Bingöl
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox Turkey place
Bingöl (Template:Langx; Template:Langx;<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Template:Langx<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>), known as Çapakçur before 1944, is a city in Turkey. It is the seat of Bingöl Province and Bingöl District,<ref name=ilce>İlçe Belediyesi, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 30 January 2023.</ref> and has a population of 133,423 (2022).<ref name=tuik/>
EtymologyEdit
One of the historical names for the city, Bingöl literally means thousand lakes in Turkish; however, there are no lakes of considerable size within the boundaries of the province. The name rather refers to many tarns found around the city.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
HistoryEdit
Bingöl is located in what was historically the region of Sophene (first an independent kingdom and later an Armenian and Roman province).<ref name="Karavachar">Template:Cite book</ref> The settlement is mentioned by its Armenian name, Chapaghjur (meaning "spread out water" in Armenian), by the 11th-century Armenian historian Stepanos Asoghik, who mentions it while describing the 995 Balu earthquake.<ref name="Karavachar" /> Chapaghjur is sometimes identified with the Roman fortress-town of Citharizum (Ktarich in Armenian).<ref name="Karavachar" />
In the Middle Ages, Bingöl was known as Romanoupolis (Template:Langx) after the Byzantine emperor Romanos I Lekapenos, who incorporated it into the Byzantine Empire in 942. It initially formed a subdivision of the thema of Mesopotamia, but it was later (c. 970) elevated into a separate theme.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Bingöl was ruled by the Suwaydid dynasty, a cadet branch of the Barmakids, from the 13th century until mid-Ottoman rule, autonomously from the Ottomans.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Bingöl and the surrounding district had a large Armenian population prior to the Armenian genocide.<ref name="Karavachar" /> Until the middle of the 20th century, the city was known as Çapakçur/Çabakçur, derived from its Armenian name.<ref>"Italian City-states and Catholic Missions in Mongolian World of the 13th and 14th Centuries", ANTHROPOLOGIA INTEGRA Vol. 3, No. 2, 2012, p. 9; academia.edu</ref><ref>Bingöl Tarihi, frmartuklu.org</ref> In 1944, the place was renamed Bingöl, meaning "thousand lakes" in Turkish.
Kurdish-Turkish conflictEdit
Bingöl has been the site of several violent incidents of the Kurdish-Turkish conflict. On 23 October 2016, a car bombing targeting an armored police vehicle perpetrated by PKK militia members killed two police officers and injured 19 others.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On 8 June 2018, a group of PKK militia members attacked a military station and killed one Turkish soldier while injuring three others.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
GeographyEdit
Bingöl is Template:Convert east of Elazığ and is situated in the high region of Eastern Anatolia. Bingöl is a mountainous area with heights reaching 3000 m, Bingöl city is at about 1120 m above sea level.<ref name=":022">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Gayt River (Gayt Çayı), a right-bank tributary of the Eastern Euphrates (Murat River), runs through the city.
ClimateEdit
Bingöl has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification: Dsa, or Trewartha climate classification Dca), with hot, dry summers and cold, snowy winters. The driest months are July and August and the wettest is February and December.
Highest recorded temperature:Template:Convert on 26 July 2001
Lowest recorded temperature:Template:Convert on 27 February 1992<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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EarthquakesEdit
On 1 May 2003, the whole area suffered from a magnitude 6.4 earthquake, leaving 176 dead and 520 injured.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On 8 March 2010, the area suffered another earthquake, of magnitude 5.9, with its epicenter in Elazığ Province, Template:Convert west of Bingöl. On 14 June 2020, a relatively small earthquake occurred in the region, killing a village guard and injuring 21 others.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
DemographicsEdit
Ethnic backgroundEdit
In 1891, the kaza had 20,800 inhabitants: 16,465 Muslims and 4,385 Armenians.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
| Turkish | Arabic | Kurdish | Circassian | Armenian | Unknown or other languages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 975 | 1 | 9,416 | – | – | – |
| Muslim | Armenian | Orthodox | Other Christian |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,395 | – | – | – |
PopulationEdit
Template:Historical populations
TransportEdit
Bingöl Airport opened on 12 July 2013. It has a passenger capacity of 500,000 a year.
EducationEdit
Bingöl University opened on 29 May 2007.<ref>Bingöl University Template:Webarchive</ref> The university has nine faculties, six vocational schools and five institutes.
Mayors of BingölEdit
- 1977–1979 Hikmet Tekin (MHP)
- 1979–1980 Hilmi Elçi (Independent)
- 1984–1989 Mehmet Sıddık Börü (ANAP)
- 1989–1994 Selahattin Kaya (SHP)
- 1994–1995 Selahattin Aydar (Refah Party)
- 1995–1999 Bedri Tuğ (Refah Party, Fazilet Party)
- 1999–2004 Feyzullah Karaaslan (HADEP, DEHAP)
- 2004–2009 Hacı Ketenalp (AK Party)
- 2009–2014 Serdar Atalay (AK Party)
- 2014–2019 Yücel Barakazi (AK Party)
- 2019–present Erdal Arıkan (AK Party)