Eleşkirt

Eleşkirt
General view of Eleşkirt
Eleşkirt
Coordinates: 39°47′53″N 42°40′28″E / 39.79806°N 42.67444°E / 39.79806; 42.67444Coordinates: 39°47′53″N 42°40′28″E / 39.79806°N 42.67444°E / 39.79806; 42.67444
Country  Turkey
Province Ağrı
Government
 • Mayor Sebahattin Sarı (AKP)
 • Kaymakam Mustafa Koç
Area[1]
 • District 1,545.18 km2 (596.60 sq mi)
Population (2012)[2]
 • Urban 11,247
 • District 39,040
 • District density 25/km2 (65/sq mi)
Website www.eleskirt.bel.tr

Eleşkirt is a town and district of Ağrı Province in Turkey. Its name is a transference from Alashkert (Armenian: Ալաշկերտ Alaškert), the valley's former administrative centre but now a village known as Toprakkale. At the time of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 approximately half of the population consisted of Armenians and the rest of Kurds and Turks.[3]

The mayor is Sebahattin Sarı (AKP).

Places to see

Eleşkirt is a small town on a plain surrounded by high mountains, that has been occupied since the kingdom of the Urartu, as can be seen from:

  • A burial mound (höyük) in the village of Pirabat
  • The castle in the village of Toprakkale (ku:Kelê). In antiquity the district was ruled from the castle which was successively occupied by Romans, Persians, Armenians, Arabs, Greek Byzantines, Seljuk Turks, Mongols and then further waves of Turks. There is a mosque which was built in 1687 in this village.
  • There is a mountain named Kösedağ near the town. It is popular for climbing and, in winter, skiing. Actually a lot of tourists come to see and climb this mountain from different countries every year.

References

  1. ↑ "Area of regions (including lakes), km²". Regional Statistics Database. Turkish Statistical Institute. 2002. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
  2. ↑ "Population of province/district centers and towns/villages by districts - 2012". Address Based Population Registration System (ABPRS) Database. Turkish Statistical Institute. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
  3. ↑ Zatikyan, Hovhannes [Զատիկյան, Հովհաննես] Noravank, 2013, "Garin province in the second half of the nineteenth century" [ Կարինի նահանգը XIX դարի երկրորդ կեսին] pp. 391, 402 url = http://www.noravank.am/upload/pdf/KARINI_NAHANGY.pdf


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