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Iğdır Province (Turkish: Iğdır ili) is a province in eastern Turkey, located along the border with Armenia, Azerbaijan (the area of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic), and Iran. Its adjacent provinces are Kars to the northwest and Ağrı to the west and south. It occupies an area of 3,587 km² and population of 184,418[2] (2010 est.), it was 168,634 in 2000 (up from 142,601 in 1990). It was created from southeastern part of former Kars Province in 1993.
Turkey's highest mountain, Mount Ararat (Ağrı Dağı) is in Iğdır, but much of the land is a wide plain far below the mountain. The climate is the warmest in this part of Turkey, cotton can be grown in Iğdır. Iğdır is where Noah is said to have thrived following the flood. The border with Armenia follows the Aras River.
The provincial capital is the city of Iğdır. The majority of the province's population is Kurdish.[3]
Iğdır province is divided into 4 districts (capital district in bold):
The area is named after a western Turkish clan Iğdıroğlu belonging to a branch of the Oghuz Turks. [4] They spread throughout Anatolia and there are towns and villages named Iğdır in Malatya and other parts of Turkey today.[5]
Archaeological research has uncovered Mongols fought through here for 400 years from 1064 onwards until the area was settled by Kara Koyunlu and then Ak Koyunlu Turkic tribes in the early 15th century.
For centuries, a constant warfare ensued between the two arch rivals, the Ottoman Empire and the Persian Empire from 1534 until 1746. The region, most of the time remaining in Persian hands, was officially ceded once again in 1746, when subsequently most of its land within the province of Iğdır today became part of the Erivan khanate, a Muslim principality in Persia. The northern part of the province remained in Persian hands until after the Russo-Persian War, 1826-1828 when it became part of the Russian Empire under the Treaty of Turkmenchay. Under Russian administration, the area became the Surmali uyezd (with its capital at the city of Iğdır) of the Armenian Oblast and later the Erivan Governorate. The southern half of the province remained in Ottoman hands through most of the 19th century but was also brought within the Russian Empire by Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78.
By the end of World War I, the whole area was under Russian control and Iğdır came under the administration of the First Republic of Armenia as part of the Ararat province but upon the arrival of the newly founded Turkish army, Iğdır was ceded to Turkey by the Soviet Union in the Treaty of Kars. A substantial Armenian population remained in the area throughout this history of struggle between great powers. Armenians formed the ethnic majority in the city of Iğdır itself until 1919–1920 when most either died or fled due to starvation and Turkish–Armenian War.[6] It was part of Beyazıt Province between 1922 and 1927, part of Ağrı Province (created after moving center of Beyazıt one from Beyazıt to Karaköse) between 1927 and 1934, and finally part of Kars Province between 1934 and 1993 before becoming separate province.[7]
Today, Iğdır has a mixed population of Azeris and Kurds, both of whom compromise roughly half of the population, the former primarily inhabiting the north and east of the province and the latter inhabiting the south and west of the province. Political scientist Nicole Watts suggests a majority of the province's population is Kurdish (as of 2010).[8] The ancient Iranian New Year known as Newroz to Kurds and Novruz to Azeris also is widely celebrated in Iğdır. The Kurds are Sunni Muslims belonging to the Shafi school while Azeri are Shia Muslims belonging to Ithnā‘ashariyyah school. The rural areas of Iğdır province have a higher population density (30 inhabitants/km²) than those of neighbouring provinces.
Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia, United Kingdom, Syria
Istanbul Province, Turkey, Mersin Province, Elazığ Province, Çanakkale Province
Turkey, Armenia, Provinces of Turkey, Kars, Ani
Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iğdır Province, Provinces of Turkey, Armenians
Ağrı, Doğubeyazıt, Turkey, Iran, Ottoman Empire
Turkey, Iğdır Province, Provinces of Turkey, Armenia, Ottoman Empire
Turkey, Iğdır Province, Provinces of Turkey, Armenia, Kara Koyunlu
Turkey, Iğdır Province, Civil service, Turkish Government, Turkish language