Posof is a district of Ardahan Province

Ardahan Province

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.- Geography :...

 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...

, in the far east of the country, 75 km from 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...

. It has a border crossing with neigboring 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...

 at Türkgözü. Posof is well known for its handicrafts particularly its ornate silver belts and knives.

Geography

Posof is high in the mountains near the source of the River Çoruh, much of the district is pine forest.

Villages

The district Posof has 49 villages, this list includes the new and old names (new names are being used for several years now):

Akballı (Obol) - Alabalık (Sayho) - Alköyü (Al) - Arılı (Zedezünde) - Armutveren (Papola) - Asmakonak (Sanhuliye) - Aşıküzeyir (Hevat) - Aşıkzülali (Suskap) - Balgöze (Çıldıret) - Baykent (Vahla) - Binbasi Eminbey (Cilvana) - Çakırkoç (Mere) - Çambeli (Sagre) - Çamyazı (Ohtel) - Çayırçimen (Lamiyan) - Demirdöven (Varzna) - Derindere (Derindere) - Doğrular (Aşağı Cacun) - Erim

Erim

Erim or ERIM may refer to:* Environmental Research Institute of Michigan* Erasmus Research Institute of ManagementPeople* Kenan Erim, Turkish archaeologist* Kerim Erim, Turkish mathematician* Nihat Erim, Turkish politicianSee also*Sinistrals...

 (Erim) - Gönülaçan (Şuvaskal) - Gümüşkavak (Zendar) - Günbatan (Banarhev) - Günlüce (Caborya) - Gürarmut (Kolishal) - İncedere (Cuvantel) - Kaleönü (Agara) - Kalkankaya (Pedoban) - Kayınlı (Şurğavul) - Kırköyü (Kırdamala) - Kolköyü (Kol) - Kopuzlu (Çorçovan) - Kumlukoz (Gume) - Kurşunçavuş (Sece) - Özbaşı (Gıniye) - Sarıçiçek (Hertus) - Sarıdarı (Tepesünde) - Savaşır (Cancak) - Söğütlükaya (Hunemis) - Süngülü (Arile) - Sütoluk (Satkabel) - Taşkıran (Görgüsüben)- Türkgözü

Türkgözü

Türkgözü is a village in the Posof district, Ardahan Province in north-eastern Turkey with a population of 388 . It is a border crossing point to Akhaltsikhe in Georgia...

 (Badele) - Uğurca(Yukarı Cacun) - Uluçam (Varhana) - Yaylaaltı (Satlel) - Yeniköy

Yenikoy

Yenikoy is a small village in the Region of Afyonkarahisar in Turkey. It is a traditional Anatolian village. Its local government is a Muhtarlik...

 (Yeniköy) - Yolağzı (Sinsetip) - Yurtbaşı (Sakabol) - Yurtbekler (Caksuyu)

History

In 1064 the Seljuk Turkish Sultan Alparslan besieged Kol castle while passing over Mount Arşiyan to conquer the city of Ani

Ani

Ani is a ruined and uninhabited medieval Armenian city-site situated in the Turkish province of Kars, near the border with Armenia. It was once the capital of a medieval Armenian kingdom that covered much of present day Armenia and eastern Turkey...

.

During the First World War and the Turkish War of Independence

Turkish War of Independence

The Turkish War of Independence was a war of independence waged by Turkish nationalists against the Allies, after the country was partitioned by the Allies following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War I...

 in the 1920s Posof was the scene of fighting between 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 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...

.

Today this is an impoverished rural area that has seen many of its residents migrate to jobs abroad. One source of income is beekeeping.