View source for Ağrı Province

{{Short description|Province of Turkey}}
{{for-multi|Mount Ağrı (Ağrı Dağı)|Mount Ararat|the capital of the province|Ağrı}}
{{Infobox Turkey place
| type                 = province
| name                 =
| other_name           = Ağrı ili
| image_skyline        = Ağrı Mountain from Iğdır plain.jpg
| image_caption        =
| image_shield         =
| image_map            = Agri in Turkey.svg
| map_caption          = Location of the province within Turkey
| seat                 = [[Ağrı]]
| leader_name          = Mustafa Koç
| area_footnotes       =
| area_total_km2       = 11099
|leader_title=[[Governor of Ağrı|Governor]]| elevation_m          =
| population_footnotes = <ref name=tuik/>
| population_total     = 510626
| population_as_of     = 2022
| website              = {{URL|http://www.agri.gov.tr/}}
| area_code            = 0472
}}
The '''Ağrı Province''' ({{langx|tr|Ağrı ili}}, {{langx|ku|Parêzgeha Agiriyê}};<ref>{{cite news |title=Li Agirî û Wanê qedexe hat ragihandin |url=https://www.rudaw.net/kurmanci/kurdistan/251120192 |access-date=27 April 2020 |agency=[[Rûdaw]] |date=25 November 2019 |language=ku}}</ref> {{langx|hy|Քարբեր մարզ}}) is a [[Provinces of Turkey|province]] in eastern [[Turkey]], bordering [[Iran]] to the east, [[Kars Province|Kars]] to the north, [[Erzurum Province|Erzurum]] to the northwest, [[Muş Province|Muş]] and [[Bitlis Province|Bitlis]] to the southwest, [[Van Province|Van]] to the south, and [[Iğdır Province|Iğdır]] to the northeast. Its area is 11,099&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.harita.gov.tr/uploads/files-folder/il_ilce_alanlari.xlsx|title=İl ve İlçe Yüz ölçümleri|publisher=General Directorate of Mapping|access-date=19 September 2023}}</ref> and its population is 510,626 (2022).<ref name=tuik>{{Cite web |title=Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2022, Favorite Reports|url=https://biruni.tuik.gov.tr/medas/?kn=95&locale=en |access-date=19 September 2023|publisher=[[TÜİK]]|language=en|format=XLS}}</ref> The provincial capital is [[Ağrı]], situated on a {{convert|1650|m|ft}} high plateau. [[Doğubayazıt]] was the capital of the province until 1946.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Law|first=Gwillim|title=Administrative Subdivisions of Countries: A Comprehensive World Reference, 1900 through 1998|date=2015-05-20|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-0447-3|pages=372|language=en}}</ref> The current [[Wāli#Turkish term|governor]] is Mustafa Koç.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.agri.gov.tr/yoneticilerimiz|title=Yöneticilerimiz|publisher=Ağrı Valiliği|access-date=24 October 2023}}</ref>
The province is considered part of [[Western Armenia]]<ref>Myhill, John (2006). ''Language, Religion and National Identity in Europe and the Middle East: A historical study''. Amsterdam: J. Benjamins. p. 32. {{ISBN|978-90-272-9351-0}}.</ref> and was part of the ancient province of [[Ayrarat]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/ayrarat|access-date=2021-04-09|website=iranicaonline.org|title=Welcome to Encyclopaedia Iranica}}</ref> of [[Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|Kingdom of Armenia]]. Before the [[Armenian genocide]], modern Ağri Province was part of the [[Six vilayets|six Armenian vilayets]].<ref>İsmail Soysal, ''Türkiye'nin Siyasal Andlaşmaları'', I. Cilt (1920-1945), Türk Tarih Kurumu, 1983, p. 14.</ref><ref>Verheij, Jelle (2012). Jongerden, Joost; Verheij, Jelle (eds.). ''Social Relations in Ottoman Diyarbekir, 1870–1915''. Brill. p. 88. {{ISBN|978-90-04-22518-3}}.</ref> The province is considered part of [[Turkey]] and has a [[Kurds|Kurdish]] majority.<ref>{{cite book|last=Watts|first=Nicole F.|title=Activists in Office: Kurdish Politics and Protest in Turkey (Studies in Modernity and National Identity)|date=2010|publisher=University of Washington Press|location=Seattle|isbn=978-0-295-99050-7|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=yXWl40KJfKEC&dq=Kars+%28about+20+percent+Kurdish%29&pg=PA167 167]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|date=2002|title=Kurds, Kurdistān|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/kurds-kurdistan-COM_0544?s.num=167&s.start=100|journal=Encyclopaedia of Islam|edition=2|publisher=[[Brill Publishers|BRILL]]|isbn=978-90-04-16121-4|last1=Bois|first1=Th|last2=Minorsky|first2=V.|last3=MacKenzie|first3=D. N.}}</ref>
==Districts==
[[File:Ağrı location districts.png|thumb|left|Districts of Ağrı Province|320px]]
[[File:00_3411_İshak_Paşa_Sarayı_-_Turkey.jpg|thumb|right|[[Ishak Pasha Palace]]]]
Ağrı province is divided into eight [[Districts of Turkey|districts]] (capital district in '''bold'''):
* '''[[Ağrı]]'''
* [[Diyadin]]
* [[Doğubayazıt]]
* [[Eleşkirt]]
* [[Hamur]]
* [[Patnos]]
* [[Taşlıçay]]
* [[Tutak, Turkey|Tutak]]
==Geography==
Ağrı province is surrounded by the [[Aras Mountains]] from the north.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ağrı’nın Coğrafi Yapısı|url=https://www.agri.edu.tr/detail.aspx?id=278&bid=1&tid=7|website=agri.edu.tr|publisher=[[Ağrı İbrahim Çeçen University]]|page=1}}</ref> Ağrı is named after the nearby [[Mount Ararat]], a {{convert|5137|m|ft|0}} high [[stratovolcano]], the highest mountain in Turkey and a national symbol to [[Armenians]] (see [[Western Armenia]]). It can be climbed from here and can be seen from parts of [[Azerbaijan]], [[Iran]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], and [[Armenia]]. The nearest town to the mountain is [[Doğubayazıt]].
46% of the province is mountainous, 29% is plain, 18% is plateau, and 7% high meadow. As well as Ararat there are many other peaks over 3,000m, including [[Mount Kösedağ]], Aladağlar and [[Tendürek]]. The plains are fertile, being covered in volcanic deposits, and are used for growing grains and grazing. Various tributaries of the [[Murat River]] (which later feeds the [[Euphrates]]) flow through the area and water these plains. The high meadows are used for grazing.
The weather here is very cold (average temperatures are around -10&nbsp;°C (14&nbsp;°F) in winter) and the mountainsides are mainly bare. There are a number of important passes and routes through the mountains.
==History==
{{Historical populations
|align=right
|footnote=Source:Turkstat<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://biruni.tuik.gov.tr/nufusmenuapp/menu.zul |title=Census Results |website=Turkstat|access-date=22 January 2021 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160802085102/https://biruni.tuik.gov.tr/nufusmenuapp/menu.zul |archive-date=2016-08-02 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://kutuphane.tuik.gov.tr/yordambt/yordam.php |title=Online library of Turkstat|website=Turkstat |access-date=22 January 2021 |url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140602162509/http://kutuphane.tuik.gov.tr:80/yordambt/yordam.php |archive-date=2014-06-02 }}</ref>
|1927|57,177
|1935|107,206
|1940|121,477
|1950|155,455
|1960|215,116
|1970|290,311
|1980|368,009
|1990|437,093
|2000|528,744
|2010|542,022
|2020|535,435
|percentages=pagr
}}
[[File:Ishak Paşa Sarayı.jpg|thumb|275px|[[Ishak Pasha Palace|Ishak Paşa Sarayı]] in [[Doğubayazıt]] district of Ağrı Province, distant view 2006.]]
The plateau of Ağrı was controlled by the [[Urartu|Kingdom of Urartu]] until its transition to the [[Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|Kingdom of Armenia]]. The area was coveted by many as a gateway between east and west.  It was conquered numerous times by [[ancient Assyrians|Assyrians]], [[Achaemenid|Achaemenid Persians]], [[Greeks]], [[ancient Rome|Romans]], [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]], [[Arabs]], [[Georgian people|Georgians]], [[Mongols]], different [[Persian people|Persian Empires]], and finally by the [[Seljuq dynasty|Seljuq]] and [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman Turks]].
The first Muslims in the area were the [[Abbasids]] in 872. The Turkish tribes began to pass through in huge numbers following the defeat of the [[Byzantine]] armies at [[Malazgirt]] in 1071, sometimes pursued by [[Mongols]]. The land was brought into the [[Ottoman Empire]] by Sultan [[Selim I]] following the [[Battle of Chaldiran]]. The region was part of the [[Erzurum Vilayet]] during the Ottoman Empire.
=== Inspectorates-General ===
In the late 1920s, in an attempt to curb the [[Ararat rebellion]],<ref>{{Cite book|last=Strohmeier|first=Martin|title=Crucial Images in the Presentation of a Kurdish National Identity: Heroes and Patriots, Traitors and Foes|date=2003|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-12584-1|pages=95–99|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Cagaptay|first=Soner|title=Islam, Secularism and Nationalism in Modern Turkey: Who is a Turk?|date=2006-05-02|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-17448-5|pages=24|language=en}}</ref> the province was included into the [[First Inspectorate-General (Turkey)|First Inspectorate-General]] ({{Langx|tr|Birinci Umumi Müfettişlik}})<ref name=":22">Cagaptay (2006), p.24</ref> comprising the provinces of [[Mardin Province|Mardin]], [[Diyarbakır Province|Diyarbakır]], [[Van Province|Van]], [[Elazığ Province|Elazıĝ]], [[Bitlis Province|Bitlis]], [[Hakkâri Province|Hakkari]], [[Şanlıurfa Province|Şanlıurfa]] and [[Siirt Province|Siirt]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bayir|first=Derya|title=Minorities and Nationalism in Turkish Law|date=2016-04-22|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-09579-8|pages=139|language=en}}</ref>
In September 1935 the province was transferred into the third [[Inspectorates-General (Turkey)|Inspectorate General]] (''Umumi Müfettişlik,'' UM).<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/20607|title=Üçüncü Umumi Müfettişliği'nin Kurulması ve III. Umumî Müfettiş Tahsin Uzer'in Bazı Önemli Faaliyetleri|website=Dergipark|page=2|access-date=8 April 2020}}</ref> The third UM span over the provinces of [[Erzurum Province|Erzurum]], [[Artvin Province|Artvin]], [[Rize Province|Rize]], [[Trabzon Province|Trabzon]], [[Kars Province|Kars]] [[Gümüşhane Province|Gümüşhane]], [[Erzincan Province|Erzincan]] and Ağrı. It was governed by an Inspector General seated in the city of [[Erzurum]].<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite book|last=Bayir|first=Derya|title=Minorities and Nationalism in Turkish Law|date=2016-04-22|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-09579-8|pages=139–141|language=en}}</ref> The Inspectorate General was dissolved in 1952 during the Government of the [[Democrat Party (Turkey, 1946–61)|Democrat Party]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Fleet|first1=Kate|title=The Cambridge History of Turkey|last2=Kunt|first2=I. Metin|last3=Kasaba|first3=Reşat|last4=Faroqhi|first4=Suraiya|date=2008-04-17|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-62096-3|pages=343|language=en}}</ref>
===Recent events===
{{Update section|date=December 2021}}
On August 19, 2006, the [[Tabriz–Ankara pipeline|Tabriz–Ankara gas pipeline]] exploded in the province. Turkish authorities suspect Kurdish rebels were behind the incident.<ref>{{cite news
| title = Gas pipeline explodes in Turkish rebel region
| publisher = CNN
| date = 2006-08-19
| url = http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/08/19/turkey.pipeline.ap/
| access-date = 2008-04-04 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060824161603/http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/08/19/turkey.pipeline.ap/ |archive-date = 2006-08-24}}
</ref>
==Ağrı today==
The economy is mainly agricultural. People also live by breeding animals. Ağrı attracts tourists to the mountains, for climbing and trekking in summers, and skiing in winters. Places of interest include:
* [[Ishak Pasha Palace]] in Doğubayazıt
* [[Mount Tendürek]] in [[Doğubayazıt]] with what some claim to be the second-largest meteor crater in the world
* [[Aznavur Tepe]] in [[Patnos]]
* The tomb of [[Ahmedi Hani]], who wrote the Kurdish epic [[Mem and Zin]]
== Demographics ==
{| class="sortable wikitable"
!District
!Total
!Urban
!Rural
|-
|[[Ağrı]]
|150,263
|310,896
|224,539
|-
|[[Patnos]]
|123,203
|63,786
|59,417
|-
|[[Doğubayazıt]]
|120,320
|80,607
|39,334
|-
|[[Diyadin]]
|41,789
|20,387
|20,889
|-
|[[Eleşkirt]]
|32,316
|9,969
|22,347
|-
|[[Tutak, Turkey|Tutak]]
|29,987
|7,018
|22,969
|-
|[[Taşlıçay]]
|20,028
|6,180
|13,848
|-
|[[Hamur]]
|17,908
|3,293
|14,615
|-
|'''Province'''
|'''535,435 '''
|'''310,896'''
|''' 224,539 '''
|}
==References==
<references/>
== External links ==
* [http://www.agri.gov.tr The provincial governorate]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060619094902/http://www.turkeyforecast.com/weather/agri/ Ağrı weather forecast information] {{in lang|en}}
{{Districts of Turkey|provname=Ağrı|image=Agri|sortkey=Agri|}}
{{Provinces of Turkey}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agri Province}}
[[Category:Ağrı Province| ]]
[[Category:Provinces of Turkey]]
[[Category:Turkish Kurdistan]]