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| '''Kars''' (]: Ղարս or Կարս, ]: Qers) is a city in northeast ] and the capital of the ], formerly at the head of a ] in the ] ] of ]. It is situated in {{coor dm|40|37|N|43|6|E|}}. ]: 8,672 (]); 20,891 (]); 54,000 (]); 142,145 (]); 130,361 (]). | '''Kars''' (]: Ղարս or Կարս, ]: Qers) is a city in northeast ] and the capital of the ], formerly at the head of a ] in the ] ] of ]. It is situated in {{coor dm|40|37|N|43|6|E|}}. ]: 8,672 (]); 20,891 (]); 54,000 (]); 142,145 (]); 130,361 (]). | ||
| == History == | |||
| ] by an ]. The river which led to ] can be seen on the upper left. On the upper right can be seen three red domed structures, marked by a number one, which are outdoor lavatories. The ] can be seen on the right. Note the two large domed Armenian churches in the middle and lower section of the picture.]] | |||
| In the ] the region surrounding Kars was an ] Kingdom, ruled by the ] family. Later on, Kars was captured by the ], by the ] in the ], and by ] (Tamerlane) in ]. The city later permanently went under Ottoman rule until 1877. The citadel built by Ottoman Sultan ] was strong enough to withstand a ] by ] of ], in ], and in ] it successfully resisted the ]. After a brave defence it surrendered on ], ] to the Russian general Count ], 11,000 men becoming ]. During the ] the Turkish ], guided by General ] and other foreign officers, kept the Russians at bay during a ]; but after the garrison had been devastated by ] and food had utterly failed, nothing was left but to ] in November of ]. The ] was again stormed by the Russians in the ] during the ] under generals ] and ] and on its conclusion was transferred to ] by the ]. | |||
| ] | |||
| ] lost Kars, ] and ] by the ] on ], 1918. The Turks took back control in Kars on ], ] and the ] was established in the zone, but when the ] (]) was established the Ottoman army withdrew to the frontiers of 1914. The British occupied Batum but the Ottomans refused to relinquish Kars; its military governor constituted a provisional government led by Fahrettin Pirioglu that claimed Turkish sovereignty over Kars and the Turkish-speaking and Islamic neighbouring regions to Batum and ] (]). The region was occupied by ] in January 1919 but the pro-Turkish government was supported in the city of Kars until the arrival of the British troops, who dissolved it on ] ], sending its leaders to ]. Kars was given to Armenia together with Iğdır in May ]. The Turkish-Armenian war of September-December/1920, and the fall of the First Republic resulted in the treaty of Alexandropol signed by the representatives of Armenia and Turkey on December 2 1920, in accordance with which Armenia was to give up all the territories granted to her by the treaty of Sevres and to cede to Turkey about 60 per cent of her prewar territory including Kars. | |||
| Following the ], Turkey signed the ] (October 23, 1921) with the Soviet Union in which Turkey relinquished claims to Batum in return for sovereignty over Kars and Ardahan. The government of Armenia to the present day, does not officially recognize the current border. The borders as defined by the treaty of Kars, are far from been fair from the point of view of Armenian nationalists many of whom still consider the Treaty of Sevres as the basis for the resolution of Armenian-Turkish animosity. The Soviets attempted to negotiate with Turkey to at least allow them access to the ancient ruins of ] as it poses no regional significance to Turkey. However, Ankara rufused these attempts and the border between Armenia and Turkey has remained unchanged for nearly a century. Since the ], the borders between Armenia and Turkey have been closed in retaliation for Armenia's occupation of Karabakh. Kars Mayor ], believes that the border should be opened again and that there should be no nationalist sentiment against the Armenians. | |||
| ==Kars Citadel== | ==Kars Citadel== | ||
Revision as of 05:05, 14 September 2006
Kars (Armenian: Ղարս or Կարս, Kurdish: Qers) is a city in northeast Turkey and the capital of the Kars Province, formerly at the head of a sanjak in the Turkish vilayet of Erzurum. It is situated in 40°37′N 43°6′E / 40.617°N 43.100°E / 40.617; 43.100. Population: 8,672 (1878); 20,891 (1897); 54,000 (1970); 142,145 (1990); 130,361 (2000).
Kars Citadel
As a city at the juncture of Armenian, Caucasian, Russian, and Turkish cultures, the buildings of Kars come in a variety of architectures. Kars Castle (Kars Kalesi) also known as the Kars citadel) sits atop a rocky hill overlooking Kars. Its walls date back to the Bagratid Armenian period (there is surviving masonry on the north side of the castle) but it probably took on its present form during the 13th century when Kars was ruled by the Zakarid dynasty. The walls bear crosses in several places, including a khachkar with a building inscription in Armenian on the easternmost tower, so the much repeated mantra that Kars kastle was built by Ottoman Sultan Murad III during the war with Persia, at the close of the 16th century is false. However, Sultan Murad probably did reconstruct much of the city walls (they are similar to those that the Ottoman army constructed at Ardahan). At the foot of the plateau is St. Arak'elos Cathedral, or the Church of the Apostles. Built in the 10th century, it constitutes a domed tetraconch atop a square base with four apses. The drum of the dome features bas relief depictions of The Twelve Apostles and the dome itself is covered by a conical roof. It housed a small museum in the 1960s and 1970s, then stood derelict for about two decades until its conversion into a mosque in 1998.
Kars in popular culture
- Kars is the setting of the novel 'Kar' ('Snow') by famous Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk.
- The Armenian poet Yeghishe Charents was born in Kars.
- The philosopher and mystic G. I. Gurdjieff grew up in Kars.
- Famous Turkish actress Hulya Avsar has a familial relation with Kars.
- Famous Turkish actor Tamer Karadagli was born in Kars.
External links
- Kars Governor's Office
- Kars Guide and Photo Album by Luc Wouters
- Kars Weather Forecast Information
- Treaty of Kars
- Atlas of Conflicts: The Treaty of Kars and Its Geopolitical Implications on Armenia by Dr. Andrew Andersen, Ph.D.
- VirtualANI - A history and description of the city of Kars
- Pictures of the city and the nearby city of Ani
- Armenian History and Presence in Kars
References
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)
