Kilis
Encyclopedia
Kilis is a city in south-central Turkey
on the border with Syria
and capital of Kilis Province
.
of the Ottoman Empire
until the First World War when it was given to Turkey
and had a mixed population of Circassians, Turkoman
s and Arabs. There is a Jewish community.
The population of the town was 20,000 in 1927, 45,000 in 1970, 60,000 in 1980 and 85,000 in 1990. It then fell in the 1990s to 70,000 by 2000. (The population is 82,109 as of 2010)
Being a border town, Kilis has long had a reputation for smuggling and drug trafficking and although this has apparently been reduced, even today cigarettes, spirits and cheap electrical items can be bought for cash at low prices.
The local kebab
known as Kilis Kebabi is renowned, and also the breads, baklava
and stuffed vegetables.
Natives of Kilis speak a dialect of Turkish called Inkilisce, which has a distinct lisping quality and a large number of English cognates; the first ever comprehensive language documentation project on the dialect was begun in late 2009, led by noted linguist M.A. Erdoğmuş.
n border crossing is 5 km (3 mi) to the south and the large city of Gaziantep
is 60 km (37 mi) to the north. Indeed until 1996 Kilis was a district of Gaziantep, being made into a province by Tansu Çiller
following an open vote-winning gambit in the 1995 general election.
period mosques and stone houses with courtyards and elaborate carved wooden fittings.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
on the border with Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and capital of Kilis Province
Kilis Province
Kilis Province is a province in south-central Turkey. It used to be the southern part of the province of Gaziantep and was formed in 1994. The town of Kilis is home to around 67% of the inhabitants of the province, the other towns and villages are very small.-History:There is evidence of human...
.
History and Population
Kilis was part of the vilayet of AleppoVilayet of Aleppo
The Vilayet of Aleppo was a vilayet or province of the Ottoman Empire centered around Aleppo.-History:Thanks to its strategic geographic location on the trade route between Anatolia and the east, Aleppo rose to high prominence in the Ottoman era, at one point being second only to Constantinople in...
of 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...
until the First World War when it was given to 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...
and had a mixed population of Circassians, Turkoman
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,...
s and Arabs. There is a Jewish community.
The population of the town was 20,000 in 1927, 45,000 in 1970, 60,000 in 1980 and 85,000 in 1990. It then fell in the 1990s to 70,000 by 2000. (The population is 82,109 as of 2010)
Being a border town, Kilis has long had a reputation for smuggling and drug trafficking and although this has apparently been reduced, even today cigarettes, spirits and cheap electrical items can be bought for cash at low prices.
The local kebab
Kebab
Kebab is a wide variety of meat dishes originating in Middle East and later on adopted by the Middle East, and Asia Minor, and now found worldwide. In English, kebab with no qualification generally refers more specifically to shish kebab served on the skewer...
known as Kilis Kebabi is renowned, and also the breads, baklava
Baklava
Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry made of layers of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey. It is characteristic of the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and much of central and southwest Asia....
and stuffed vegetables.
Natives of Kilis speak a dialect of Turkish called Inkilisce, which has a distinct lisping quality and a large number of English cognates; the first ever comprehensive language documentation project on the dialect was begun in late 2009, led by noted linguist M.A. Erdoğmuş.
Geography
The Öncüpınar SyriaSyria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n border crossing is 5 km (3 mi) to the south and the large city of Gaziantep
Gaziantep
Gaziantep , Ottoman Turkish: Ayintab) previously and still informally called Antep; ʻayn tāb is a city in southeast Turkey and amongst the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. The city is located 185 kilometres northeast of Adana and 127 kilometres by road north of Aleppo, Syria...
is 60 km (37 mi) to the north. Indeed until 1996 Kilis was a district of Gaziantep, being made into a province by Tansu Çiller
Tansu Çiller
Tansu Penbe Çiller is a Turkish economist and politician. She was Turkey's first and only female Prime Minister.- Early career :She is the daughter of a Turkish governor of Bilecik province during the 1950s. She graduated from the School of Economics at Robert College after finishing the American...
following an open vote-winning gambit in the 1995 general election.
Climate
Kilis has a semi-arid climate with very hot, dry and long summers and cool and rainy winters.Places of interest
Sights in the town include a number of Ottoman EmpireOttoman 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...
period mosques and stone houses with courtyards and elaborate carved wooden fittings.