(2002 est. pop 333,000). Erzurum is one of the most important cities in eastern Turkey. The capital of the province of Erzurum, it is located between the Karasu and Aras valleys at an altitude of nearly 2,000 meters. Due to its geographic location, Erzurum has always held military and economic significance. Its strategic location also means it was often fought over in the past, despite the high frequency of earthquakes. The city first became significant in 415 when the Byzantine emperor Theodosius fortified and renamed it Theodosiopolis. For the next 500 years, it was held, alternately, by the Byzantines, Arabs, and Armenians (who called it Karin). The Byzantines reigned until the Battle of Manzikert (1071), which left Erzurum under Seljuk rule. It later fell to the Mongols, after which it was conquered by Sultan Selim I (1467–1520) in 1514 and incorporated into the Ottoman empire. Erzurum became the capital of the new province in 1534 and served as the primary military base for campaigns to Iran and Georgia throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. During the Ottoman-Russian wars, Erzurum was occupied by the Russians in 1829, 1878, and 1916. On 23 July 1919 Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881–1938), founder of the Republic of Turkey, held the first meeting of the National Congress in Erzurum. The city was linked to the country's rail system in 1939 It is the location of the 3rd Army and Ataturk University, which opened in 1958. Erzurum is often used as a base for outdoor expeditions to nearby Mount Ararat.
Further Reading
Inalcik, Halil. (1960) "Erzurum." In The Encyclopedia of Islam. 2d ed. Leiden, Netherlands: Brill.
Statistical Yearbook of Turkey, 1998. (1998) Ankara, Turkey: Devlet Istatistik Enstitusu.
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