephen Kinzer, May 10, 2000

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

The following websites are in Turkish.


Elazığ:Shows the Location of Elazig province Districts of Elazığ Elazığ:Flag of Turkey

Elazığ | Ağın | Alacakaya |Arıcak | Baskil | Karakoçan | Keban | Kovancılar | Maden | Palu |Sivrice

</center>

Categories


Articles with unsourced statements | Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica | Districts of Elazığ | Cities in Turkey

Find

Find

Find