Eastern Anatolia: location, description, history and interesting facts, photo

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

A. S. Pushkin described his unsafe and long journey through these places in his travel notes, which he called "Journey to Arzrum during the campaign of 1829". Arzrum Pushkin today is called Erzurum (or Erzerum). It is located in Turkey.

Many vacationers who have chosen Turkey for their holidays rush to the warm sunny shores of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas, where the well-known resorts are located: Kemer, Antalya, Bodrum and Marmaris. All these names are quite popular among tourists, which cannot be said about the Anatolia region. The eastern part of it is the most unique highland region of Turkey.

General information

Translated from Greek Anatolia means "land in the East". In ancient times, this was the name of Asia Minor (in our time - Asian Turkey).

Eastern Anatolia is one of the seven geographic regions of Turkey. It includes 14 provinces. This high mountain regionextends into the eastern part of Turkey. It is the largest in area (1/5 of the state) and the smallest in terms of density and population among all regions of Turkey. Its territory approximately corresponds to the former historical-geographical Western Armenia.

The region includes the following provinces: Tunceli, Agri, Bingol, Ardahan, Bitlis, Erzincan, Elazig, Hakkari, Hakkari, Kars, Igdir, Malatya, Van, Tunceli, Mush and Erzurum. The indigenous Armenian population living here was destroyed during the genocide of 1915-1923. Today, at least half of the inhabitants of this region are Kurds.

The Tigris (or Dicle) and Euphrates (Firat) rivers with tributaries supply the population with water. The region is bordered by the Black Sea and Mediterranean regions, as well as the regions of Central and South-Eastern Anatolia. Its territory has a border with Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan (Nakhichevan), Iraq, Iran.

Characteristics of the region

This largest highland area in Turkey occupies 21% of its entire territory, which is about 16,300 square meters. km. Its average height is 2000 meters. Compared to the Anatolian Plateau, the climate in this elevated region of Turkey is harsher with more rainfall.

Geographically, the region is mountainous and rugged. In the northern part, the Kopdag, Chimendag and Arsian ridges stretch with peaks over 3000 meters in height.

Mountains of Eastern Anatolia: Ararat (the highest peak of Big Agra - 5137 meters), Reshko (the peak of Mount Jilo -4135 m), and Syuphan (height 4058 meters). Many of the peaks are extinct volcanoes, but quite active in the recent past. The latter fact is evidenced by extensive flows of solidified lava.

The population of the region is about 5.7 million people, of which 3.2 million live in cities and 2.5 in villages.

Features

Sometimes this region is called Turkish Siberia. The southern ranges, descending to the Mesopotamian plain in Iraq, are vast expanses of barren and wild deserts. Winter in Eastern Anatolia is quite severe. During this period, a lot of snow falls, blocking roads to some small rural settlements for several months.

Due to relatively harsh climatic conditions and the presence of high mountains, the population level in the region is low. With all this, although fertile land is very scarce, animal husbandry is the main profitable business in the region. Agriculture is very limited here. They grow tobacco, cotton, wheat and barley.

Flora and fauna

Treasures of Eastern Anatolia - historical objects and nature preserved from ancient times. Located in the region, one of the largest national parks in Turkey, the Munzur Valley (420 sq. Km) includes a mountain range and the river. Munzur. More than 40 endemic plant species grow in it. Among them are munzur thyme, munzur buttercup, tansy munzur and many others. others

In the entire region, only 1/10 of Turkey's forests (mainly oak and pine) are located, but in terms of diversity andthe richness of flora and fauna has no equal.

Brown bears, Eurasian lynxes, chamois live in the mountains. There is a bezoar goat, a fluffy dormouse (a rare rodent) here. The rarest species of birds live: Caspian snowcock, griffon vulture, imperial eagle, long-legged buzzard, red-winged wall-climber, snow finch, black stork and alpine hawker.

Lakes, volcanoes and rivers

Eastern Anatolia is not deprived of water resources either. The surroundings of Lake Van are volcanic peaks, among which is the stratovolcano Nemrut (2948 m), which is currently active. Approximately 250 thousand years ago, its activity contributed to the emergence of Lake Van, which became the largest endorheic soda lake in the world. Nemrut last erupted in 1692. Its top is a large caldera with a lake, which is the second largest lake of its kind in the world.

In the vicinity there is one extinct volcano (Syuphan at an altitude of 4058 meters) and two dormant ones. Tendyurek is a shield volcano (3533 meters), most likely, it does not sleep. At its top, sulphurous gases and steam are constantly observed. And the stratovolcano Ararat (height 5137 m) consists of 2 merged cones of Greater and Lesser Ararat (the Turks call Agri). This is the highest point not only in the region, but also in Turkey.

Rivers belong to the basins of the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea. The Euphrates (or Fyrat) is the largest water artery in Western Asia. It is formed as a result of the confluence of Murat and Karasu near the city of Keban, located on the Armenian Highlands. The Tigris (or Dijle) River takes its waters from Khazar Lake, located inmountains of the Eastern Taurus. Its length in Turkey is more than 400 km.

There are two more major rivers originating in Eastern Anatolia. These are the Kura and Araks, their sources are the springs of the Kizyl-Gyaduk mountain.

Climate

The eastern part of the region has a sharply continental climate. The only exception is the section of Lake Van. It is due to its influence that the climate of the surrounding area is temperate.

And in general, for a region with large elevation changes, as well as with alternating mountain ranges and valleys over a vast territory, contrasting climatic conditions are characteristic. For example, although Erzurum (a province in Turkey) has a cold winter, the summer period is characterized by surprisingly lush vegetation.

Cities, provinces, places of interest

Erzurum is located at the crossroads of important transit and trade routes. It is the cultural and historical center of Eastern Anatolia (Turkey). Ataturk University is the best institution of higher education in Turkey. Erzurum is famous for its centuries-old fortifications, mosques, towers, etc. It is rightfully a treasure trove of history. The symbol of Erzurum is a madrasah with two minarets (belonging to the Seljuk period), decorated with stone-carved gates and a crown.

South of Erzurum, five kilometers away, is Palandoken (a famous ski resort) with the steepest and longest slopes in the world.

The province of Agra, which extends on the transit route to Iran, is located on1640 meters above sea level. According to some religious legends, Noah's ark is located on Ararat, thanks to which the righteous man was able to save people from the Flood.

Tunceli is known for its natural landscapes, untouched by people. A rare species of birch grows in the Munzir Valley Park, located in the central part of the city. In addition, in the province of Tunceli there are many fortresses from the Hittites, mosques from the Ottoman, Seljuk and Assyrian eras, as well as various monuments.

The city of Van, stretching on the southeastern shore of Lake Van, was the capital of the kingdom of Urartu in the 1000s BC. The fortress, built in those days by King Sardur the First, is located at a height of 80 meters and stretches 1800 meters in length and 120 meters in width. The city of Van is famous for its snow-white cat with different eyes.

Population

At the beginning of 2014, the population in the region was about 5 million people. Approximately 50% of the population is Kurdish, with a majority in the provinces of the Central Eastern Anatolia sub-region. In them, they represent 79.1% of the total population, which is equal to 1.7 million people. For comparison, it should be noted that in the sub-region of North-Eastern Anatolia, their number is only 32%.

In Eastern Anatolia, as in Central Anatolia, there are quite interesting objects for tourists, both natural and historical. In these places there are numerous traces of civilizations that disappeared long ago.

Some interesting facts

Bdifferent regions of Anatolia, there are differences in the types of products used in food.

For example, in Western Anatolia, dishes with a variety of greens are more popular. In the Aegean and Istanbul regions, milk-based sweets abound in the diet. Also in the regions of the Aegean, Marmara and Black Seas, nuts are used in some sweet dishes and spicy snacks. And the most common dishes of Central and Eastern Anatolia are made from dough, cereals, rice. Olive oil is not popular in Eastern Anatolia.