Ardahan Province
Encyclopedia
Ardahan Province is a province in the far north-east of Turkey
, at the very end of the country, where Turkey borders with Georgia
. The provincial capital is the city of Ardahan
.
The local economy depends on farming and raising livestock. Until 1993 Ardahan was a district of the province of Kars
, becoming a province in its own right has meant more investment in infrastructure
There are two crossing points into the Samtskhe-Javakheti district of Georgia, one at Posof
and the other (currently closed) at Çıldır
. The Turkish military have a strong presence in this border district, another boost to the local economy.
, Georgians
, Kipchak , Turkman
, Karapapaks and Azeris .
from the north and captured this area from the Urartu
Kings that ruled from their capital on the shores of Lake Van
to the south. The Scythians were replaced by Persians
and then in 330(?) BC Alexander the Great came through with his armies. Ethnic Georgians populated the area, and in between conquests, it was a province of a Georgian Kingdom after whose paritition in the 1490s the area passed to the atabegs of Samtskhe based in Akhaltsikhe
until it was taken over by the Ottoman Empire
in 1578.
In 1878, after the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), the region was included into the Russian Empire
, and until 1918 was known as Kars Oblast
. Part of the Democratic Republic of Georgia
from 1918 to 1921, Ardahan was reclaimed by Turkey under the Treaty of Kars
in 1921.
The construction of the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline gave the local economy a brief boost from 2000 onwards.
(capital district in bold):
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, at the very end of the country, where Turkey borders with Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
. The provincial capital is the city of Ardahan
Ardahan
Ardahan is a city in northeastern Turkey, near the Georgian border.-Ancient and medieval:In Ancient times the region was called Gogarene, which is assumed to derive from the name of Gugars, who were a Proto-Kartvelian tribe...
.
Geography
This is attractive open countryside which however spends many months of the year under snow. At this altitude temperatures on average reach -20°C and can drop below freezing all year round, including summer months.The local economy depends on farming and raising livestock. Until 1993 Ardahan was a district of the province of Kars
Kars Province
Kars Province is a province of Turkey, located in the northeastern part of the country. It shares part of its border with the Republic of Armenia.The provinces of Ardahan and Iğdır were until the 1990s part of Kars Province.-History:...
, becoming a province in its own right has meant more investment in infrastructure
There are two crossing points into the Samtskhe-Javakheti district of Georgia, one at Posof
Posof
Posof is a district of Ardahan Province of Turkey, in the far east of the country, 75 km from the city of Ardahan. It has a border crossing with neigboring Georgia at Türkgözü...
and the other (currently closed) at Çıldır
Çildir
- Names :Çıldır is also called , Hiusisean; , Chrdili; , Childyr.- Background :The large Lake Çıldır in the district is an important haven for bird life....
. The Turkish military have a strong presence in this border district, another boost to the local economy.
Population
Ardahan is an impoverished area that since the 1950s has seen a large number of its people migrate to other parts of Turkey or abroad. The population declined from 170,000 people in 1990 to 119,000 in 2000. The population is 105,454 as of 2010. Ethnic groups in the region include, Turkish peopleTurkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
, Georgians
Georgian people
The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....
, Kipchak , Turkman
Turkmen people
The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,...
, Karapapaks and Azeris .
History
In 680 BC Scythians came across the CaucasusCaucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
from the north and captured this area from the Urartu
Urartu
Urartu , corresponding to Ararat or Kingdom of Van was an Iron Age kingdom centered around Lake Van in the Armenian Highland....
Kings that ruled from their capital on the shores of Lake Van
Lake Van
Lake Van is the largest lake in Turkey, located in the far east of the country in Van district. It is a saline and soda lake, receiving water from numerous small streams that descend from the surrounding mountains. Lake Van is one of the world's largest endorheic lakes . The original outlet from...
to the south. The Scythians were replaced by Persians
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
and then in 330(?) BC Alexander the Great came through with his armies. Ethnic Georgians populated the area, and in between conquests, it was a province of a Georgian Kingdom after whose paritition in the 1490s the area passed to the atabegs of Samtskhe based in Akhaltsikhe
Akhaltsikhe
Akhaltsikhe is a small city in Georgia's southwestern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. It is situated on the both banks of a small river Potskhovi, which separates the city to the old city in the north and new in the south. The name of the city translates from Georgian as "new fortress".- History...
until it was taken over by the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in 1578.
In 1878, after the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), the region was included into the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, and until 1918 was known as Kars Oblast
Kars Oblast
Kars Oblast was one of Transcaucasian governorates of Russian Empire between 1878 and 1917. Its capital was in the city of Kars, presently in the Republic of Turkey. The governorate bordered with the Ottoman Empire, Batum Oblast, Tiflis Governorate, Erivan Governorate, and from 1883 to 1903 with...
. Part of the Democratic Republic of Georgia
Democratic Republic of Georgia
The Democratic Republic of Georgia , 1918–1921, was the first modern establishment of a Republic of Georgia.The DRG was created after the collapse of the Russian Empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917...
from 1918 to 1921, Ardahan was reclaimed by Turkey under the Treaty of Kars
Treaty of Kars
The Treaty of Kars was a "friendship" treaty signed in Kars on October 13, 1921 and ratified in Yerevan on September 11 1922.Signatories included representatives from the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, which in 1923 would declare the Republic of Turkey, and also from Soviet Armenia, Soviet...
in 1921.
The construction of the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline gave the local economy a brief boost from 2000 onwards.
Districts
Ardahan province is divided into 6 districtsDistricts of Turkey
The 81 provinces of Turkey are divided into 957 districts . In the early Turkish Republic and in the Ottoman Empire, the corresponding unit was the kaza....
(capital district in bold):
- ArdahanArdahanArdahan is a city in northeastern Turkey, near the Georgian border.-Ancient and medieval:In Ancient times the region was called Gogarene, which is assumed to derive from the name of Gugars, who were a Proto-Kartvelian tribe...
- ÇıldırÇildir- Names :Çıldır is also called , Hiusisean; , Chrdili; , Childyr.- Background :The large Lake Çıldır in the district is an important haven for bird life....
- DamalDamalDamal, formerly Petereke, is a town and district of Ardahan Province of Turkey, on the road from Kars to Posof.-History:Damalis on a route across the traditional Silk Road, connecting the Caucasus from Europe to Central Asia and has changed hands many times throughout history, between Medes,...
- GöleGöleGöle ) is a small city and surrounding district in Ardahan Province of Turkey. The city was formerly known as Merdenik, Merdinik or Ardahan-ı Küçük ....
- HanakHanakHanak is a district of Ardahan Province of Turkey on the road from Ardahan to Posof.Hanak sits in the valley of the Hanak River with high mountains on all sides, Ilgar to the north being the highest at 2915m...
- PosofPosofPosof is a district of Ardahan Province of Turkey, in the far east of the country, 75 km from the city of Ardahan. It has a border crossing with neigboring Georgia at Türkgözü...
Cities and towns
- ArdahanArdahanArdahan is a city in northeastern Turkey, near the Georgian border.-Ancient and medieval:In Ancient times the region was called Gogarene, which is assumed to derive from the name of Gugars, who were a Proto-Kartvelian tribe...
City 17,171 inh. - GöleGöleGöle ) is a small city and surrounding district in Ardahan Province of Turkey. The city was formerly known as Merdenik, Merdinik or Ardahan-ı Küçük ....
City 6,231 inh. - HanakHanakHanak is a district of Ardahan Province of Turkey on the road from Ardahan to Posof.Hanak sits in the valley of the Hanak River with high mountains on all sides, Ilgar to the north being the highest at 2915m...
City 4,030 inh. - DamalDamalDamal, formerly Petereke, is a town and district of Ardahan Province of Turkey, on the road from Kars to Posof.-History:Damalis on a route across the traditional Silk Road, connecting the Caucasus from Europe to Central Asia and has changed hands many times throughout history, between Medes,...
City 3,804 inh. - KöprülüKopruluKoprulu refers to:* Köprülü family an Ottoman noble family of Albanian origin* Köprülü era , the period in which the Ottoman Empire's politics were set by the Grand Viziers, mainly the Köprülü family...
Town 2,126 inh. - PosofPosofPosof is a district of Ardahan Province of Turkey, in the far east of the country, 75 km from the city of Ardahan. It has a border crossing with neigboring Georgia at Türkgözü...
City 1,810 inh. - ÇıldırÇildir- Names :Çıldır is also called , Hiusisean; , Chrdili; , Childyr.- Background :The large Lake Çıldır in the district is an important haven for bird life....
City 1,502 inh.
Places of interest
- There are a number of medieval castles in the district including Ardahan Castle itself.
- At a certain time of the year DamalDamalDamal, formerly Petereke, is a town and district of Ardahan Province of Turkey, on the road from Kars to Posof.-History:Damalis on a route across the traditional Silk Road, connecting the Caucasus from Europe to Central Asia and has changed hands many times throughout history, between Medes,...
mountain throws a shadow that is a very lifelike silhouette of Atatürk. See. - Lake ÇıldırLake ÇildirLake Çıldır , , - Tzovák Hiusisó) is a large freshwater lake in the Ardahan Province, northeastern part of Turkey. It is located at , close to the borders with Georgia and Armenia. Lake Çıldır is located in the elevation of about and surrounded by mountainous region. It has an area of and...