Oltu
| Oltu | |
|---|---|
 Oltu
|
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| Coordinates: 40°32′59″N 41°59′59″E / 40.54972°N 41.99972°ECoordinates: 40°32′59″N 41°59′59″E / 40.54972°N 41.99972°E | |
| Country |
 Turkey
|
| Province | Erzurum |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | İbrahim Ziyrek (AKP) |
| • Kaymakam | Eyüp Tepe |
| Area | |
| • District | 1,394.09 km2 (538.26 sq mi) |
| Population (2012) | |
| • Urban | 22,127 |
| • District | 32,617 |
| • District density | 23/km2 (61/sq mi) |
| Post code | 25400 |
| Climate | Dfb |
| Website | www |
Oltu (Georgian: ოლთისი, Oltisi; Armenian: Ողթիկ, Voght'ik; Russian: Ольта, Olta,) is a town and district of Erzurum Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. The mayor is İbrahim Ziyrek (AKP). The population was 19,969 in 2010.
An inscription found in Oltu’s castle has been dated to the 7th century A.D.(see below), but the settlement is known to have been established much earlier. The city-fortress had once belonged to the Mamikonian nakharars and later passed into the hands of the Bagratunis. Administratively, it was found within the borders of the region of Vok'aghe in the province of Tao. The first mention of Oltu as a fortified settlement is in the 9th century when the Georgian Bagratids occupied this region. After the death of the Iberian Kuropalates David in 1000, the troops of Emperor Basil II occupied the castles and towns in the region of Tao-Tayk‛, which included Oltu. In the following centuries, Oltu successively passed into the control of the Seljuk Turks, the Mongols and Turkmen tribes, all the while retaining its Armenian identity. The Ottomans conquered Olti from the Georgians in the sixteenth century.
In the summer of 1829, the Russians took control of the region but relinquished it to the Ottomans. During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78, the town was incorporated into the Russian Empire and made a part of Kars Oblast. Prior to the out break of the First World War Olti had a population of 2,373. In last months of 1918, Olti was nominally part of Democratic Republic of Georgia but it was ruled by Turkish warlords. In 1919, Oltu was annexed by the Democratic Republic of Armenia. The following year, the Turkish armies in Eastern Anatolia led by Kazım Karabekir invaded Armenia during the Turkish War of National Liberation and recovered Oltu, a territorial gain which was confirmed in subsequent treaties signed between the Turks and the Soviets.
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Wikipedia