A.S. Pushkin described his unsafe and long journey to these places in travel notes called by him "Journey to Arzrum during the campaign of 1829." The Pushkin Arzrum today is called Erzurum (or Erzurum). It is located in Turkey.
Many vacationers who have chosen Turkey as their vacation 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 can not be said about the Anatolia region. Its eastern part is the most unique highland region of Turkey.
General information
Translated from the Greek language, Anatolia means "land in the East." In ancient times, it was called Asia Minor (in our time - Asian Turkey).
Eastern Anatolia is one of the seven geographical Turkish regions. It includes 14 provinces. This highland region extends into eastern 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 and geographical Western Armenia.
The region includes the following provinces: Tunzheli, Agra, Bingel, Ardahan, Bitlis, Erzincan, Elazig, Hakkari, Hakkari, Kars, Igdir, Malatya, Van, Tunzheli, 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 Digle) 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 Southeast Anatolia. Its territory also has a border with Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan (Nakhichevan), Iraq, and Iran.
Region characteristics
This largest mountainous section of 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 more severe with a lot of rainfall.
Geographically, the region is alpine and highly intersected. In the northern part, the Kopdag, Chimendag and Arsian ridges stretch with peaks of more than 3,000 meters in height.
Mountains of Eastern Anatolia: Ararat (the highest peak of Big Agra - 5137 meters), Reshko (top of Mount Djilo - 4135 m), and Syuphan (height 4058 meters). Many of the peaks are extinct volcanoes, but quite active in the recent past. The last fact is evidenced by the 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 represent vast expanses of barren and wild deserts. Winter in Eastern Anatolia is quite harsh. During this period, a lot of snow falls, blocking the road to some small rural settlements for several months.
Due to the 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, livestock 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 park in Turkey, Munzur Valley (an area of 420 sq. Km) includes a mountain range and a river. Munzur. It grows more than 40 species of plants that are endemic. Among them are the thyme of Munzur, buttercup of Munzur, tansy of Munzur and many others. other
In the whole region there is only 1/10 of the forests of Turkey (mainly oak and pine), however, in terms of diversity and richness of flora and fauna, it has no equal.
Brown bears, Eurasian lynxes, chamois inhabit the mountains. There is a bezoar goat, a fluffy dormouse (rare rodent). Of the feathered species, the rarest species live: Caspian Ular, griffon vulture, burial eagle, Buzzard, red-winged stenolaz, snow finch, black stork and alpine curler.
Lakes, volcanoes and rivers
Eastern Anatolia is not deprived of water resources. The environs of Lake Van are volcanic peaks, including the Nemrut stratovolcano (2948 m), which is currently active. About 250 thousand years ago, its activity contributed to the emergence of Lake Van, which became the largest drainless 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 a similar type in the world.
In the vicinity there is one extinct volcano (Syuphan at an altitude of 4058 meters) and two sleeping. Tendyurek - a shield volcano (3533 meters), most likely, does not sleep. At its summit, emissions of sulfur dioxide and steam are constantly observed. A stratovolcano Ararat (height 5137 m) consists of 2 merged cones of Big and Small Ararat (Turks call Agri). This is the highest point not only in the region, but also in Turkey.
The rivers belong to the basins of the Persian Gulf and the Caspian Sea. The Euphrates (or Fyrat) is the largest waterway in Western Asia. It is formed as a result of the merger of Murat and Karasu near the city of Keban, located on the Armenian Highlands. The Tigris River (or Digl) takes its waters from Lake Khazar, located in the mountains of the Eastern Taurus. Its length across Turkey is more than 400 km.
There are two more large rivers originating in Eastern Anatolia. These are Kura and Araks, their sources are the springs of Mount Kizyl-Gyaduk.
Climate
The eastern part of the region is a zone of sharply continental climate. The exception is only a section of Lake Van. It is thanks to its influence that the climate of the surrounding area is temperate.
But in general, for a region with large elevation differences, as well as alternating mountain ranges and valleys over a vast territory, contrasting climatic conditions are characteristic. For example, although winter is cold in Erzurum (province in Turkey), surprisingly lush vegetation is characteristic of the summer period.
Cities, provinces, attractions
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 higher education institution in Turkey. Erzurum is famous for centuries-old fortifications, mosques, towers, etc. It rightfully represents a treasury of history. The symbol of Erzurum is a madrasah with two minarets (refers to the Seljuk period), decorated with gates with stone carvings and a crown.
South of Erzurum, five kilometers from it, is Palandoken (a famous ski resort) with the steepest and longest slopes in the world.
The province of Agra, stretching along a transit route to Iran, is located at an altitude of 1640 meters above sea level. According to some religious traditions, Noah’s ark is located on Ararat, thanks to which the righteous man was able to save people from the Flood.
Tunzheli 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 Tunjeli there are many Hittite fortresses, mosques of the Ottoman era, Seljuk and Assyrians, as well as various monuments.
The city of Van, extending on the southeast coast of Lake Van, was the capital of the kingdom of Urartu in the 1000s BC. The fortress built at that time by Tsar Sardur the First, is located at an altitude of 80 meters and extends 1800 meters in length and 120 meters in width. 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. About 50% of the population are Kurds, with a predominance in the provinces of the Central Eastern Anatolia subregion. 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 Northeast Anatolia subregion their number is only 32%.
In Eastern Anatolia, as well as Central, there are quite interesting objects for tourists, both natural and historical. In these places there are numerous traces of the long-vanished civilizations.
Some interesting facts
In different regions of Anatolia, there are differences in the types of foods used for food.
For example, in Western Anatolia dishes with various greens are more popular. In the Aegean and Istanbul region, 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 savory foods. And the most common dishes of Central and Eastern Anatolia are prepared from dough, cereals, rice. Olive oil is not popular in the eastern part of Anatolia.