Ardahan Province (Turkish:Ardahan ili;Kurdish:Parêzgeha Erdêxanê,Georgian:არტაანის რეგიონი,romanized:art'aanis regioni) is aprovince in the north-east ofTurkey, borderingGeorgia andArmenia. Its area is 4,934 km2,[2] and its population is 92,481 (2022).[1] The provincial capital is the city ofArdahan. Ardahan borders the Turkish provinces ofErzurum,Artvin andKars.
In 1886, 43,643 people lived in Ardahan Vilayet of which46.6% was Turkish,16% was Kurdish,14.3%Karapapakh,12.9% Greek,7.2% Turkmen,2.4% Russian and0.6% Armenian. The town ofArdahan had a population of 778 of which51.8% was Turkish,22.1% Russian,18.1% Armenian and6.2% Greek.[3]
In the 1897Russian Empire Census,Ardahan okrug had a population of 65,763 of which42.6% was Turkish,19.1% Kurdish,12% Karapapakh,11.9% Greek,6.6%Turkmen and2.9% Armenian. Slavs constituted3.9% of the population.[4] The town of Ardahan had a population of 4,142 of which37.1% was Slavic,31.7% Armenian,18% Turkish and2.6% Greek.[5]
In 1908, Ardahan sancak had a population of 71,469 of which41.6% was Turkish,18.1% was Kurdish,15.4% Greek,14.4% Karapapakh,7.9% Turkmen,2.2% Russian and0.4% Armenian.[6]
In the first Turkish census taking place in 1927, Ardahan District had a population of 88,989 of which85.8% spokeTurkish asfirst language, while13.8% spokeKurdish.98.8% of the Kurdish-speaking population lived inGöle sub-district.[7] In the same census, almost100% of the population wasMuslim. 14 Christians lived in the district.[8] The district had a population of 104,911 in 1935.[9]
The first surviving record about this region is attributed toStrabo, who calls itGogarene (Gugark) and mentions that it was a part of theKingdom of Armenia, taken away from theKingdom of Iberia.[10][11] In theMiddle Ages Ardahan served as an important transit point for goods arriving from theAbbasid Caliphate and departing to the regions around theBlack Sea. During the 8th to 10th centuries the region was in hands of theBagrationi princes ofTao-Klarjeti, and later part ofKingdom of Georgia between 11th to 15th centuries. It was a theatre of war during theByzantine-Georgian wars. According to theArab historianYahya of Antioch, theByzantines razed Ardahan and slaughtered its population in 1021.[11] TheMongols took hold of the region in the 1230s but the Georgian princes ofSamtskhe were able to recapture it in 1266. As a result ofPeace of Amasya, signed in 1555 with theSafavidPersia, Ardahan passed toOttoman hands and reorganized into theArdahan sanjak as part ofeyalet ofChildir. In 1578 Ottomans appointed the former Georgian prince,Manuchar (who took the name ofMustafa after converting toIslam) as the first governor.[12] From 1625 onwards the entire eyalet was a hereditary possession of the now-Muslimatabegs of Samtskhe,[13] which administered it as hereditary governors, with some exceptions, until the mid-18th century.[12]
Ardahan province is located in the far north east of Turkey, where the eastern extremity of the high plateau ofEastern Anatolia converges with theLesser Caucasus mountain range. It is consequently an area of very high altitude and severe winters. This is attractive open countryside which however spends many months of the year under snow. At this altitude temperatures on average reach −20 °C (−4 °F) and can drop below freezing all year round, including summer months.
The local economy depends on farming and raising livestock. Until 1993 Ardahan was a district of the province ofKars, becoming a province in its own right has meant more investment in infrastructure
There are two crossing points into theSamtskhe–Javakheti district of Georgia, one atPosof and the other atÇıldır. The Turkish military have a strong presence in this border district, another boost to the local economy.
The predominant climate in the Ardahan province ishumid continental climate (Köppen climate classificationDfb) bordering on asubarctic climate (Dfc), with most large settlements in the province being located in lowest possible elevation areas, in attempt to avoid the year-round cold temperatures, thus staying just below the subarctic limit. Smaller locales, districts, villages and a significant portion of the landscape, exhibits a truesubarctic climate (Dfc), being the second most widespreadclimate in the region.[16]
There is a unique natural incident, between mid June and mid July at sunset, depending on angles of the sunrays. An image resembling the silhouette ofAtatürk's face can be seen as a shadow on the hillside. It was first seen by a shepherd who was with his herd over the hill.[17]
