8 ancient Armenian cities in Turkey: what happened to them

Since the 16th century, wars broke out between the Ottoman Empire and Iran for the division of the territories of Transcaucasia. Armenia fell into the epicenter of interests and in the 17th century was divided into the Western part, belonging to the Turks, and the eastern part, which was taken by Iran. From then until the 19th century, the genocide of the Armenian people did not stop. The severe national oppression of Armenia led to the economic, political and cultural collapse of the country. This continued until the October Revolution, after which Armenia joined the Federal Union of Socialist Soviet Republics of Transcaucasia.

Further we will talk about several cities of Western Armenia that currently belong to Turkey.

Adana

At different times, the city belonged to the Greeks, Persians, Romans and Byzantines. Each culture has left its mark in the form of cultural monuments and architectural features. The city is quite far from the sea, therefore it is an excursion zone. Adana is divided into the Old Town, where most tourists live, and the modern part with numerous highways, metro, high-rise buildings, offices and shopping centers.

Adana is the largest center for chemical and industrial production, it produces textiles, perfumes, detergents and fertilizers. In the vicinity of Adana, olives and grapes, oranges and wheat are grown.

About 1.5 million people now live in Adana.

Ani

Ani has been uninhabited since the 13th century, after a powerful earthquake that destroyed the city. In its heyday, Ani competed in beauty and architectural excellence with Constantinople and Baghdad. It was called the city of 1001 churches.

Ani was a cultural and economic center, traded with Byzantium, Persia and Russia. Repeatedly attacked, he was alternately captured by the Seljuks, Mongols and Turks. Currently, excavations are underway in the city, as well as the restoration of ancient churches and mosques.

Bitlis / Bagesh

The ancient city of Bitlis was formerly called Sebeos or Bagesh. It is located in eastern Turkey, in the mountains, on the banks of the Bitlis River. Bitlis was often conquered, so by the end of the 19th century it consisted practically of an Islamic population. The Armenians living there were forcibly Islamized. During the genocide, the Armenian population was completely destroyed, the survivors fled to eastern Armenia.

Now about 45 thousand people live in Bitlis, mainly Kurds.

Van

The old city of Van was destroyed at the beginning of the 20th century, a new city with the same name was built nearby. At the moment, it is inhabited by Kurds and Turks. Before the Armenian Genocide, it was the most important center of Western Armenia. Tourists can see here the Van fortress and Lake Van, the residence of the kings of Urartu. The new city of Van is architecturally unremarkable and consists of box houses. But here you can go to the house of Van Cat - a remarkable animal with different eyes.

Diyarbakir

The city is considered the capital of Turkish Kurdistan. At the beginning of the 20th century, the entire Christian population of the city was destroyed and deported. Now it is inhabited by Kurds, Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians.

The ancient part of Diyarbakir is located inside the black fortress, outside it is a more modern part of the city with squares and high-rise buildings.

Kars

Since the 4th century it is referred to as the center of crafts and trade. Many historical events took place here that were important for pre-revolutionary Russia: it was here that one of the most powerful fortresses of Turkey was located, Russian-Turkish battles were unfolding here, the Kars Peace Treaty was signed here, depriving Armenia and Georgia of some land.

Located in the east of Turkey, away from tourist places. Currently, the population of Kars is about 80 thousand people. The climate is mountainous and cold.

Mush

Mush is located in eastern Turkey, in the Murat River basin. The city is famous for the fact that the originator of the Armenian alphabet was born in it, and is also associated with the sad history of the extermination of Armenians. Now the population is about 500 thousand people, most of whom are Kurds.

Erzurum / Karin

It is located in the north-east of Turkey at an altitude of about 2000 meters above sea level, making it one of the coldest cities in this region. In ancient times, Erzurum was known as the center of carpet weaving. Throughout history, the city often passed from hand to hand, but at the end of the 18th century the population was almost completely cut out, and the city was inhabited by Muslims.