Mazgirt
Mazgirt | |
|---|---|
  Mazgirt Location in Turkey | |
| Coordinates:39°01′09″N39°36′17″E/ 39.01917°N 39.60472°E | |
| Country | Turkey |
| Province | Tunceli |
| District | Mazgirt |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Murat Becerikli (AKP) |
| Population (2021) | 1,344 |
| Time zone | UTC+3(TRT) |
| Website | mazgirt.bel.tr |
Mazgirt(Armenian:Մեծկերտ,romanized:Medzgerd,lit. 'big town';Kurdish:Mêzgir),[1]is a town and seat of theMazgirt Districtof theTunceli ProvinceinTurkey.[2]It had a population of 1,344 in 2021 and is populated byKurds.[3][4]
The current mayor is Murat Becerikli from theJustice and Development Party(AKP).[5]
The town has a number of interesting buildings, such as an abandoned castle,[6]an old mosque, and an Armenian church which is soon to be renovated.[7][8][9]
It is divided into the neighborhoods of Eltihatun and Yenimahalle.[2]
Geography
[edit]Mazgirt is located in a bowl-shaped depression in the heights overlooking theMunzur Suvalley.[10]: 87 On the west side of town is a rocky outcrop that has a commanding view of thebrush-covered slopes below.[10]: 87 This outcrop historically served as the castle rock.[10]: 87
The main road coming fromTunceliturns sharply southeast just beneath the castle rock and then becomes the main commercial street in town.[10]: 89 There is a gentle slope uphill as it runs southeast to the main town square, which is where the high school is located.[10]: 89 The historic Elti Hatun mosque andtürbeare located further north, along with the old Armenian church of Surb Hakop.[10]: 89
Historically, Mazgirt was the start point of a route that led toPülümürthrough wooded valleys and hills, thus connecting the Dersim region with the upper reaches of the Euphrates while bypassing the narrowKutu Dereupstream from Tunceli.[10]: 87–9, 148
History
[edit]Historically a market town, Mazgirt was an important fortified settlement during the period of Arab rule (7th to 10th centuries).[10]: 87, 145 It lay in a border region and was likely connected toBağınand thenKiğıby a road for defensive purposes.[10]: 146
In 1144, Arslan-Doğmuş, brother of theArtukidrulerKara Arslan,seized Mazgirt and made it his capital.[10]: 152 Mazgirt's high and relatively inaccessible position made it a good place for him to resist his brother's rule, but he died in 1148 after only four years in power and Kara Arslan took over Mazgirt.[10]: 152
Monuments
[edit]Elte Hatun Cami
[edit]The medieval Elte Hatun Cami is built out of a dark purplish composite stone and consists of a main prayer hall with a smaller entrance hall adjoining it on the east side of the north wall.[10]: 89–90 There is a garden on the east side of the complex, although the gate is usually kept locked.[10]: 90 There is açeşmeor fountain outside the entrance hall on the north; inside the building on the same wall is a niche where water was also piped in.[10]: 90 These were designed for worshippers to perform theghuslwashing required before prayer; the fountain outside would have been used mostly during summer while the one inside would have been used during winter.[10]: 90
The mosque was founded in 1252-3 by Elte Hatun, daughter of a prince named Süleyman.[10]: 89 She probably belonged to theSeljuk dynasty,since Mazgirt had come under Seljuk control in 1234 when they annexed the principality of Harput.[10]: 89–90 Amedrese,which was probably founded at the same time as the mosque, formerly existed to the east; the garden wall was built over its remains.[10]: 90
Elte Hatun Türbesi
[edit]The Elte Hatun Türbesi is purportedly the tomb of the same Elte Hatun, but in reality this is unlikely - the carvings are of a much lower quality than the mosque's - and the türbe was probably built well after Elte Hatun's lifetime, perhaps in the 15th century.[10]: 90 Whoever the tomb actually belongs to is unknown.[10]: 91
Castle
[edit]The castle rock is basically shaped like an elongated platform running from northwest to southeast.[10]: 89 Steep cliffs provide a natural barrier on all sides except the southeast, which has a gentler slope.[10]: 89 An inner rocky outcropping juts up from the main platform towards the northwest end.[10]: 89 The castle walls are only standing in some places.[10]: 89 The masonry that survives is mostly the same dark reddish-purple stone as the Elte Hatun mosque and likely date from the same period (mid-13th century).[10]: 89 On the inner outcropping there is a circular pit carved out of the rock whose original purpose is unknown; a "rectangular block of masonry" built partly over its western side belonged to an old windmill that was built on the site at a later date.[10]: 89
Armenian churches
[edit]The Armenian church of Surb Hakop appears to date from the 16th or 17th century, although it was probably rebuilt from the ruins of an earlier church.[10]: 91 The present structure is somewhat awkwardly proportioned - it seems truncated - and the previous building was probably larger than the one today.[10]: 91 The remains of a second Armenian church, probably abasilica,is located on the northeast slope of the citadel.[10]: 89, 91 This one is hard to date but may have been built in the Middle Ages.[10]: 91
References
[edit]- ^Adem, Avcıkıran (2009).Kürtçe Anamnez Anamneza bi Kurmancî(in Turkish and Kurdish). p. 55.
- ^ab"Türkiye Mülki İdare Bölümleri Envanteri".T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı(in Turkish).Retrieved19 December2022.
- ^"Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2021"(XLS)(in Turkish).TÜİK.Retrieved30 January2023.
- ^Küçük, Bülent; Küçük, Hüseyin (2021). "Dergâhtan Derneğe bir Ocağın Serencamı: Seysavun Ocağı". In Aslan, Şükrü; Çelik, Filiz (eds.).Mazgirt(in Turkish). Ütopya Yayınevi. p. 319.ISBN9786059378970.
- ^Şafak, Yeni (2019-06-12)."Tunceli Mazgirt Seçim Sonuçları – Mazgirt Yerel Seçim Sonuçları".Yeni Şafak(in Turkish).Retrieved2019-12-06.
- ^39.023698, 39.600318
- ^Philandre (2015-09-02)."To Mazgirt".Among Armenian Ruins.Retrieved2019-12-06.
- ^"Armenian church in Dersim to be renovated".armenpress.am.Retrieved2019-12-06.
- ^"Google Maps".
- ^abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzaaabacadSinclair, T.A. (1989).Eastern Turkey: An Architectural & Archaeological Survey, Volume III.Pindar Press.ISBN0907132340.Retrieved29 July2022.
