Arapgir

Arapgir
Arapgir
Coordinates: 39°02′N 38°29′E / 39.033°N 38.483°E / 39.033; 38.483Coordinates: 39°02′N 38°29′E / 39.033°N 38.483°E / 39.033; 38.483
Country	Turkey
Province	Malatya
Government
• Mayor	Haluk Cömertoğlu (AKP)
• Kaymakam	Engin Aksakal
Area
• District	973.93 km2 (376.04 sq mi)
Population (2012)
• Urban	6,120
• District	10,972
• District density	11/km2 (29/sq mi)
Post code	44800
Website	www.arapgir.bel.tr

Arapgir (Armenian: Արաբկիր) is a town and district of Malatya Province, Turkey. As of 2000 it had a population of 17,070 people. It is situated at the confluence of the eastern and western Euphrates river, but some miles from the right bank of the combined streams. Arapgir is connected with Sivas by a chaussée, prolonged to the Euphrates river. The present town was built in the mid-19th century, but about 2 miles north-east is the old town, now called Eskişehir ("old city" in Turkish). Its current mayor is Haluk Cömertoğlu (AKP).

The old town of Arapgir was founded by the Armenian King Senek'erim-Hovhannes in 1021, who had exchanged his kingdom for estates in the central lands of the Byzantine Empire. It remained under Byzantine Empire's control until 1071, when the Seljuk dynasty conquered the city. In the fourteenth century the Ottoman Empire gained the city from the Seljuks. Under Ottoman rule, Arapgir was part of Mamuret-el-Aziz Province. The town was famous for the grapes and mulberries that grew in the area. The city was known as Arabraces during Byzantine rule (Αραβράκης in Byzantine Greek).

Arapgir was the site of a fascinating story of rising textile imports and industrial growth as of the 1830s. In 1836, some 1,000 looms in Arapgir were weaving cotton goods from British yarn and by 1907, some 1,200. Durability and color fastness of locally made manusa textile also retained its competitive position. The city grew larger than the province (vilayet) center of Harput and a municipal administration was established in 1883.

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