Ardanuç
Encyclopedia
Ardanuç is a town and district of Artvin Province
in the Black Sea region of Turkey
located 32 km east of Artvin
..
district) up to the highest point, 3050 m Mount Çadır. Other high mountains are Kürdevan, Yalnızçam and Mount Horasan. The town of Ardanuç is on the western side of Yalnızçam Mount
and at the conjunction of Bulanık
, Aydın and Horhot streams.
by the Hurri
and Mitanni
branches of the Hittites
in 2000BC. The first mention of Ardanuç was in a Urartu
monument to the defeat of the local people in battle by King Sarduri II
in 753 BC. Then in the 7th century BC the Saka
or Scythians are known to have settled and they dominated Ardanuç until it was taken by the Bagrationi dynasty
of the Georgian
Tao-Klarjeti
kingdom with the help of the Byzantines. The Gevhernik Castle was built in this period and was besieged by the Muslim Ummayads in 744 AD.
Fighting between the Bagrationi and Anatolian beyliks began in 1080. Ardanuç being a mountain stronghold was hard to capture, although it did fall to the Mongols
during their wars with the Turks and Georgians in the 13th century and was brought into the Ottoman Empire
in 1551 by Suleiman the Magnificent
following yet another siege, this time to overturn the local ruler, Atabeg
of Samtskhe.
Following the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) Ardanuç was ceded to Russia
and after the Russian Revolution was returned to the Ottomans and a plebscite was planned to decide its final status.
The short lived, newly independent Democratic Republic of Georgia
tried to claim the area but withdrew in 1921. with the Soviet invasion and a petition by the newly formed republic of Turkey.
Artvin Province
Artvin Province is a province in Turkey, on the Black Sea coast in the north-eastern corner of the country, on the border with Georgia.The provincial capital is the city of Artvin.-Geography:...
in the Black Sea region of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
located 32 km east of Artvin
Artvin
-History:See Artvin Province for the history of the region.-Places of interest:* Artvin or Livana castle, built in 937There are a number of Ottoman Empire houses and public buildings including:* Salih Bey mosque, built in 1792...
..
Geography
Ardanuç is a mountainous district, rising from 250 m in the Şavşat River basin (ŞavşatSavsat
Şavşat is a town and district of Artvin Province in the Black Sea region, between the cities of Artvin and Kars on the border with Georgia at the far eastern end of Turkey.- Geography :...
district) up to the highest point, 3050 m Mount Çadır. Other high mountains are Kürdevan, Yalnızçam and Mount Horasan. The town of Ardanuç is on the western side of Yalnızçam Mount
Yalnizçam Mountains
The Yalnızçam Mountains or Arsiani Range is a mountain range in Eastern Anatolia Region, northeast Turkey, and the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, southwest Georgia. The range, continuing the Lesser Caucasus to the Armenian highlands, forms the watershed between the river valleys of Çoruh/Chorokhi...
and at the conjunction of Bulanık
Bulanik
Bulanık is a town and district of Muş Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. The current mayor is Ziya Akkaya . He is under governor Ferit Görükmez Kaymakamı....
, Aydın and Horhot streams.
History
The history of this area goes back to the settlement of the banks of the Çoruh RiverÇoruh River
The Çoruh River or Ch'orokhi River rises in the Mescit Mountains in north-eastern Turkey, flows through the cities of Bayburt, Ispir, Yusufeli, and Artvin, along the Kelkit-Çoruh Fault, before flowing into Georgia, where it reaches the Black Sea just south of Batumi and a few kilometers north of...
by the Hurri
Hurri
Hurri is a state along with Mitanni of the more inclusive "Hurri lands," which many scholars locate in Armenia. The name Hurri is also spelled Harri, the root word for Aryan....
and Mitanni
Mitanni
Mitanni or Hanigalbat was a loosely organized Hurrian-speaking state in northern Syria and south-east Anatolia from ca. 1500 BC–1300 BC...
branches of the Hittites
Hittites
The Hittites were a Bronze Age people of Anatolia.They established a kingdom centered at Hattusa in north-central Anatolia c. the 18th century BC. The Hittite empire reached its height c...
in 2000BC. The first mention of Ardanuç was in a Urartu
Urartu
Urartu , corresponding to Ararat or Kingdom of Van was an Iron Age kingdom centered around Lake Van in the Armenian Highland....
monument to the defeat of the local people in battle by King Sarduri II
Sarduri II
Sarduri II was the King of Urartu . The Urartian Kingdom was at its peak during his reign. He succeeded his father Argishti I to the throne....
in 753 BC. Then in the 7th century BC the Saka
Saka
The Saka were a Scythian tribe or group of tribes....
or Scythians are known to have settled and they dominated Ardanuç until it was taken by the Bagrationi dynasty
Bagrationi Dynasty
The Bagrationi dynasty was the ruling family of Georgia. Their ascendency lasted from the early Middle Ages until the early 19th century. In modern usage, this royal line is frequently referred to as the Georgian Bagratids, a Hellenized form of their dynastic name.The origin of the Bagrationi...
of the Georgian
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....
Tao-Klarjeti
Tao-Klarjeti
Tao-Klarjeti is the term conventionally used in modern history writing to describe the historic south-western Georgian principalities, now forming part of north-eastern Turkey and divided among the provinces of Erzurum, Artvin, Ardahan and Kars...
kingdom with the help of the Byzantines. The Gevhernik Castle was built in this period and was besieged by the Muslim Ummayads in 744 AD.
Fighting between the Bagrationi and Anatolian beyliks began in 1080. Ardanuç being a mountain stronghold was hard to capture, although it did fall to the Mongols
Mongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
during their wars with the Turks and Georgians in the 13th century and was brought into 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 1551 by Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman the Magnificent
Suleiman I was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1520 to his death in 1566. He is known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent and in the East, as "The Lawgiver" , for his complete reconstruction of the Ottoman legal system...
following yet another siege, this time to overturn the local ruler, Atabeg
Atabeg
Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch and charged with raising the crown prince...
of Samtskhe.
Following the Russo-Turkish War (1877-1878) Ardanuç was ceded to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and after the Russian Revolution was returned to the Ottomans and a plebscite was planned to decide its final status.
The short lived, newly independent 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...
tried to claim the area but withdrew in 1921. with the Soviet invasion and a petition by the newly formed republic of Turkey.