Eleşkirt

Submitted by editor on Wed, 03/24/2010 - 02:13

Eleşkirt

Eleşkirt, formerly Alashkert (Armenian: Ալաշկերտ Alaškert) or Kurdish Zêdikan , is a town and district of Ağrı Province in Turkey. It was known as Vaghashkert (Armenian: Վաղաշկերտ) in medieval times. It is mostly inhabited by Kurds, however, Armenians formerly populated the city as well.

The mayor is Mehmet Nuri Çelik (AKP).

Places to see

Eleşkirt is a small town on a plain surrounded by high mountains, that has been occupied since the kingdom of the Urartu, as can be seen from:

  • A burial mound (höyük) in the village of Pirabat
  • The castle in the village of Toprakkale (ku:Kelê). In antiquity the district was ruled from the castle which was successively occupied by Romans, Persians, Byzantines, Arabs, Seljuk Turks, Mongols and then further waves of Turks. There is a mosque which was built in 1687 in this village.
  • There is a mountain named Kosedag (ku:Kosedax) near the city. It is proper for climbing and skiing in winter. Actually a lot of tourists come to see and climb this mountain from different countries every year.

Coordinates: 39°47′53″N 42°40′28″E / 39.79806°N 42.67444°E / 39.79806; 42.67444


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