Kilis Province
Encyclopedia
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.
, the Assyrian Empire, the Hittite Empire, the Persian Empire, the Macedonian Empire
, the Roman Empire
(including the Byzantine Empire
), and finally by Ottoman Empire
.
Places of historical interest include a number of burial mounds, castles and mosques.
west of the Euphrates River on the northern edge of the Syria
Plain. The district contains areas of good agricultural land, watered by small rivers and 68% of the land area of Kilis is planted. Almost 4% of Turkey's grape
production comes from Kilis. Other important agricultural products are olive
s, fruit, wheat
, barley
and tobacco
. A Mediterranean climate dominates over the region, which is around 60 to 80 km away from the sea. Winters are cool and rainy, spring and fall months warm, and summers are hot. Average winter temperatures are 4 to 7 degrees Celsius, while in summer the temperatures do not fall under 25 degrees Celsius.
There is a border crossing into Syria
, from where the road goes south to the Syrian city of Aleppo
.
Kilis is traversed by the northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude.
(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...
. It used to be the southern part of the province of Gaziantep
Gaziantep Province
Gaziantep Province is a province in south-central Turkey. Its capital is the city of Gaziantep which had a population of 853,513 as of 2000. Its neighbours are Adıyaman at north, Şanlıurfa at east, Syria and Kilis at south, Hatay at southwest, Osmaniye at west and Kahramanmaraş at northwest.An...
and was formed in 1994. The town of Kilis
Kilis
Kilis is a city in south-central Turkey on the border with Syria and capital of Kilis Province.- History and Population :Kilis was part of the vilayet of Aleppo of the Ottoman Empire until the First World War when it was given to Turkey and had a mixed population of Circassians, Turkomans and Arabs...
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 occupation from 4,000 years ago, in the Middle Bronze Age. The region has been ruled by the HurriansHurrians
The Hurrians were a people of the Ancient Near East who lived in Northern Mesopotamia and adjacent regions during the Bronze Age.The largest and most influential Hurrian nation was the kingdom of Mitanni. The population of the Hittite Empire in Anatolia to a large part consisted of Hurrians, and...
, the Assyrian Empire, the Hittite Empire, the Persian Empire, the Macedonian Empire
Macedon
Macedonia or Macedon was an ancient kingdom, centered in the northeastern part of the Greek peninsula, bordered by Epirus to the west, Paeonia to the north, the region of Thrace to the east and Thessaly to the south....
, the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
(including the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
), and finally by 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...
.
Places of historical interest include a number of burial mounds, castles and mosques.
Geography
Kilis is located in the southern foothills of the Taurus MountainsTaurus Mountains
Taurus Mountains are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, dividing the Mediterranean coastal region of southern Turkey from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğirdir in the west to the upper reaches of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in the east...
west of the Euphrates River on the northern edge of the 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....
Plain. The district contains areas of good agricultural land, watered by small rivers and 68% of the land area of Kilis is planted. Almost 4% of Turkey's grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
production comes from Kilis. Other important agricultural products are olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
s, fruit, wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
, barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
and tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
. A Mediterranean climate dominates over the region, which is around 60 to 80 km away from the sea. Winters are cool and rainy, spring and fall months warm, and summers are hot. Average winter temperatures are 4 to 7 degrees Celsius, while in summer the temperatures do not fall under 25 degrees Celsius.
There is a border crossing into 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....
, from where the road goes south to the Syrian city of Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
.
Kilis is traversed by the northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude.
Prominent citizens
- Former chief-of-staff General Doğan Güreş was later Member of Parliament for Kilis.
- Army general İzettin İyigün was born in Kilis (1938).
- Columnist and beauty contest judge Hıncal Uluç was born in Kilis (1939).
Districts
Kilis province is divided into 4 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):
- ElbeyliElbeyliElbeyli is a district of Kilis Province of Turkey.Elbeyli was controlled by the Seljuk Turks between 1040 and 1157, then the Anatolian beyliks of Ilkhanate leaders and then the Dulkadirids before being brought into the Ottoman Empire by Selim I in 1517, following the Battle of Mercidabık.- External...
- KilisKilisKilis is a city in south-central Turkey on the border with Syria and capital of Kilis Province.- History and Population :Kilis was part of the vilayet of Aleppo of the Ottoman Empire until the First World War when it was given to Turkey and had a mixed population of Circassians, Turkomans and Arabs...
- MusabeyliMusabeyliMusabeyli is a district of Kilis Province of Turkey. It is a small settlement of only 905 inhabitants .- External links :*...
- PolateliPolateliPolateli is a district of Kilis Province of Turkey.Polateli is small and getting smaller. Its tiny population of 683 people has even declined from 800 in 1997.But in 2010 it increased to 1011....