Batman Province
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Batman Province Batman ili |
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|---|---|
| Province of Turkey | |
 Location of Batman Province in Turkey |
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| Country | Turkey |
| Region | Southeast Anatolia |
| Subregion | Mardin |
| Government | |
| • Electoral district | Batman |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4,649 km2 (1,795 sq mi) |
| Population (2010-12-31) | |
| • Total | 510,200 |
| • Density | 110/km2 (280/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 335.400 |
| Area code(s) | 0488 |
| Vehicle registration | 72 |
Batman Province (Turkish: Batman ili, Kurdish: Parêzgeha Batmanê) is a Turkish province southeast of Anatolia. The province's population exceeded 500,000 in 2010. The province is important because of its reserves and production of oil which was started in the 1940s. There is a 494-km long oil pipeline from Batman to the Turkish port of İskenderun. Cotton is the main agricultural product. A railway line connects Batman with the nearby provinces of Diyarbakır and Elâzığ and with the capital Ankara. The Batman River flows though the area. Batman (Kurdish: Êlih) with 246,700 inhabitants, is the provincial capital. The province is also of interest from an archeological point of view. Sights include the Imam Abdullah Dervish monastery, the bridge of Camiü‘r Rızk and Hasankeyf. The majority of the province's population is Kurdish.
The Batman Province contains the strategic Tigris river with fertile lands by its sides, as well as rocky hills with numerous caves providing a natural shelter. Therefore, it was inhabited from prehistoric times, likely from the Neolithic (Paleolithic) period, according to archeological evidence. First documented evidence of settlements in the province dates back to 7th century BC. An artificial "island" was created in this marshy area. It was named Elekhan, and had an independent status for 194 years from 546 BC till the invasion of Alexander the Great in 352 BC. The Batman Province was a religious center in the 4th–6th centuries AD and a part of the Byzantine Empire. In the 11th–12th centuries it was ruled by the Great Seljuq Empire and Artuqids, a part of which was based in the province, in the city of Hasankeyf. The city is a cultural center of the Batman Province and as such was declared as a natural conservation area in 1981.
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Wikipedia