Iğdır

Iğdır is located in the Eastern Anatolia region where high plateaus and mountainous areas are located.
It also has Mount Ağrı which the highest mountain in turkey. 65% of the mountain, which is 5137 meters in height, is in Iğdır province and the remaining 35% is in Ağrı. The city consists of 3 towns and 165 villages.
The province that is located at an important cultural junction is adjacent to Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran and it is the only city of Turkey that has borders to three countries.The population is approximately 197.459 and today in Iğdır and has a mixed population of turkish and Kurds, both of whom comprise roughly half of the population

Name of Iğdır

The word Iğdır, which means” kindness, bravery, greatness”, is one of the 24 main branch of the Turkish Oghuz tribes. He is also the youngest of the six sons of Oghuz Khan, and the eldest of the Four Sons of Deniz Khan.
The first head of this tribe, to which belong the Karakoyunians, is Iğdir Bey. His real saying is”Igdir”. However Locals pronunciation is “İydir”

Also, it has arable soils due to its geolocical structure and climate characteristics
so the main livelihood of the people is agriculture and animal husbandry

Climate and vegetation

Iğdır’s climate is the continental climate of Eastern Anatolia Region. The plain of Iğdır are not much affected by the severe land climate seen in other parts of the Eastern Anatolia Region. The most important reason for this is that it is low compared to the high areas such as Mount Ararat. The average annual temperature is 11.6 ° C in the city of Iğdır, which forms a microclimate with its secluded location. However, in Kars, which is only 170 km away, this average is 4.2 ° C. In the plain, winters are softer than Erzurum-Kars plateau and summers are longer and warmer. The city has air temperatures that fall down to -30 ° C in winter and exceed 41 ° C in summer. It is one of low rainfall areas in Turkey The fact that it has a semi-arid climate caused the vegetation to be steppe which is the typical vegetation of Eastern Anatolia.

History

Surroundings of Iğdır is known that it has been used as a settlement for 4000 thousand years and has been the home of many civilizations and cultures throughout history.
Research shows that the first settlement in the region has been since the Paleolithic and Mesolithic periods. However, small stone tools and flint tools found in the plain of Igdir testify that the Chipped Stone Age also took place in this region.
First of all, Arsaklı nomads, who were Bulgarian Turks in 149 years, beat the scythians and made Karakale a royal Center located in Iğdır.
After the Malazgirt(Manzikert) War of the Byzantine Empire and Sultan Alparslan in 1071, Iğdır and its surroundings came under Seljuk rule. Although the region was home to many Turkish tribes, it remained mostly under Kayi administration. When the Mongol invasion began in 1239, the Kayı tribe left Sürmeli Pit and emigrated to the west to establish the Ottoman Empire.

Recently, the region remained under Russian rule between 1828-1917. Russia, who wanted to take the region under its rule, settled the Armenians here. The city, which witnessed many uprisings and conflicts between these dates, was seized by the armies of Kazım Karabekir Pasha on November 14, 1920. As a matter of fact, the date of November 14 in Iğdır is celebrated annually as the anniversary of the liberation of the province from the enemy occupation.

During the Republican years, Iğdır was connected to Kars province in 1934. This situation lasted until 1992. On 27 May 1992, he left the city of Kars with the law and it became Turkey’s 76th city.

FOLK GAMES

Sheik Shamil Game
Sheikh Shamil Game is the power of the Turkish resistance. It is said that in the long wars in the Caucasus, the Turkish hero, Shaykh Shamil, took this name to denote his resistance.
The birth of this game is explained as follows. Shamil and his friends were sent into exile with a ship when they fell captive,when the Russian soldiers started to have fun and played Shamil’s friends in the middle, they wanted to play with Shamil but Shamil announced that he would not play without a knife, he would play with them.He threw the knives in front of his friends during the game and gave them a message. With this message, Shamil and his friends attacked and escaped from the ship.
Gazağı
It’s one of the oldest games. It’s a pretty quick,moving, exuberant. In ancient times, the game is presumed to be played by those who go to war

Places to visit

Mount Ararat

Turkey’s highest mountain, poses in Igdir border with Iran. Its height is 5165 meters. It is an old volcanic mountain.

Harmandöven Caravanserai

It was built in the 12th century by Şerafettin Ejder Bey, the Emir of Sürmari during the Seljuk Period on the route of Batumi Tabriz Caravanserai

Martyr Turks Memorial and Museum

It symbolizes the Armenian attacks in the region between 1915-1920 and documents are kept. Around 4,000 visitors visit the museum each month. The 350 m² indoor museum consists of 2 pools and 5 swords of 36 m height. It is built around a green area and a park. Turkey’s highest monument.

Martyr Turks Memorial and Museum