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A photo of a section of Erzurum city by Robot8A –

Top 10 Outstanding Facts about Erzurum

Erzurum is a city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and is also the capital of Erzurum Province. Erzurum was originally known in Armenia as Karno K’aghak, meaning the city of Karin.

By naming it Karno K’aghak was to distinguish it from the district of Karin. Its name is presumed from a local tribe called Karenitis. Erzurum is situated 1, 900 meters above sea level. In the article are the top ten outstanding facts about Erzurum.

1. The city mostly consists of Turkish ethnicity

The Turks are the world’s largest Turkic ethnic group. They speak various dialects of the Turkish language and form a majority in Turkey and Northern Cyprus. Kurds are an Iranian ethnic group native to the mountainous region of Kurdish in Western Asia.

Southern Asia spans southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northern Syria. In the 2000 census, Erzurum had a population of 361, 235. In 2010 the population in the city increased to 367, 250.

In both the 2000 and 2010 censuses majority of the population were of Turkish ethnicity. The Kurdish group was the minority. The Kurdish ethnic group is based on the Southside of the city.

2. Anatolian Seljuk Eagle is used as a court-of-arms in the city

Court-of-arms is the principal part of a system of hereditary symbols dating back to early medieval Europe. It was used primarily to establish identity in battle. The city of Erzurum uses the double-headed Anatolian Seljuk Eagle as its court-of-arms.

This was a common symbol throughout Anatolia and the Balkans in the medieval period. The medieval period in the history of Europe lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries. It is similar to the post-classical period of global history.

3. The city received its name after the battle of Manzikert

Erzurum photo vieww from Yakutiye Madrasah by Zeynel Cebeci –

During Roman times Erzurum was named Theosiopolis. After the Arab conquest of Armenia in the seventh century, the city was known to the Arabs as 岣材乴墨岣砤l膩. 岣材乴墨岣砤l膩 was adopted from the original name Karno K’haghak’. So the city was never known as Erzurum before.

Erzurum received its present name after the conquest by the Seljuk Turks. This was during the Battle of Manzikert of 1071. The battle was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Empire. Seljuk Turks Empire Army defeated the Byzantine Empire army.

4. The City was once named after an Emperor in 387 AD

A photo of Theodosius I statue by Benjam铆n N煤帽ez Gonz谩lez –

As stated early, Erzurum has had a series of names throughout different centuries. One of its names was Theodosiopolis. Initially, the surrounding of Erzurum in the Urartian period presumably belonged to Diauehi.

Later, Erzurum existed under the Armenian name of Karin. Karin served as the capital of the eponymous canton of Karin, in the province Bardzr Hayk’ or Upper Armenia. This was during the reigns of the Artaxiad and Arsacid kings of Armenia.

After the partition of Armenia to effect the Peace of Acilisene, a treaty between the Eastern Roman Empire and Sassanid Persia, the city passed into the hands of the Romans. The Romans then fortified the city and named it Theodosiopolis after Emperor Theodosius I.

5. The city was once used as a raid ground

Erzurum, then Theodosiopolis was conquered from the Romans by the Umayyad Caliphate, the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad.

Then the Umayyad was under control by general Abdallah ibn Abd al-Malik in 700/01. The city became the capital of the emirate of 岣材乴墨岣砤l膩. It then started serving the purpose of raids into the Byzantine territory.

6. The city served as the capital of Erzurum Eyalet

Erzurum Eyale was an eyalet of the Ottoman Empire. It was established after the conquest of Western Armenia by Ottoman Empire. Its reported area in the 19th century was 29690 Km sq. There was big enough to have a capital city indeed.

The city under Erzum Eyalet received many conquests to own it. It was early in the 17th century, that the province was threatened by Safavid Persia and Jalali Revolts. They were backed by Iran and the battle lasted until 1628.

In 1733, Iranian rule Nader Shah took Erzurum during the Ottoman-Persian War Ottomon possessed it again after the death of Nader Shah in1747.

7. The city was captured by Russian Empire

A photo of Erzurum view from Erzurum Castle by Sari17 –

Many Empires were interested in taking possession of Erzurum city. In 1821, during the Ottoman-Persian War, the Ottomans were defeated at Erzurum by the Iranian Qajars at the Battle of Erzurum.

In 1829, exclusively 8 years after the Battle of Erzurum, the city again was captured from the Persian Empire by the Russian Empire. The city was returned at a later date in September of the same year. This was due to the treaty of Adrianople.

8. The city was destroyed during the Armenian genocide

In 1915, 40, 000 strong Armenian population was deported from the city. Scarcely 200 Armenians from the city survived after the mass killing. Their cultural institutions like churches, schools, and clubs were destroyed.

9. The city was an important key location in World War I

Mustafa Kemal Ataturk photo/ Founding father of Turkey by Unknown author –

The Caucasus Campaign of World war happened in Erzurum. The war was between the armies of the Ottoman and Russian Empires. Erzurum was captured by Russian forces under the command of Grand Duke Nicholas and Nikolai Nikolaevich Yudenich on February 16, 1916.

Erzurum reverted to Ottoman control aftre the sighnim of the Traety of rest-Litovsk in March 1918. Erzurum was declared an Honorary Native and Freeman city in 1919 after Mustafa Kemal Atat眉rk resigned from the Ottoman army in Erzurum.

10. Atat眉rk University is situated in the Erzurum

Atat眉rk University entrance photo by Mehmet Y谋ld谋r谋m –

Atat眉rk University is one of the largest sources of income and economic activity in the city. The University was established in 1950. It is also one of the largest universities in Turkey, having more than 40, 000 students.

Visit Erzurum City the ending point of the South Caucasus Pipeline and also the starting point of the planned Nabucco pipeline. It’s a city notable for the production of small-scale production f objects crafted from Oltu stone like prayer beads, bracelets, necklaces, brooches, earrings, and hairclips.