Sarikamish
| Sarıkamış | |
|---|---|
 Sarıkamış
|
|
| Coordinates: 40°20′17″N 42°34′23″E / 40.33806°N 42.57306°ECoordinates: 40°20′17″N 42°34′23″E / 40.33806°N 42.57306°E | |
| Country |
 Turkey
|
| Province | Kars |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Göksal Toksoy (AKP) |
| • Kaymakam | Yusuf İzzet Karaman |
| Area | |
| • District | 1,971.01 km2 (761.01 sq mi) |
| Population (2012) | |
| • Urban | 19,727 |
| • District | 50,308 |
| • District density | 26/km2 (66/sq mi) |
| Post code | 36500 |
| Website | www |
Sarıkamış is a town and a district of Kars Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. Its population was 17,860 in 2010. The town sits in a valley and is surrounded by mountains, many of which are covered with pine forests. It has a subalpine climate, with average of 7–8 ft/2.1m-2.4m of snowfall; it has very long winters and short, dry summers. In recent years Sarıkamış has developed as a winter skiing resort, with one of the world's longest tracks.
Sarıkamış district neighbours the districts of Selim and Kağızman to East, Şenkaya and Horasan to West, Eleşkirt to South, Selim and Şenkaya to North and occupies an area of 1732 km2. Its average altitude is 1500-2000m, and Aladag Mountain, 3138m, is within its borders. Other important mountains are Süphan, Balıklı (2835m), Kösedağı (2599m), Çıplakdağ (2634m) and Soğanlı (2849m). The Kars and Aras rivers flow through it.
Extensive barracks from the Russian period surround the town and are still in use by the Turkish army. Other historical buildings include the town's former Russian cathedral, known locally as Yanik Kilise, now used as a mosque after being used as a cinema for many years. A hunting lodge, built for a visit by Czar Nicolas, is located at the edge of the pine forests.
For most of the 19th century, Sarikamish was an insignificant settlement that was divided into two parts: upper Sarikamish and lower Sarikamish.
Nothing is known of its earlier history, but nearby archaeological sites date from Urartian times: there is a Urartian fortress on a hill beside upper Sarikamish, another, 12 km away, beside Chatak village, and a third, 15 km away, at a site known as Yedikilise. To the east and south of the town, in the forests of Soğanlı, there were many medieval Armenian monasteries, but most were in ruins by 1878.
Seljuk sultan Alp Arslan invaded the Sarikamish area including Allahüekber Dağları and Soğanlı mountains in 1064, only a few years prior to the battle of Manzikert between the armies of Alp Arslan and Byzantines. The area was then taken by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1534 and became a liva of Kars sancak of the Ottoman Empire.
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Wikipedia