Elazig

Elazig is a city in the Elazig Province of eastern Turkey and the seat of the province. It has a population of 266,495 (2000 census). The city is 1067 meters above sea level.

Name

Contemporary Elazig was initially an extension to the historic city of Harput, which was situated on a hill and difficult to access in winter. Under the reign of Mahmud II, the governor Reşid Mehmed Pasha started the expansion of Mezre, which lay on the plains a short distance from Harput. During the reign of Sultan Abdülazîz, military barracks, a hospital and a governor's mansion were built to accommodate the seat of a new vilâyet (province).

The city was named "Mamûret'ül-Azîz" made prosperous by Aziz in Ottoman Turkish) in 1866 on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of enthronement of the Ottoman Sultan Abdülaziz although he was not the initial founder. The city was known many years as "Elâzîz" due to its ease of pronunciation until November 17, 1937, when President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk changed the name of the city to "Elazık" (the city of food). However, since it was hard to pronounce this word in Turkish, on December 10, 1937 the government changed the city's name to its final form, "Elazig".

Elazig today

Elazig today is the capital of the Elazig province, a bustling city with a university and an industrial base, although historic monuments are understandably scarce. The exception is of course the ancient Harput citadel and town, a dependency of the greater municipality of Elazig today situated three miles to the north of the city center

Geography and climate

Elazig is situated on the northwest corner of a 30-mile-long valley, known locally as Uluova (literally the Great Valley). Its altitude is 3,300 feet: latitude and longitude are respectively: 38 degrees and 41 minutes North, and 39 degrees and 14 minutes East. Elazig Province is surrounded by the Euphrates in the north, and since the completion of Keban Dam the rivers came to cover almost ten percent of the surface area (826 km²) of the province (8,455 km²). Elazig's adjacent province borders are with: Tunceli (North), Erzincan (North-West), Bingöl (East), Diyarbakir (South), and Malatya (West).

Economy

The main product of the area is wine and other agricultural products, and Elazig serves as a market center. The state run vineyards of Elazig is notable for its production of Buzbağ, a full flavor red wine.

Places to See

• Fırat Üniversitesi (University of Euphrates)
• Harput Kalesi (Harput Castle)
• Buzluk Mağarası (Buzluk Cave)
• Museum of Archaeology and Ethnography
• Hazar Gölü (Lake Hazar)

• Ulu Camii: Built by Artuklu Sultan Fahrettin Karaaslan in 1156. It is one of the oldest and important structures in Anatolia
• Sarahatun Camii (also known as Sarayhatun Cami): Built by Sara Hatun, mother of Akkoyunlu Sultan Bahadır Han (also known as Uzun Hasan), in 1465 as a small mosque. It was renovated in 1585 and 1843.
• Kurşunlu Camii: Built between 1738 and 1739 in Harput during the Ottoman era.
• Alacalı Camii
• Ağa Camii: Built in 1559.
• Arap Baba Mescidi ve Türbesi: Built during the reign of Seljuks Sultan Gıyaseddin Keyhüsrev III (Son of Kılıçarslan IV) in 1279. The shrine contains a mummified body which is known as Arap Baba among commons.
• Fetih Ahmet Baba Türbesi (Shrine of Fetih Ahmed)
• Mansur Baba Türbesi