Kars
(2002 pop. 103,000). Kars, capital of the province of Kars (2002 pop. 323,000) in eastern Turkey, lies above the Kars River in a mountain range near the Russian border. Its position on a mountain top leaves the city open to high winds; one of the coldest regions in Turkey, it is covered by snow for at least five months of the year. Kars was inhabited by the Armenians in the ninth and tenth centuries, serving as the capital of the Bagratid dynasty. When the Armenian capital was transferred to nearby Ani, Kars lost some of its importance. Kars was conquered by the Seljuks in the mid-eleventh century, the Mongols in the thirteenth, and Timur (Tamerlane) in 1387. The Ottomans took Kars in 1534, and the city was of great military importance during the Ottoman-Safavid conflicts.
The Russians gained control over Kars in 1828 and 1855, but the city was transferred back to the Turks under subsequent peace treaties. In 1878, after eight months of war, the Treaty of Berlin transferred Kars to the Russians. It remained under Russian control until the Fifteenth Army Unit commanded by Kazim Karabekir Pasha recaptured the city on 30 October 1920. Kars was officially returned to Turkey in 1921. Today the city is an active military base.
Further Reading
Statistical Yearbook of Turkey, 1998. (1998) Ankara, Turkey: Devlet Istatistik Enstitusu.
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