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. The province is considered part of Western Armenia by Armenians.[4] The province is considered part of Turkish Kurdistan and has a Kurdish majority.[5][6] The current Governor of the province is Oktay Çağatay.[7]

Bitlis Province
Bitlis ili
Province of Turkey
Ahlat
Location of Bitlis Province in Turkey
CountryTurkey
RegionCentral East Anatolia
SubregionVan
Government
 • Electoral districtBitlis
 • GovernorOktay Çağatay
Area
 • Total6,707 km2 (2,590 sq mi)
Population
 (2018)[1]
 • Total349,396
 • Density52/km2 (130/sq mi)
Area code0434
Vehicle registration13

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[8][9][10]

History

The province was part of Moxoene[11] of the Kingdom of Armenia. Before the Armenian genocide, the area was part of the Six Armenian Vilayets.[12][13]

The administrative center was the town of Bitlis which was called Bagesh, in old Armenian sources.[14]

In 1927 the office of the Inspector General was created, which governed with martial law.[15] 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.[16] The Inspectorate General was dissolved in 1952 during the Government of the Democrat Party.[17]

Districts

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

  • Adilcevaz
  • Ahlat
  • Bitlis
  • Güroymak
  • Hizan
  • Mutki
  • Tatvan

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.[18]

Attractions
  • Nemrut (volcano)
  • Lake Nemrut

References
  1. "Population of provinces by years - 2000-2018". Turkish Statistical Institute. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  2. Hakobyan, Tadevos (1987). Պատմական Հայաստանի քաղաքները [Cites 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. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. "Kurds, Kurdistān". Encyclopaedia of Islam (2 ed.). BRILL. 2002. ISBN 9789004161214.
  7. "T.C. Bitlis Valiliği". www.bitlis.gov.tr. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
  8. Genel Nüfus Sayımları
  9. Turkstat
  10. "The Results of Address Based Population Registration System, 2020". Turkish Statistical Institute. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  11. Discoveries Among the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon - Page 358 by Sir Austen Henry Layard, Austin Henry Layard
  12. İsmail Soysal, Türkiye'nin Siyasal Andlaşmaları, I. Cilt (1920-1945), Türk Tarih Kurumu, 1983, p. 14.
  13. Verheij, Jelle (2012). Jongerden, Joost; Verheij, Jelle (eds.). Social Relations in Ottoman Diyarbekir, 1870–1915. Brill. p. 88. ISBN 9789004225183
  14. Britannica: Bitlis
  15. 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.
  16. Bayir, Derya (2016-04-22). Minorities and Nationalism in Turkish Law. Routledge. p. 139. ISBN 978-1-317-09579-8.
  17. 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.
  18. Prothero, W.G. (1920). Armenia and Kurdistan. London: H.M. Stationery Office. p. 71.
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