Bitlis Province

Bitlis Province (Turkish: Bitlis ili; Armenian: Բաղեշի մարզ, romanized: Bagheshi marz;[2] Kurdish: Parêzgeha Bidlîsê[3]) is a province of eastern Turkey, located to the west of Lake Van. Its area is 8,294 km2,[4] and its population is 353,988 (2022).[1] The province is considered part of Western Armenia by Armenians.[5] The province is considered part of Turkish Kurdistan and has a Kurdish majority.[6][7] The current Governor of the province is Erol Karaömeroğlu.[8]

Not to be confused with Bitlis Vilayet.
Bitlis Province
Bitlis ili
Province
View of the Tombstones of Ahlat
View of the Tombstones of Ahlat
Location of the province within Turkey
Location of the province within Turkey
CountryTurkey
SeatBitlis
Government
 • ValiErol Karaömeroğlu
Area
8,294 km2 (3,202 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)[1]
353,988
 • Density43/km2 (110/sq mi)
Time zoneTRT (UTC+3)
Area code0434
Websitewww.bitlis.gov.tr

Demographics
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
192790,631—    
194068,825−2.09%
195088,634+2.56%
1960128,966+3.82%
1970185,473+3.70%
1980257,908+3.35%
1990330,115+2.50%
2000388,678+1.65%
2010328,767−1.66%
2020350,994+0.66%
Source:Turkstat[9][10][11]

History

The province was part of Moxoene[12] of the Kingdom of Armenia. Before the Armenian genocide, the area was part of the Six Armenian Vilayets.[13][14]

The administrative center was the town of Bitlis which was called Bagesh, in old Armenian sources.[15]

In 1927 the office of the Inspector General was created, which governed with martial law.[16] The Bitlis province was included in the first Inspectorate General (Umumi Müfettişlik, UM) over which the Inspector General ruled. The UM span over the provinces of Hakkâri, Siirt, Van, Mardin, Bitlis, Sanlıurfa, Elaziğ and Diyarbakır.[17] The Inspectorate General was dissolved in 1952 during the Government of the Democrat Party.[18]

Tourism

The main places with tourism potential in Bitlis are Lake Nemrut, Ahlat Seljuk Cemetery, Ahlat Museum, Mount Süphan, Güroymak Hot Springs and Lake Nazik.

Districts

Bitlis Province is divided into 7 districts (the capital district is in bold):

Geology and geomorphology

The main lakes in Bitlis province are Lake Sodalı, Lake Nemrut, Lake Aygır, Lake Batmış and Lake Nazik.

Economy

As of 1920, the province was producing small amounts of iron, copper, lead, and sulphur. Even smaller amounts of gold and silver were found in the areas of Sairt and Khairwan. Salt made up the largest mineral industry in the province, so much that it was exported to surrounding provinces. The salt was produced in pans, using evaporation, and taking 8 to 10 days to mature. The technique and trade was mainly run by local Kurds.[19]

Attractions

References
  1. "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2022, Favorite Reports" (XLS). TÜİK. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  2. Hakobyan, Tadevos (1987). Պատմական Հայաստանի քաղաքները [Cities of historic Armenia] (in Armenian). Yerevan: "Hayastan" Publishing. p. 98.
  3. "Li Bidlîsê qedexeya derketina derve". Rûadw (in Kurdish). 19 March 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  4. "İl ve İlçe Yüz ölçümleri". General Directorate of Mapping. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  5. 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.
  6. Watts, Nicole F. (2010). Activists in Office: Kurdish Politics and Protest in Turkey (Studies in Modernity and National Identity). Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 167. ISBN 978-0-295-99050-7.
  7. "Kurds, Kurdistān". Encyclopaedia of Islam (2 ed.). BRILL. 2002. ISBN 978-90-04-16121-4.
  8. "Yöneticilerimiz". Bitlis Valiliği. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  9. Genel Nüfus Sayımları
  10. Turkstat
  11. "The Results of Address Based Population Registration System, 2020". Turkish Statistical Institute. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  12. Discoveries Among the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon - Page 358 by Sir Austen Henry Layard, Austin Henry Layard
  13. İsmail Soysal, Türkiye'nin Siyasal Andlaşmaları, I. Cilt (1920-1945), Türk Tarih Kurumu, 1983, p. 14.
  14. Verheij, Jelle (2012). Jongerden, Joost; Verheij, Jelle (eds.). Social Relations in Ottoman Diyarbekir, 1870–1915. Brill. p. 88. ISBN 978-90-04-22518-3
  15. Britannica: Bitlis
  16. Jongerden, Joost (2007-01-01). The Settlement Issue in Turkey and the Kurds: An Analysis of Spatical Policies, Modernity and War. BRILL. pp. 53. ISBN 978-90-04-15557-2.
  17. Bayir, Derya (2016-04-22). Minorities and Nationalism in Turkish Law. Routledge. p. 139. ISBN 978-1-317-09579-8.
  18. Fleet, Kate; Kunt, I. Metin; Kasaba, Reşat; Faroqhi, Suraiya (2008-04-17). The Cambridge History of Turkey. Cambridge University Press. p. 343. ISBN 978-0-521-62096-3.
  19. Prothero, W.G. (1920). Armenia and Kurdistan. London: H.M. Stationery Office. p. 71.
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