Divriği is a town of eleven thousand people in Sivas Province, Turkey, and is the district capital of Divriği District.[2][1] The town lies on a gentle slope on the south bank of the Çaltısuyu river, a tributary of the Karasu river which flows into the Euphrates.
Divriği | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Divriği Location in Turkey  Divriği Divriği (Turkey Central Anatolia) | |
| Coordinates: 39°22′N 38°07′E / 39.367°N 38.117°E | |
| Country | Turkey |
| Province | Sivas |
| District | Divriği |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Cihan Deniz Akbaş (CHP) |
| Population (2022)[1] | 10,800 |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (TRT) |
| Postal code | 58300 |
| Area code | 0346 |
| Website | www |
The 13th century Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği are on UNESCO's World Heritage List by virtue of the exquisite carvings and architecture of both buildings.[3] There are large iron mines nearby and the town is on the Turkish rail network.
History
edit
The Hittites may used the iron ore.[4]
In the 9th century the town was known as Abrik and controlled by the Paulicians with the support of Arabs and the emir of Malatya.[5] It had been founded ca. 850 by Karbeas, the leader of the Paulicians, a heretical Armenian sect that adhered to a dualistic cosmology. The Paulicians fortified it and used it as refuge and the capital of their state during the ninth century.[6]
Later called Tephrike, it was recaptured by the Byzantine Empire during the reign of Emperor Basil I and was temporarily named Leontokome (after Emperor Leo VI) and made into a thema.[6] In the early eleventh century, the town was part of the territory given to the Armenian king Seneqerim-Hovhannes of Vaspurakan in exchange for his lands in Vaspurakan.[6]
After the battle of Manzikert (present day Malazgirt), Divriği came under the control of the Sultanate of Rûm.[7] The Mengüjeks built the Great Mosque and hospital.[5] A medieval castle, with remains mostly from the thirteenth century, is situated on top of a steep hill overlooking the town.
Economy
editThe railway arrived in 1937 and exports ore from iron mines which still supports the economy of the town and national economy.[5][8] The Great Mosque and hospital is the main draw, and there are some other places which attract tourists.[9]
Climate
editDivriği has a dry-summer continental climate (Köppen: Dsa), bordering a semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSk),[10] with hot, dry summers, and cold, snowy winters.[11]
| Climate data for Divriği (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 2.6 (36.7) |
4.6 (40.3) |
11.0 (51.8) |
17.3 (63.1) |
22.5 (72.5) |
28.1 (82.6) |
32.7 (90.9) |
33.2 (91.8) |
28.2 (82.8) |
21.0 (69.8) |
11.9 (53.4) |
4.9 (40.8) |
18.2 (64.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −1.6 (29.1) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
5.5 (41.9) |
11.1 (52.0) |
15.6 (60.1) |
20.4 (68.7) |
24.5 (76.1) |
24.8 (76.6) |
20.1 (68.2) |
13.9 (57.0) |
6.2 (43.2) |
0.7 (33.3) |
11.8 (53.2) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −5.0 (23.0) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
0.7 (33.3) |
5.4 (41.7) |
9.3 (48.7) |
13.1 (55.6) |
16.5 (61.7) |
16.8 (62.2) |
12.5 (54.5) |
7.8 (46.0) |
1.5 (34.7) |
−2.5 (27.5) |
6.1 (43.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 33.74 (1.33) |
34.26 (1.35) |
43.84 (1.73) |
69.0 (2.72) |
51.4 (2.02) |
22.64 (0.89) |
8.7 (0.34) |
4.86 (0.19) |
13.95 (0.55) |
34.87 (1.37) |
29.55 (1.16) |
33.02 (1.30) |
379.83 (14.95) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 6.1 | 6.4 | 7.4 | 9.1 | 9.2 | 4.5 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 2.5 | 5.6 | 5.0 | 7.1 | 66.4 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 73.0 | 69.7 | 61.1 | 56.3 | 56.9 | 49.6 | 42.3 | 41.7 | 43.0 | 54.8 | 65.0 | 73.3 | 57.2 |
| Source: NOAA[12] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
editAbout 103 of the 109 villages are populated by Alevis. The majority of the Alevi population is Turkish, with a significant Kurdish Alevi minority.[13] Evliya Çelebi included that Divriği was made up of Greeks and Turkomans as well as Armenians and Kurds in his seyahatname.[14]
Notable people
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2022, Favorite Reports" (XLS). TÜİK. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ İlçe Belediyesi, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
- ^ "Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
- ^ Muhly, J. D.; Maddin, R.; Stech, T.; Özgen, E. (December 1985). "Iron in Anatolia and the Nature of the Hittite Iron Industry". Anatolian Studies. 35: 67–84. doi:10.2307/3642872. ISSN 2048-0849.
- ^ a b c "Divriği Belediye Başkanlığı | Sivas". www.divrigi.bel.tr. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
- ^ a b c Foss, Clive. "Tephrike". Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. vol. 3. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 2025.
- ^ Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture: Three-Volume Set. Oxford University Press.
- ^ "Ulusal Tez Merkezi | Anasayfa". tez.yok.gov.tr. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
- ^ "Divriği". korumakurullari.ktb.gov.tr. Retrieved 2024-10-26.
- ^ "Table 1 Overview of the Köppen-Geiger climate classes including the defining criteria". Nature: Scientific Data.
- ^ "Kar Örtülü Gün Sayısı" (PDF). MGM.
- ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Divriği". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
- ^ "Divriği hakkında tarihi bilgiler ve Divriği Alevi Köyleri". Alevi Haber (in Turkish). 24 June 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
- ^ Evliyâ Çelebi Seyahatnâmesi: III. p. 223. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
Sources
edit- (Book cover) Oktay Aslanapa (1991). Anadolu'da ilk Türk mimarisi: Başlangıcı ve gelişmesi (Early Turkish architecture in Anatolia: Beginnings and development) (in Turkish). AKM Publications, Ankara. ISBN 978-975-16-0264-0.
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Travel information from Wikivoyage