Başkale is a town and district located in south-eastern
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
in
Van ProvinceVan Province is a province in eastern Turkey, between Lake Van and the Iranian border. It is 19,069 km2 in area and had a population of 1,035,418 at the end of 2010....
. There is one municipality in the Başkale district, the town centre, which was established 1937. The neighbourhoods of the town of Başkale are: Tepebaşı, Yeni mahalle, Camii-Kebir, Samandöken, Cevkan, Kale, Hafiziye,
TarımTarim may refer to:*The Tarim Basin, China**The Tarim Mummies, a series of mummies which have been excavated at Niya, an oasis in the Tarim Basin.*The Tarim River, China*Tarim, Yemen...
and Yakınyol.
Etymology
Urartians named the town
Adamma (c. 900-300BC). The
ArmeniansArmenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
called it
Adamakert (c. 100BC-18AD), meaning "Adam's city". Since the late 19th century AD Turks have called it
Başkale (rendered in
AnglicisedEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
form as Bashkala or Pashgala), meaning "head fortress", 'head' referring to its location at the head of a valley.
Geography
Başkale is situated 20 km (12 mi) west of the Turkey-Iran border. 138 km (86 mi) of the national border is on the east and north-east of the Başkale district. Başkale shares district borders with
YüksekovaYüksekova is a district of Hakkari Province of Turkey, situated close to the border with Iran. Its location on the trade route between Iranian Azarbaijan and eastern Turkey made it an important juncture for travelers and the location of several ethnic groups that were active in regional trade....
district of
Hakkari ProvinceHakkâri Province is a province in the south east corner of Turkey. The administrative centre is located in the city of Hakkâri . The province covers an area of 7,121 km² and has a population of 251,302 . The province had a population of 236,581 in 2000.The province was created in 1936 out of...
to the south,
SaraySaray is a Turkic word of Persian origin which means 'palace'. Several locations extending from far Asia to the Balkans have been named under variants of this word...
and
ÖzalpÖzalp is a district of Van Province of Turkey. The mayor is Murat Durmaz ....
districts of
Van ProvinceVan Province is a province in eastern Turkey, between Lake Van and the Iranian border. It is 19,069 km2 in area and had a population of 1,035,418 at the end of 2010....
to the north, and
GürpınarGürpınar is a district of Van Province and south of Van. Gurpinar's total area is 4700 km2 and is the largest area of the districts of Turkey. It has 72 villages and many historical areas.- History :...
district of
Van ProvinceVan Province is a province in eastern Turkey, between Lake Van and the Iranian border. It is 19,069 km2 in area and had a population of 1,035,418 at the end of 2010....
to the west.
Başkale is situated 2460 metres above sea level, in the valley of the
Great ZabThe Great Zab , , , ) is an approximately long river flowing through Turkey and Iraq. It rises in Turkey near Lake Van and joins the Tigris in Iraq south of Mosul. The drainage basin of the Great Zab covers approximately , and during its course, the rivers collects the water from a large number...
River]] (Zapsuyu), and the town stands on the eastern slope of the south eastern
Taurus MountainsTaurus Mountains are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, dividing the Mediterranean coastal region of southern Turkey from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğirdir in the west to the upper reaches of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers in the east...
. The majority of the 2599 km² (1,003 sq mi) Başkale district is mountainous. The agricultural portion is only 355 km² (137 sq mi), approximately 14% of the total area. Başkale is enclosed by Mount (Yiğit)/Haravil (3468 m) in the east, Mount Başkale/İspiriz (3668 m) in the west, and Mount Gökdağ (3604 m) in the south-east. The mountains of Mor, Haravil, Mengene and Çekvan are in the district of Başkale. Other geographical features in Başkale include the Karasu river, and the plateaus of Nebirnav, Kevçikan, Hanasor, Çekvan, Aşkitan (Ülya), Perihan, Meydan, Harinan, Terazın, Sülav, Medgezeren, Pistekan, Herevil-Şirez, Derevan, Derik, Bağarük, Düava and Mengen.
History
Başkale was founded by Urartians as the town of Adamma. Since the 2nd century BC it was known in
Armenian languageThe Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
as Adamakert (
Ադամակերտ) and was the main fortress of the
Medz AghbakMetz Aghbak Armenian: Աղբակ Մեծ is a district of Vaspurakan province of Historical Armenia. Its main town was known as Adamamert aka Hadamakert . This town corresponds to modern Başkale in the east of modern Turkey....
district of the
Armenian kingdomThe ancient Kingdom of Armenia was an independent monarchy from 331 BC to AD 428. The peak of the kingdom's power and its integration in Hellenistic culture under Tigranes and his son Artavasdes is also referred to as Armenian Empire. After the fall of the Achaemenid Empire, the former Satrapy of...
. Since 385 AD control of the area alternated between
ParthiaParthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasty, rulers of the Parthian Empire....
and the
Roman EmpireThe Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. In the 3rd century AD the
Sassanid (Persian) EmpireThe Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
took control of district from the Roman Empire.
After the division of the Roman Empire, the
Byzantine EmpireThe Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
took control in the 6th century. In 645AD
ArabArab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
s took control of the Başkale area. In the period of the
ArsacidThe Arsacid dynasty or Arshakuni dynasty ruled the Kingdom of Armenia from 54 AD to 428 AD. Formerly a branch of the Iranian Parthian Arsacids, they became a distinctly Armenian dynasty. Arsacid Kings reigned intermittently throughout the chaotic years following the fall of the Artaxiad Dynasty...
and Bagratuni dynasties' rule, Adamakert was taken back by the Armenian kingdom from the Persian and Arabians. During the Arsacid era, Adamakert was a part of Armenia's Aghbak district and was a possession of
VaspurakanVaspurakan was the first and biggest province of Greater Armenia, which later became an independent kingdom during the Middle Ages, centered around Lake Van...
's
ArtsruniArtsruni was an ancient Armenian noble family that claimed descent from Sennacherib, King of Assyria . Although it mirrors the Bagratuni claim of Davidic descent and the Mamikonian claim of descent from the royal Han Dynasty, it is usually interpreted as a piece of genealogical mythology...
dynasty. The 10th century chronicler, Tovmas Artzruni, wrote that the dynasty had originated in this region, and mentions the city-fortress of Adamakert as the residence of the dynasty (believed to be the site of present-day Başkale).
After the Battle of Malazgirt in 1071, control passed to Seljuk Empire. After 1100, Ahlatshah beylik (Sökmenoğulları) controlled the area. After a short period of Ayyubid control and the Mongol attack of 1245, the region was controlled by Anatolian Seljuks,
IlkhanateThe Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate , was a Mongol khanate established in Azerbaijan and Persia in the 13th century, considered a part of the Mongol Empire...
, and
TimurTimur , historically known as Tamerlane in English , was a 14th-century conqueror of West, South and Central Asia, and the founder of the Timurid dynasty in Central Asia, and great-great-grandfather of Babur, the founder of the Mughal Dynasty, which survived as the Mughal Empire in India until...
. After the overthrow of Timur in 1386 by Kara Koyunlu federation of
TurkomanThe Turkomen also known as Oghuz Turks were a historical Turkic tribal confederation in Central Asia during the early medieval Turkic expansion....
tribes, the Safavids took control at the beginning of the 16th century. When the
Yavuz Sultan SelimYavuz Sultan Selim may refer to:* Selim I * SMS Goeben, a German cruiser renamed Yavuz Selim after she was transferred to the Ottoman Empire, and later simply as Yavuz...
defeated the Safavids in the Battle of Çaldıran, Van and surrounding area was included in
Ottoman EmpireThe Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, but control returned to the Safavids several times after the Battle of Çaldıran. In 1548, during the period of
Kanuni Sultan SüleymanSuleiman I was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1520 to his death in 1566. He is known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent and in the East, as "The Lawgiver" , for his complete reconstruction of the Ottoman legal system...
, the Ottoman Empire finally took full control of the area.
In 1829, the German
orientalistOriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...
Friedrich Eduard SchulzFriedrich Eduard Schulz was a German philosopher and orientalist, who was one of the first to uncover evidence of the Kingdom of Urartu.- Research on Urartu :...
was murdered near Başkale, along with four servants. Schultz had been traveling in the area since 1827, recording evidence of
UrartianUrartu , corresponding to Ararat or Kingdom of Van was an Iron Age kingdom centered around Lake Van in the Armenian Highland....
culture. Başkale became the capital town of Elbak kaza of Hakkari
sanjakSanjaks were administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire. Sanjak, and the variant spellings sandjak, sanjaq, and sinjaq, are English transliterations of the Turkish word sancak, meaning district, banner, or flag...
in the Ottoman vilayet (province) of
VanThe Vilayet of Van was one of the Six vilayets of the Ottoman Empire. At the beginning of the 20th century it reportedly had a population of about 400,000 and an area of .- History :...
. After the constitution of the republic of
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
in 1923, its name was changed to
Başkale and it became a part of
Van ProvinceVan Province is a province in eastern Turkey, between Lake Van and the Iranian border. It is 19,069 km2 in area and had a population of 1,035,418 at the end of 2010....
.
One of many events in the string of tensions prior to
World War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
was a massacre of approximately fifty Gawarnai
AssyriansThe Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
by Muslims on 30 October 1914 at Başkale in the local government centre. Armenians of Başkale were later deported and massacred by Turks and Kurds during the
Armenian genocideThe Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
(approximately 1915-1918).
Demography and population
In 2000, the population of the town of Başkale was recorded at 14,114, and the population of the district was recorded at 55,563. Approximately 80% of the district speaks a
KurdishKurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
dialect. The population structure shows a tribal construction, with the breakdown of ethnic groups given as follows:
| Demography |
| Tribe |
Percentage |
| Ertuşi |
40% |
| Merziki |
30% |
| Botan |
15% |
| Pinyaniş |
15% |
| Population |
| Years |
Town |
Villages |
Total |
| 2000 |
14,114 |
41,449 |
55,563 |
| 1997 |
15,070 |
34,606 |
49,676 |
| 1990 |
16,418 |
39,179 |
55,597 |
| 1985 |
10,615 |
|
|
| 1980 |
9,770 |
|
|
| 1975 |
8,558 |
|
|
| 1970 |
6,018 |
|
|
| 1965 |
4,007 |
|
|
| 1960 |
2,383 |
|
|
| Villages of Başkale district, Van Province Van Province is a province in eastern Turkey, between Lake Van and the Iranian border. It is 19,069 km2 in area and had a population of 1,035,418 at the end of 2010....
|
|
Açıkağıl |
Akçalı |
Albayrak |
Aşağıküme |
Aşalan |
Atlılar |
Aydemir |
Azıklı |
Barış |
Başkale |
Belencik |
Beşocak |
Bilgeç |
Böğrüpek |
Bölekli |
Büklümdere |
Çakırdoğan |
Çaldıran |
Dereiçi |
Deringeçit |
Ekecek |
Erek |
Erkonağı |
Esenyamaç |
Eşmepınar |
Gedikbaşı |
Gelenler |
Güleçler |
Güroluk |
Güvendik |
Ilıcak |
Işıklı |
Kaşkol |
Kavurgalı |
Keçilioba |
Kızılca |
Kocaköy |
Koçdağı |
Konuksayar |
Kovalıpınar |
Köprüağzı |
Mahmutabat |
Oğulveren |
Ortayazı |
Ortayol |
Ömerdağı |
Öncüler |
Örencik |
Örenkale |
Özpınar |
Saçan |
Sallıdere |
Savaşköy |
Tahılköy |
Tınazlı |
Uğurlu |
Yanal |
Yavuzlar |
Yolmaçayır |
Yukarıdallı |
Yukarıdarıca |
Yukarıdikmen |
Yurttepe |
Economy
Stock-breeding is dominant in the economy of Başkale district.
Smuggling also is a widespread activity in border areas.
There is no industrial activities except small workshops. There was a
MarbleMarble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
production plant at Koçdağı village, but in 2001 was closed after some test production.
Distribution of the population according to their economical activity;
- Stock-breeding; 80%
- Agriculture; 10%
- in different crafts; 8%
- trade; 2%
Agriculture
| Agricultural production |
| Product |
Area (Ha) |
Production (ton) |
| Wheat |
9,400 |
11,280 |
| Barley |
105 |
126 |
| Trefoil |
6,400 |
27 |
Stock-breeding
| Stock-breeding (1999) |
| Animal |
Stock |
| Cattle |
29,313 |
| Sheep |
347,734 |
| Goat |
6,760 |
| Horse |
417 |
| Mule |
417 |
| Donkey |
417 |
| Hen |
11,600 |
| Turkey |
4,816 |
| Duck |
1,820 |
| Goose |
1,914 |
Media
There is one local radio station
Pınar FM in Başkale.
Education
In Başkale district; ratio of educated people to total population is; 65% (November 2006)
. Due to the demographic and traditional conditions, in the past,; majority of women and girls are not sent to schools. Educated people level among women is dramatically low.
In Başkale district;(November 2006)
- total number of teachers ; 402
-
-
- Total number of girls in schools; 5,384
- Total number of boys in schools; 7,437
- Total number of students in village schools; 8,424
- Total number of students in town schools; 4,404
- Number of total students; 12,828
Sport
Başkale has a football team named as
Başkale Spor in amateur league.
Vali Abdülkadir SARI Football Stadium was opened in 1999 which has 1,500 seats.
Başkale has also a gymnasium also finished at 1999.
Cuisine
Otlu peynir (a kind of cheese which include natural vegetables which differs with region) is a well known product of Başkale. Otlu peynir of Başkale includes these local natural vegetables; Devin, Mendi, Spi pancar, Pinger, Çatır, Nane, Handekuk, Spilinge, Kaşım, Kurat, Sirik, Gunbizin, Sılkuke, Sinameki, Mendi, Sirmo.
Başkale has many local varieties like as; Ayranaşı, Pancarlı Pilav, Keledoş, Keşkeş, Roasted Pancar, Pokin soup, Grara aki soup, Şoğra, Şeleke, Vireke, Tahinik
Tourism
Başkale is best known historically for being an Armenian pilgrimage center to
Saint Bartholomew MonasteryThe Saint Bartholomew Monastery is a 13th-18th century Armenian monastery built in what was then the Vaspurakan Province of Greater Armenia, now near the town of Başkale in the Van Province of southeastern Turkey...
. It is also known for the military fortress of Adamakert. The now-ruined fortress was once occupied by a Kurdish
beyBey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...
(chieftain) and lies a short distance uphill from the township. The fortress is a good example of
UrartianUrartu , corresponding to Ararat or Kingdom of Van was an Iron Age kingdom centered around Lake Van in the Armenian Highland....
architecture.
Historical places
- Albayrak church (hy)
- Yanal church
- Erek church
- Örenkale(Başkal) castle
- Örenkale(Başkal) Seljuk medrese and dome
- Başkale castle
- Saint Bartholomew Monastery
The Saint Bartholomew Monastery is a 13th-18th century Armenian monastery built in what was then the Vaspurakan Province of Greater Armenia, now near the town of Başkale in the Van Province of southeastern Turkey...
, a 13th century Armenian monastery (mostly destroyed by the Turkish army using explosives in the 1960s)
- Soradir Armenian church
- Castle Mosque
- Hüsrev Paşa Medrese
Natural places
- Yavuzlar village fairy chimneys (locally called as "Vanadocia" referring to Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...
- Çamlık (kolegom) hot springs and picnic area
- Akçalı village limestone and travertine formation like as Pamukkale
Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish, is a natural site in Denizli Province in southwestern Turkey. The city contains hot springs and travertines, terraces of carbonate minerals left by the flowing water...
Entombed saints
- Dereiçi village; Adil Kabul
- Köprüağzı village; Hejde Kev
- Esenyamaç village ; Kepenereş and Şah Şıh
- Öncüler village; Kelasinci Hevat
- Yavuzlar village; Mollahıdır Firendi
- Zap basında; Mehmet Çavuş yatırı
- Başkale ; Seyyid İsmail Hokan yatırı
- Güroluk village ; Şah İsmail Kutbeddinin and Şeyh İsmail Hakkari
- Çaldıran village; Şeyh Sucu
- Öncüler village ; Uzun Şehid
- Ilıcak village ; Pir
- Örencik village; Arafat Arabi
Health services
There is one hospital and 5 clinics at Başkale district, with a total; 21 doctors and 36 health officers(midwife, nurse, health technician) in charge of health service in district.
- Başkale Hospital; in Başkale town
- Başkale center clinic; in Başkale town
- Albayrak village clinic; is in Albayrak village
- Çaldıran village clinic;is in Çaldıran village
- Eşmepınar village clinic; in Eşmepınar village