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{{Short description|Province of Turkey}} {{Short description|Province of Turkey}}
{{pp-move-indef}} {{pp-move}}
{{Infobox settlement {{Infobox Turkey place
|type=province
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->| name = Tunceli Province
|name=Tunceli Province|image_map=Dersim_in_Turkey.svg
| native_name = <!-- if different from the English name -->
|map_caption=Location within Turkey
| native_name_lang = tr<!-- ISO 639-2 code e.g. "tr" for Turkish. If more than one, use {{lang}} instead -->
|seat=]
| settlement_type = ]
|area_total_km2=7582
| image_skyline = Dêrsim.jpg
|population_total=89317
| image_caption = Tunceli in Munzur valley
|population_as_of=2023
| image_flag =
|image_skyline=Munzur nehri Tunceli merkez ,.jpg
| image_seal = <!-- maps and coordinates ------>
|image_caption=The Munzur River runs through the province
| image_map = Dersim_in_Turkey.svg
|leader_name=Bülent Tekbıyıkoğlu
| mapsize = 300px
|population_footnotes=<ref name=tuik/>
| map_caption = Location of Tunceli Province in Turkey
|leader_title=]|area_code=0428<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822080457/http://www.ttrehber.turktelekom.com.tr/trk-web/alankodlari.html |date=2011-08-22 }} {{in lang|tr}}</ref>
<!-- location ------------------>| subdivision_type = Country
|established_date=25 December 1935
| subdivision_name = ]
| website = {{url|http://www.tunceli.gov.tr/}}
| subdivision_type1 = ]
| subdivision_name1 = ]
| subdivision_type2 = ]
| subdivision_name2 = ]
| subdivision_type3 = ]
| subdivision_name3 = ]
| seat_type = Provincial seat and largest city
| seat1_type = Largest city
| seat1 = <!-- coordinates -->
| coordinates = <!-- government type, leaders -->
| leader_title = ]
| leader_name = ]
| leader_title1 = Governor
| leader_name1 = Mehmet Ali Özkan
| total_type = Total
| area_total_km2 = 7,774
| population_footnotes = {{wikidata|reference|P1082|P585=2018}}
| population_total = {{wikidata|property|raw|P1082|P585=2018}}
| population_as_of = 2018
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_rural =
| area_code_type = <!-- defaults to: Area code(s) -->
| area_code = 0428<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822080457/http://www.ttrehber.turktelekom.com.tr/trk-web/alankodlari.html |date=2011-08-22 }} {{in lang|tr}}</ref>
| registration_plate = 62
| website =
| footnotes =
| official_name =
| established_title = Foundation
| established_date = 25 December 1935
}} }}

'''Tunceli Province''' ({{langx|tr|Tunceli ili}}), formerly '''Dersim Province''' ({{langx|ku|Parêzgeha Dêrsim}}; {{langx|diq|Dêsim wilayet}}; {{Langx|hy|Դերսիմի մարզ}}), is a ] in the ] of ].<ref name=":03">{{Cite web |title=Türkiye Mülki İdare Bölümleri Envanteri |url=https://www.e-icisleri.gov.tr/Anasayfa/MulkiIdariBolumleri.aspx |access-date=19 December 2022 |website=T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı |language=tr}}</ref> Its central city is ]. The province is considered part of ] and has a ] majority. Moreover, it is the only province in Turkey with an ] majority.<ref>{{cite book|last=Watts|first=Nicole F.|title=Activists in Office: Kurdish Politics and Protest in Turkey (Studies in Modernity and National Identity)|date=2010|publisher=University of Washington Press|isbn=978-0-295-99050-7|location=Seattle|page=}}</ref><ref name=IslamEncyclopaedia>{{Cite journal|date=2002|title=Kurds, Kurdistān|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/kurds-kurdistan-COM_0544?s.num=167&s.start=100|journal=Encyclopaedia of Islam|edition=2|publisher=]|isbn=9789004161214}}</ref> The province has eight municipalities, 366 villages and 1,087 ].<ref name=":03" />
'''Tunceli Province''' (]: Tunceli ili'',''<ref name="official2">{{cite web |title=Mevcut İller Listesi |url=http://www.illeridaresi.gov.tr/ortak_icerik/illeridaresi/ilveilce/Mevcut%20İller%20Listesi.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150404102517/http://www.illeridaresi.gov.tr/ortak_icerik/illeridaresi/ilveilce/Mevcut%20%C4%B0ller%20Listesi.pdf |archive-date=4 April 2015 |access-date=15 January 2015 |publisher=İller idaresi |language=tr}}</ref> ]: Parêzgeha Dêrsimê,<ref>{{cite news |date=27 August 2019 |title=Li Dêrsimê şer |language=ku |work=Rûpela nû |url=http://www.rupelanu.com/li-dersime-ser-6638h.htm |access-date=17 December 2019}}</ref> ]: Dêsim wilayet; ]: Դերսիմի մարզ, {{Small|romanized}}: Dersimi marz), formerly '''Dersim Province''', is located in the ] of ]. The least densely-populated ] in Turkey, it was originally named ''Dersim Province'' (''Dersim vilayeti''), then demoted to a district (''Dersim kazası'') and incorporated into ] in 1926.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801045931/http://www.tbmm.gov.tr/TBMM_Album/Cilt1/index.html |date=2013-08-01 }}, Vol. 1, p. XXII, Dersim İli, 26.06.1926 tarih ve 404 sayılı Resmi Ceride'de yayımlanan 30.5.1926 tarih ve 877 sayılı Kanunla ilçeye dönüstürülerek Elazıg'a bağlanmıştır.</ref>

== History ==
] dynasty]]

=== Antiquity ===
This region was known as Ishuva in the 2000s BC. As a result of the struggle of the Ishuva Kingdom, which was established by the ] in the region, with the ], the region came under the rule of the Hittites in the 1600s BC. Then, it came under the domination of the ] and formed the westernmost part of the country of Urartu. After that, it was ruled by ] and the ], and after that it was ruled by ], king of ].{{Sfn|Tuncel|2012|pp=380–381}}

=== Ottoman Empire rule ===

Although the presence of ] was beginning to be felt in the region after ] defeated the ] in 1473, its incorporation into Ottoman lands took place after the ] in 1514, during the reign of ]. However, the harsh and rugged geographical structure of the region helped preserved its autonomy, keeping the control of the region away from the centralized government. The people of Dersim displayed rebellious attitudes during the weak periods of the central administrations.{{Sfn|Tuncel|2012|pp=380–381}} Various ] and Alevi Kurdish rebellions took place in the region in 1877, 1885, 1892, 1907, 1911, 1914 and ].{{Sfn|Tuncel|2012|pp=380–381}}

=== In Turkey ===
With the abolition of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey became the owner of the region. It was originally named Dersim Province (Dersim vilayeti), then demoted to a district (Dersim ]) and incorporated into ] in 1926.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801045931/http://www.tbmm.gov.tr/TBMM_Album/Cilt1/index.html |date=2013-08-01 }}, Vol. 1, p. XXII, Dersim İli, 26.06.1926 tarih ve 404 sayılı Resmi Ceride'de yayımlanan 30.5.1926 tarih ve 877 sayılı Kanunla ilçeye dönüstürülerek Elazıg'a bağlanmıştır.</ref> In 1935, the Tunceli Law was passed, which established a state of emergency in the region, changed its name to Tunceli and made it a separate province consisting of the Nazımiye, Hozat, Mazgirt, Pertek, Ovacık, and Çemişgezek districts of Elazığ Province and the Pülümür District of Erzincan Province.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hükümet Konağı Tarihçe |url=http://www.tunceli.gov.tr/hukumet-konagi-tarihce |access-date=2022-05-05 |website=tunceli.gov.tr}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Kieser |first=Hans-Lukas |date=2016-01-19 |title=Dersim Massacre, 1937-1938 |url=https://www.sciencespo.fr/mass-violence-war-massacre-resistance/en/document/dersim-massacre-1937-1938.html |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=www.sciencespo.fr |language=en}}</ref><ref>, Resmî Gazete, 4 January 1936.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=İl İdaresi ve Mülki Bölümler Şube Müdürlüğü İstatistikleri - İl ve İlçe Kuruluş Tarihleri |url=https://www.icisleri.gov.tr/kurumlar/icisleri.gov.tr/IcSite/illeridaresi/İstatistiki%20Bilgiler/İl%20İdaresi%20ve%20Mülki%20Bölümler/il%20ilce%20kurulus%20tarihleri_2019.pdf |access-date=25 October 2023|page=81 |language=tr}}</ref> In January 1936, the ] (''Umumi Müfettişlik,'' UM) was created, which spanned the provinces of Elazığ, Erzincan, Bingöl and Tunceli and was governed by a Governor-Commander, who had the authority to evacuate whole villages and resettle them in other regions.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Bayir |first=Derya |title=Minorities and Nationalism in Turkish Law |date=2016-04-22 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-09579-8 |pages=139–141 |language=en}}</ref> This effectively established military rule in those provinces, and significant military infrastructure was established in the region.<ref name=":7" /> Judicial guarantees such as the right to appeal were suspended, and the Governor-Commander had the right to apply the death penalty, whereas normally this would have to be approved by the ].<ref name=":0" /> In 1937{{En dash}}1938, the ] took place in Tunceli Province and the adjacent regions, which resulted in the massacre of 30,000 Kurds and displacement of tens of thousands of inhabitants of the region by Turkish forces.<ref name=":7" /> In 1946 the Tunceli Law was abolished and the state of emergency removed but the authority of the Fourth UM was transferred to the military.<ref name=":0" /> Some of the deported families were allowed to return home.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=McDowall |first=David |url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/939584596 |title=A Modern History of the Kurds |publisher=I. B. Tauris |year=2007 |isbn=9781850434160 |location=London and New York |pages=105, 209 |oclc=939584596}}</ref> The ] were dissolved in 1952 during the government of the ].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Fleet|first1=Kate|title=The Cambridge History of Turkey|last2=Kunt|first2=I. Metin|last3=Kasaba|first3=Reşat|last4=Faroqhi|first4=Suraiya|date=2008-04-17|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-62096-3|pages=343|language=en}}</ref>

Since the 1970s, Tunceli Province has been a stronghold for groups such as the ] and the ].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Dinc |first1=Pinar |last2=Eklund |first2=Lina |last3=Shahpurwala |first3=Aiman |last4=Mansourian |first4=Ali |last5=Aturinde |first5=Augustus |last6=Pilesjö |first6=Petter |date=2021-08-01 |title=Fighting Insurgency, Ruining the Environment: the Case of Forest Fires in the Dersim Province of Turkey |journal=Human Ecology |language=en |volume=49 |issue=4 |pages=481–493 |doi=10.1007/s10745-021-00243-y |s2cid=237770099 |issn=1572-9915|doi-access=free }}</ref>

==== Name changes ====
Before and after the ], any villages and towns deemed to have non-Turkish names were renamed and given Turkish names in order to ] any non-Turkish heritage.{{Sfn|Nişanyan|2011|p=14}}{{Sfn|Tunçel|2000|p=1}}<ref>T.C İçişleri Bakanlığı İller İdaresi Genel Müdürlüğü (1968). .</ref> During the Turkish Republican era, the words Kurdistan and Kurds were banned. The Turkish government had disguised the presence of the Kurds statistically by categorizing them as '']''.{{Sfn|Hooglund|1996|p=95}}{{Sfn|Bartkus|1999|p=91}}

Linguist ] estimates that 4,000 Kurdish geographical locations have been changed (both Zazaki and Kurmanji).{{Sfn|Nişanyan|2011|p=54}} Prior to the name changes, Many villages in Tunceli had recognizably Armenian names, often in corrupted forms.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Gasparyan |first=H. H. |date=1979 |title=Dersim (Patmaazgagrakan aknark) |trans-title=Dersim (historical-ethnographical outline) |url=https://arar.sci.am/dlibra/publication/190126/edition/172667/content |journal=Patma-Banasirakan Handes |language=hy |volume=2 |pages=195–210 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306043324/http://hpj.asj-oa.am/3151/1/1979-2%28195%29.pdf |archive-date=2014-03-06}}</ref> The people of Tunceli have been actively fighting to get their province reverted to its old Kurdish name "Dersim". Turkey's ruling ] (AK Party) claimed they are working on what it called a “democratization package” that includes the restoration of the Kurdish name of the eastern province of Tunceli back to Dersim in early 2013, but there has been no updates or news of it since then.<ref>. ''Today's Zaman''. (in Turkish). "Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is working on what it called a “democratization package” that includes the restoration of the Kurdish name of the eastern province of Tunceli. The original name of the province was Dersim and was changed to Tunceli in 1935."</ref> The local authority decided to call it Dersim in May 2019, while the Governor said it was against the law to call it Dersim.<ref>. ''Ahval''. (in Turkish). "The local authority in Tunceli in eastern Turkey decided this month to call the city and the province by its Kurdish name–Dersim–saying the Turkish name, which means bronze fist, did not represent the culture, history or religious beliefs of an area often at odds with central government."</ref>]


== Geography == == Geography ==
{{See also|Munzur Valley National Park}} {{See also|Munzur Valley National Park}}
]
]
]
]]]
The adjacent provinces are ] to the north and west, ] to the south, and ] to the east. The province covers an area of {{convert|7774|sqkm|sqmi|abbr=on}} and has a population of 76,699. Tunceli is traversed by the northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude. The ] is also situated in the province.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nationalparksofturkey.org/munzur-valley-national-park-en|title=Munzur Valley National Park {{!}} National Parks Of Turkey|website=www.nationalparksofturkey.org|language=en|access-date=2020-04-11}}</ref> The adjacent provinces are ] to the north and west, ] to the south, and ] to the east. The province covers an area of {{convert|7582|sqkm|sqmi|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.harita.gov.tr/uploads/files-folder/il_ilce_alanlari.xlsx|title=İl ve İlçe Yüz ölçümleri|publisher=General Directorate of Mapping|access-date=22 May 2023}}</ref> Tunceli is traversed by the northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude. ] in the ] is also located in the province.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nationalparksofturkey.org/munzur-valley-national-park-en|title=Munzur Valley National Park {{!}} National Parks Of Turkey|website=www.nationalparksofturkey.org|language=en|access-date=2020-04-11}}</ref> ] is one of the largest lakes in Tunceli province.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Munzur Dağları'ndaki Karagöl, doğal güzelliğiyle doğaseverleri ağırlıyor |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/yasam/munzur-daglarindaki-karagol-dogal-guzelligiyle-dogaseverleri-agirliyor/2651339# |access-date=2022-08-02 |website=aa.com.tr |language=tr}}</ref> Others are Lake Çinili and Lake Baraların.<ref name="Zeynel Çılğın">{{Cite web |date=2006 |title=Ovacık Ovası (Tunceli) ve çevresinin jeomorfolojisi |url=https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/TezGoster?key=wBmNpkQC9Nhi90NLW7E7-QzN__zmh4NOnJ53cVDtsy9FPPureLH3BkSm6EEZeVvZ |archive-url= |archive-date= |publisher=], Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Coğrafya Anabilim Dalı |page=40 |language=Turkish}}</ref>


Tunceli Province is a plateau characterized by its high, thickly forested mountain ranges. The historical region of Dersim, which largely corresponds to Tunceli Province, lies roughly between the ] and ] rivers, both tributaries of the ].<ref name=":1">{{cite journal |last1=Arakelova |first1=Victoria |last2=Grigorian |first2=Christine |title=The Halvori Vank': An Armenian Monastery and a Zaza Sanctuary |url=https://www.academia.edu/8162093 |access-date=1 May 2018 |website=academia.edu}}</ref> Tunceli Province is a plateau characterized by its high, thickly forested mountain ranges. The historical region of Dersim, which largely corresponds to Tunceli Province, lies roughly between the ] and ] rivers, both tributaries of the ].<ref name=":1">{{cite journal |last1=Arakelova |first1=Victoria |last2=Grigorian |first2=Christine |title=The Halvori Vank': An Armenian Monastery and a Zaza Sanctuary |url=https://www.academia.edu/8162093 |access-date=1 May 2018 |website=academia.edu}}</ref>
].]] ].]]

=== Districts ===
Tunceli Province is divided into 8 ] (the capital district is in '''bold'''):<ref name=":03" />
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ''']'''
{{clear left}}


== Name == == Name ==
Tunceli, which is a modern name, literally means "bronze fist" in Turkish (''tunç'' meaning "bronze" and ''eli'' (in this context) meaning "fist"). It shares the name with the military operation that the ] was conducted under.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Massacre in Dersim Still Haunts Kurds in Turkey |url=https://jacobin.com/2021/01/massacre-dersim-turkey-kurds-erdogan |access-date=2022-11-05 |website=jacobin.com |language=en-US}}</ref> Tunceli, which is a modern name, literally means "bronze fist" in Turkish (''tunç'' meaning "bronze" and ''eli'' (in this context) meaning "fist"). It shares the name with the military operation that the ] was conducted under.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Massacre in Dersim Still Haunts Kurds in Turkey |url=https://jacobin.com/2021/01/massacre-dersim-turkey-kurds-erdogan |access-date=2022-11-05 |website=jacobin.com |language=en-US}}</ref>


According to ], it is noteworthy that six centuries before Christ, Greek historians and geographers called the Dersim region Daranis, and in the ] of ], this region is called Zuza, and the term Zuza is similar to the word ], which is the "Kurdish dialect" spoken in Dersim and its region.{{Sfn|Dersimi|1952|p=1}} According to another thesis, estimated that the name Dersim (Der-sîm "silver gate" in ]) was given to the region, which frequently changed hands between the ] and ] during the Byzantine period.{{Sfn|Tuncel|2012|p=380–381}} It has been proposed that the name Dersim is connected with various placenames mentioned by ancient and classical writers, such as Daranis, Derxene (a district of ] mentioned by ]), and ]/Daranaghi (a district of Armenia mentioned by ], ], and ]).<ref name=":5">Korkmaz, M. (2012). . Ankara: Alter Yayıncılık, pp. 164{{En dash}}169. Archived from on 2022-05-04.</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite encyclopedia |year=1977 |title=Daranaghi |encyclopedia=Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia |url=https://hy.wikisource.org/%D4%B7%D5%BB:%D5%80%D5%A1%D5%B5%D5%AF%D5%A1%D5%AF%D5%A1%D5%B6_%D5%8D%D5%B8%D5%BE%D5%A5%D5%BF%D5%A1%D5%AF%D5%A1%D5%B6_%D5%80%D5%A1%D5%B6%D6%80%D5%A1%D5%A3%D5%AB%D5%BF%D5%A1%D6%80%D5%A1%D5%B6_(Soviet_Armenian_Encyclopedia)_3.djvu/311 |last= |first= |volume=3 |pages=311 |language=hy}}</ref> One theory as to the origin of the name associates it with ].<ref name=":5" /> It has been proposed that the name Dersim is connected with various placenames mentioned by ancient and classical writers, such as Daranis, Derxene (a district of ] mentioned by ]), and ]s/Daranaghi (a district of Armenia mentioned by ], ], and ]).<ref name=":5">Korkmaz, M. (2012). . Ankara: Alter Yayıncılık, pp. 164{{En dash}}169. Archived from on 2022-05-04.</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite encyclopedia |year=1977 |title=Daranaghi |encyclopedia=Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia |url=https://hy.wikisource.org/%D4%B7%D5%BB:%D5%80%D5%A1%D5%B5%D5%AF%D5%A1%D5%AF%D5%A1%D5%B6_%D5%8D%D5%B8%D5%BE%D5%A5%D5%BF%D5%A1%D5%AF%D5%A1%D5%B6_%D5%80%D5%A1%D5%B6%D6%80%D5%A1%D5%A3%D5%AB%D5%BF%D5%A1%D6%80%D5%A1%D5%B6_(Soviet_Armenian_Encyclopedia)_3.djvu/311 |last= |first= |volume=3 |pages=311 |language=hy}}</ref> One theory as to the origin of the name associates it with ].<ref name=":5" />


One Armenian folk tradition derives the name Dersim from a certain 17th-century priest named Der Simon, who, fearing the maurading ], proposed that his parishioners convert to the Alevi faith of their Kurdish neighbors. The proposal was accepted, and the Armenian converts renamed their home region Dersimon in honor of their religious leader, which later transformed into Dersim.{{Sfn|Halajyan|1973|p=249–250}} One Armenian folk tradition derives the name Dersim from a certain 17th-century priest named Der Simon, who, fearing the maurading ], proposed that his parishioners convert to the Alevi faith of their Kurdish neighbors. The proposal was accepted, and the Armenian converts renamed their home region Dersimon in honor of their religious leader, which later transformed into Dersim.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Halajyan |first=Gevorg |url=https://arar.sci.am/dlibra/publication/11561/edition/10202/content |title=Dersimi hayeri azgagrutʻyuně, masn A |publisher=Haykakan SSH GA hratarakchʻutʻyun |year=1973 |location=Yerevan |pages=249–250 |language=hy |trans-title=Ethnography of the Dersim Armenians, part I}}</ref>


== History == == Demographics ==
]
] dynasty]]
]
Tunceli Province has the lowest population density of any province in Turkey, at just 12 inhabitants/km<sup>2</sup>. Its population is 89,317 (2023).<ref name=tuik>{{Cite web |title=Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2023, Favorite Reports|url=https://biruni.tuik.gov.tr/medas/?kn=95&locale=tr |access-date=10 May 2024|publisher=]|language=tr|format=XLS}}</ref>


=== Antiquity === === Language ===
In 1927, Tunceli's language distribution was 69.5% ] and ], 29.8% ] and 0.74% ].<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal|last=Sertel|first=Savaş|date=2016-01-31|title=TÜRKİYE CUMHURİYETİ'NİN İLK GENEL NÜFUS SAYIMINA GÖRE DERSİM BÖLGESİNDE DEMOGRAFİK YAPI|url=https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/firatsbed/issue/17003/177659|journal=Fırat Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi|volume=24|issue=1|doi=10.18069/fusbed.82073|issn=1300-9702|doi-access=free}}</ref> Kurmanji Kurdish is the main dialect around ], while Zazaki is spoken in ], ], ] and ]. Both Kurmanji and Zaza are spoken in Tunceli town and ].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Malmîsanij |first=Mehemed |author-link=Mehemed Malmîsanij |date=1988 |title=Dımıli ve Kurmanci Lehçelerinin Köylere Göre. Dağılımı |journal=Berhem |language=ku, tr |volume=3 |pages=62–67}}</ref>
This region was known as Ishuva in the 2000s BC. As a result of the struggle of the Ishuva Kingdom, which was established by the ] in the region, with the ], this place passed under the rule of the Hittites towards the 1600s BC. Then it came under the domination of the ] and formed the westernmost part of the country of Urartu. After that, it was ruled by ] and the ], next it passed into the hands of the ], king of ].{{Sfn|Tuncel|2012|p=380–381}} During the reign of ], the king of ] of the ], Dersim was annexed to the kingdom of Armenia, even after the fall of the Artaxiad dynasty, Dersim remained loyal to them and did not submit to the ].{{Sfn|Dersimi|1952|p=73}}
]


=== Medieval === ===Zazas/Alevis===
{{Further|Zazas|Kurdish Alevism}}
After the acceptance of Christianity as the official religion in Armenia, as in many territories subject to Armenia, Dersim, the people resisted the influence of the new religion and adhered to their old religious traditions.{{Sfn|Dersimi|1952|p=73}} After the ] occupied the western parts of Armenian state, they deported as many of the Dersimites as they could capture to Thrace and made these refugees serve as soldiers against the Bulgarian invasion. Despite all Byzantine "tricks", the people of Dersim were able to prevent the establishment of Byzantine influence in their neighbourhood.{{Sfn|Dersimi|1952|p=73–74}} Also the Seljuks defeated Byzantine empire in 1093 but the people of Dersim did not submit to the ].{{Sfn|Dersimi|1952|p=74}}
The majority of Tunceli's population are ] and most of them practice ].<ref name=IslamEncyclopaedia>{{Cite journal|date=2002|title=Kurds, Kurdistān|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/kurds-kurdistan-COM_0544?s.num=167&s.start=100|journal=Encyclopaedia of Islam|edition=2|publisher=]|isbn=9789004161214}}</ref> The Zazas migrated into Dersim during the 10th-12th centuries, probably originating from the ] region of northern ].<ref name=":Iranica">{{Cite web|title=DIMLĪ|url=https://iranicaonline.org/articles/dimli|access-date=2021-09-22|website=Encyclopaedia Iranica|language=en-US}}</ref> Today, the Dersim region is the heartland and sacred land of Kurdish Alevis.{{Sfnp|Gültekin|2019|page=4}} The region's isolation has insulated it from the influence of Turkey's dominant Sunni sect of Islam, helping to keep its unique Alevi character relatively pure.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/travel/finding-paradise-in-turkeys-munzur-valley.html|title=Finding Paradise in Turkey's Munzur Valley|first=Michael|last=Benanav|newspaper=The New York Times |date=26 June 2015|access-date=1 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017150031/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/travel/finding-paradise-in-turkeys-munzur-valley.html|archive-date=17 October 2017}}</ref>


===Armenians of Dersim===
=== Ottoman Empire rule ===
Dersim had a large ] population prior to the ], with one estimate placing it at 45 percent of the total population of the region.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last1=Hakobyan |first1=T. Kh. |url=http://nayiri.com/imagedDictionaryBrowser.jsp?dictionaryId=61&dt=HY_HY&query=%D5%A4%D5%A5%D6%80%D5%BD%D5%AB%D5%B4 |title=Hayastani ev harakitsʻ shrjanneri teghanunneri baṛaran |last2=Melik-Bakhshyan |first2=St. T. |last3=Barseghyan |first3=H. Kh. |publisher=Yerevan State University |year=1988 |volume=2 |location=Yerevan |pages=93–94 |language=hy |trans-title=Dictionary of toponymy of Armenian and adjacent territories}}</ref> The districts of Mazgirt, Nazımiye and Çemişgezek had large Armenian populations during the Ottoman period.
{{multiple image
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| image2 = "Shah Ismail at the Battle of Chaldiran", from Bijan’s Tarikh-i Jahangusha-yi Khaqan Sahibqiran.jpg
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| footer = 16th century Ottoman (left) and 17th century Safavid (right) miniatures depicting the battle of Chaldiran
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Although the ] presence began to be felt in the region after ] defeated the ] in 1473, its incorporation into the Ottoman lands took place after the ] in 1514 during the reign of ]. However, the harsh and rugged geographical structure of this place caused it to be in the hands of local administrators from time to time, away from state control. They displayed a rebellious situation during the weak periods of the central administrations.{{Sfn|Tuncel|2012|p=380–381}} Even in 1895 between 1897, many ] took refuge in Dersim and benefited from the ''baht'' (of asylum) of the Dersimites and were able to protect themselves against the bathtubs of the Turkish sultanate administration.{{Sfn|Dersimi|1952|p=41}} Various rebellions took place in the region in the 1877, 1885, 1892, 1907, 1911, 1914 and 1916.{{Sfn|Tuncel|2012|p=380–381}}


The region is home to the ruins of a number of Armenian monasteries and churches, such as St. Karapet Monastery, which remains an object of reverence for Alevi Zaza-Kurds in Dersim today.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /> The Armenians and Alevi Zaza-Kurds of the region had generally good relations.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":3" /> During the Armenian genocide, many of the Kurds of Dersim saved thousands of Armenians by hiding them or helping them reach the positions of the Russian army.<ref name=":3" /> Some of the region's Armenian inhabitants that managed to survive converted to ], and an unknown number of inhabitants of the province today have Armenian roots.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Kharatyan |first=Hranush |date=2014-06-25 |title=The search for identity in Dersim Part 2: the Alevized Armenians in Dersim. |url=https://repairfuture.net/index.php/en/identity-standpoint-of-armenia/the-search-for-identity-in-dersim-part-2-the-alevized-armenians-in-dersim-armenian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504231835/https://repairfuture.net/index.php/en/identity-standpoint-of-armenia/the-search-for-identity-in-dersim-part-2-the-alevized-armenians-in-dersim-armenian |archive-date=2022-05-04 |website=repairfuture.net}}</ref> Distinctly Armenian settlements continued to exist in parts of Dersim until the massacre of 1938, after which the remaining Armenians completely assimilated into the Alevi Kurdish population.<ref name=":4" /> An organization called Union of Dersim Armenians has been founded in Turkey by people from Dersim seeking to reconnect with their Armenian identity.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Abrahamyan |first=Gayane |date=2015-04-23 |title=Turkey's Armenians Rediscover Their Identity |url=https://eurasianet.org/turkeys-armenians-rediscover-their-identity |access-date=2022-05-04 |website=eurasianet.org}}</ref>
=== In Turkey ===
With the abolition of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey became the owner of the region. In 1937, an ] broke out in the region and was suppressed with the deaths of 30,000 Kurds.{{sfn|Gerlach|2016|p=401}} Following the Tunceli Law 1935, which demanded a more powerful government in the region, the Fourth Inspectorate-General (''Umumi Müfettişlik,'' UM) was created in January 1936.{{Sfn|Cagaptay|2006|p=108–110}} The fourth UM span over the provinces of ], ], ] and Tunceli, and was governed by a Governor Commander. Most of the employees in the municipality were to be filled with military personnel and the Governor-Commander had the authority to evacuate whole villages and resettle them in other parts. Also the juridical guarantees did not comply with the law in the other parts in Turkey. The trials were at most 15 days long and sentences could not be appealed. For a release, the Governor Commander had to give his consent. The application of the death penalty was under the authority of the Governor-Commander, while normally it would be the authority of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to approve such a punishment. In 1946 the Tunceli Law was abolished and the state of emergency removed but the authority of the fourth UM was transferred to the military.{{sfn|Bayir|2016|p=139–141}} The Inspectorates-General was dissolved in 1952 during the Government of the ].{{Sfn|Faroqhi|2008|p=343}}


{| class="wikitable"
== Demographics ==
! colspan="4" |Muslim{{Efn|Most of them are ], ethnically ].}} and Armenian population of the region according to Ottoman censuses
Tunceli's (Dersim) language distribution is 69.5% ] and ], 29.8% ] and 0.74% ] in 1927, also according to Savaş Sertel, ] are majority people and Zazaki were more common than Kurdish.{{Sfn|Sertel|2014|p=8}} However, Ahmet Kerim Gültekin defined the region as predominantly ] Alevi.{{Sfn|Gültekin|2019|p=4}} According to Nicole, at least 50% of the population is Kurdish{{Sfn|Watts|2010|p=167}} and the province is considered a part of Turkish Kurdistan.{{Sfn|Bois|Minorsky|MacKenzie|5=2002}} Kurmanji Kurdish is the main dialect around Pertek, while Zaza is spoken in Hozat, Pülümür, Ovacık and Nazımiye. Both Kurmanji and Zaza is spoken in Tunceli town and Mazgirt.{{Sfn|Malmîsanij|1988|p=62–67}} The Dimli (or Zaza) people of Dersim are the descendants of the ] who migrated from the highlands of ] region of ] in the 10th–12th century.{{Sfn|Asatrian|1995|p=405–411}} The districts of ], ] and ] had a large Armenian population during the Ottoman period. A large part of this population must have been ] out of Anatolia with the deportation order of 1915. It is likely that the remaining population migrated to Western Anatolia.{{Sfn|Sertel|2014|p=8}}
|-
!Year
!Muslims
!]
!Notes
|-
!1881/82–1893{{Sfn|Karpat|1985|p=144, ''Ottoman General Census of 1881/82-1893 (continued)'', see the ''Hozat (Dersim)'' and ''Mazgirt''}}
|41,089 (75.33%)
|13,050 (23.92%)
|{{Centre|–}}
|-
!1906/7{{Sfn|Karpat|1985|p=164, ''Summary of Census of Ottoman Population, 1906/7 (continued)'', see the ''Dersim''}}
|56,266 (81.19%)
|12,591 (18.16%)
|9,167 "Armenians", 3,424 "Armenian Catholics"
|-
!1914{{Sfn|Karpat|1985|p=182, ''Summary of Ottoman Population, 1914'' see the ''Dersim'', ''Çemişgezek'', ''Çarsancak'', ''Ovacık'', ''Nazımiye'' and ''Mazgirt''}}
|65,976 (82.39%)
|13,825 (17.26%)
|13,367 "Armenians", 458 "Armenian Catholics"
|}


== Politics ==
Tunceli Province has the lowest population density of any province in Turkey, at just 9.8 inhabitants/km<sup>2</sup>.
{{Further|Tunceli (electoral district)}}
In the municipal elections held in March 2019, ] was elected mayor of Tunceli municipality with 32% of the votes cast (Maçoğlu had previously been elected mayor of ] in 2014).<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=March 31, 2019|title=Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) wins Dersim province in local elections|url=https://www.liberationnews.org/communist-party-of-turkey-tkp-wins-dersim-province-in-local-elections/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206234111/https://www.liberationnews.org/communist-party-of-turkey-tkp-wins-dersim-province-in-local-elections/|archive-date=February 6, 2021|access-date=February 7, 2021|website=Liberation}}</ref> He ran as the candidate of the ] (TKP), making him the first communist mayor of a municipality in Turkey.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Malzahn|first=Philip|date=April 1, 2019|title=TKP gewinnt in Dersim|url=https://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/1115764.mehmet-maco%C4%9Flu-tkp-gewinnt-in-dersim.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206233353/https://www.neues-deutschland.de/artikel/1115764.mehmet-maco%C4%9Flu-tkp-gewinnt-in-dersim.html|archive-date=February 6, 2021|access-date=February 7, 2021|website=Neues Deutschland}}</ref> In his first year in office, he has established free public transport in parts of the city. The development of industrial and agricultural cooperatives, which are meant to tackle unemployment, has already begun.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ashly|first=Jaclynn|date=February 3, 2020|title=The Communist Mayor of Dersim|url=https://indypendent.org/2020/02/the-communist-mayor-of-dersim/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210206234932/https://indypendent.org/2020/02/the-communist-mayor-of-dersim/|archive-date=February 6, 2021|access-date=February 7, 2021|website=The Indypendent}}</ref>


Tunceli recorded the strongest "No" vote at 80.42% during the ]. Previously, the province had recorded the strongest "No" vote at 81.02% during the ].
===Alevis===
{{Further|Kurdish Alevism}}
Many believe Munzur, Dersim to be the heartland of the Alevi. Where holy places, all of which are natural features of the landscape, are found in abundance, and where the region's isolation has insulated it from the influence of Turkeys' dominant Sunni sect of Islam, helping to keep its unique Alevi character relatively pure.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/travel/finding-paradise-in-turkeys-munzur-valley.html|title=Finding Paradise in Turkey's Munzur Valley|first=Michael|last=Benanav|newspaper=The New York Times |date=26 June 2015|access-date=1 May 2018|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017150031/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/travel/finding-paradise-in-turkeys-munzur-valley.html|archive-date=17 October 2017}}</ref>


The province is a stronghold for ], as well as the ].
===Armenians of Tunceli===
According to Mihran Prgiç Gültekin, the head of the Union of Dersim Armenians, around 75% of the population in villages of Dersim are "converted Armenians."<ref name=YY>. Massis Post.</ref><ref>. Armenian Weekly. "Mihran Prgiç Gültekin, the head of the Union of Dersim Armenians, estimates that about 75% of the village’s population are “converted Armenians."</ref> The greater part of hidden Armenians of Dersim, according Gultekin, is afraid that the nationalist regime may be back and may repress them. Currently over 200 families have announce their Armenian descent in Dersim, Gultekin said.<ref name=YY/><ref>. İnternet Haber. (in Turkish). "Erkam Tufan, “Tunceli civarında çok fazla sayıda Kripto Ermeni olduğu söyleniyor bu doğru mudur?” şeklindeki sorusuna Ateşyan şu yanıtı verdi: “Doğrudur Tunceli'nin yüzde 90'ı belki dönme Ermeni'dir. Neden derseniz 30 yaşlarında bir çocuk geldi bana ve <nowiki>''</nowiki>benim köküm Ermeni<nowiki>''</nowiki> dedi. <nowiki>''</nowiki>Ben dönmek istiyorum<nowiki>''</nowiki> dedi. Ben de <nowiki>''</nowiki>ispatla dedim<nowiki>''</nowiki> ispatlayamadı, kabul etmedim. Ama inatla gitti geldi, vazgeçmedi. Gitti, geldi rahatsız etti beni, daha sonra babası aradı. Beyefendi dedi <nowiki>''</nowiki>ben belediye çalışıyorum emekli olayım bende İstanbul'a gelip döneceğim. Buradaki halkın yüzde 90'ı Ermeni'dir, lütfen kabul et<nowiki>''</nowiki> dedi. Bende kabul ettim ders aldı, vaftiz oldu, kilisemizin üyesi oldu.”"</ref> In 2015, a group of citizens in Dersim (Tunceli) established the Dersim Armenians and Alevis Friendship Association (DERADOST). The opening ceremony of the association was attended by Hüseyin Tunç, then Deputy Mayor of Tunceli, Yusuf Cengiz, President of Tunceli Chamber of Commerce and Industry, representatives of non-governmental organisations and some citizens.<ref>. Hürriyet. (in Turkish). "Tunceli'de bir grup vatandaş, Dersimli Ermeniler ve Aleviler Dostluk Derneği (DERADOST) kurdu. Moğultay Mahallesi Ata Sokak’taki bir iş hanında kurulan derneğin açılışına Tunceli Belediye Başkan Yardımcısı Hüseyin Tunç, Tunceli Ticaret ve Sanayi Odası Başkanı Yusuf Cengiz, sivil toplum kuruluşu temsilcileri ile bazı vatandaşlar katıldı."</ref><ref>. Haberler. (in Turkish). Tunceli'de bir grup vatandaş, Dersimli Ermeniler ve Aleviler Dostluk Derneği (DERADOST) kurdu. Moğultay Mahallesi Ata Sokak'taki bir iş hanında kurulan derneğin açılışına Tunceli Belediye Başkan Yardımcısı Hüseyin Tunç, Tunceli Ticaret ve Sanayi Odası Başkanı Yusuf Cengiz, sivil toplum kuruluşu temsilcileri ile bazı vatandaşlar katıldı."</ref> On the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, president of the association Serkan Sariataş said that the state should face its past history as soon as possible.<ref>. Ermeni Haber Ajansı. (in Turkish). "Ermeni Soykırımı'nın 100. yılında Dersimli Ermeniler ve Aleviler Dostluk Derneği (DERADOST) Başkanı Serkan Sariataş, devletin bir an önce geçmiş tarihiyle yüzleşmesi gerektiğini söyledi."</ref> Through the 20th century, an many of Armenians living in the mountainous region of Dersim had converted to Alevism. During the Armenian genocide, many of the Armenians in the region were saved by their Kurdish neighbors.


=== Latest general election results ===
== Name changes ==
Before and after the ], any villages and towns deemed to have non-Turkish names were renamed and given Turkish names in order to ] any non-Turkish heritage heritage.{{Sfn|Nişanyan|2011|p=14}}{{Sfn|Tuncel|2000|p=1}}<ref>Eren, editor, Ali Çaksu ; preface, Halit (2006). Proceedings of the second International Symposium on Islamic Civilization in the Balkans, Tirana, Albania, 4–7 December 2003 (in Turkish). Istanbul: Research Center for Islamic History, Art and Culture. {{ISBN|978-92-9063-152-1}}. Retrieved 12 January 2013.</ref><ref>Nisanyan, Sevan (2011). Hayali Coğrafyalar: Cumhuriyet Döneminde Türkiye'de Değiştirilen Yeradları (PDF) (in Turkish). Istanbul: TESEV Demokratikleşme Programı. Retrieved 12 January 2013. Turkish: Memalik-i Osmaniyyede Ermenice, Rumca ve Bulgarca, hasılı İslam olmayan milletler lisanıyla yadedilen vilayet, sancak, kasaba, köy, dağ, nehir, ilah. bilcümle isimlerin Türkçeye tahvili mukarrerdir. Şu müsaid zamanımızdan süratle istifade edilerek bu maksadın fiile konması hususunda himmetinizi rica ederim."</ref><ref>Nişanyan, Sevan (2010). Adını unutan ülke: Türkiye'de adı değiştirilen yerler sözlüğü (in Turkish) (1. ed.). İstanbul: Everest Yayınları. {{ISBN|978-975-289-730-4}}.</ref><ref>Jongerden, edited by Joost; Verheij, Jelle. Social relations in Ottoman Diyarbekir, 1870–1915. Leiden: Brill. p. 300. {{ISBN|978-90-04-22518-3}}.</ref><ref>Jongerden, Joost (2007). The settlement issue in Turkey and the Kurds : an analysis of spatial policies, modernity and war (. ed.). Leiden, the Netherlands: Brill. p. 354. {{ISBN|978-90-04-15557-2}}. Retrieved 12 January 2013.</ref> During the Turkish Republican era, the words Kurdistan and Kurds were banned. The Turkish government had disguised the presence of the Kurds statistically by categorizing them as '']''.{{Sfn|Hooglund|1996|p=95}}{{Sfn|Bartkus|1999|p=91}}


=== June 2015 ===
Linguist ] estimates that 4,000 Kurdish geographical locations have been changed (both Zazaki and Kurmanji).<ref>Nisanyan, Sevan (2011). Hayali Coğrafyalar: Cumhuriyet Döneminde Türkiye'de Değiştirilen Yeradları (PDF) (in Turkish). Istanbul: TESEV Demokratikleşme Programı. Retrieved 12 January 2013. Turkish: Memalik-i Osmaniyyede Ermenice, Rumca ve Bulgarca, hasılı İslam olmayan milletler lisanıyla yadedilen vilayet, sancak, kasaba, köy, dağ, nehir, ilah. bilcümle isimlerin Türkçeye tahvili mukarrerdir. Şu müsaid zamanımızdan süratle istifade edilerek bu maksadın fiile konması hususunda himmetinizi rica ederim.</ref> Prior to the name changes, Many villages in Tunceli had recognizably Armenian names, often in corrupted forms.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Gasparyan |first=H. H. |date=1979 |title=Dersim (Patmaazgagrakan aknark) |trans-title=Dersim (historical-ethnographical outline) |url=https://arar.sci.am/dlibra/publication/190126/edition/172667/content |journal=Patma-Banasirakan Handes |language=hy |volume=2 |pages=195–210 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140306043324/http://hpj.asj-oa.am/3151/1/1979-2%28195%29.pdf |archive-date=2014-03-06}}</ref> The people of Tunceli have been actively fighting to get their province reverted to its old Kurdish name "Dersim". Turkey's ruling ] (AK Party) claimed they are working on what it called a “democratization package” that includes the restoration of the Kurdish name of the eastern province of Tunceli back to Dersim in early 2013, but there has been no updates or news of it since then.<ref>{{Cite web|title = After 78 years, Turkey to restore Tunceli's original name|url = http://www.todayszaman.com/latest-news_after-78-years-turkey-to-restore-tuncelis-original-name_326382.html|website = TodaysZaman|access-date = 2016-02-16|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160224065730/http://www.todayszaman.com/latest-news_after-78-years-turkey-to-restore-tuncelis-original-name_326382.html|archive-date = 2016-02-24}}</ref>
{{Election results|party1=]|votes1=32281|party2=]|votes2=10906|party3=]|votes3=5631|party4=]|votes4=3131|party5=Other|votes5=1026|electorate=63614|valid=52975|invalid=736|seats1=2|seats2=0|sc2=–2|sc1=+2|sw1=new|sw2=–36.91|sw3=–5.10|sw4=+3.78|sw5=}}


== Districts == === November 2015 ===
{{Election results|party1=]|votes1=27882|party2=]|votes2=14094|party3=]|votes3=5837|party4=]|votes4=1292|party5=Other|votes5=315|electorate=62608|valid=49920|invalid=554|seats1=1|seats2=1|sc2=–1|sc1=+1|sw1=–4.52|sw2=+7.93|sw3=+1.18|sw4=–3.30|sw5=}}
]
Tunceli Province is divided into eight ]:
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*]
*] (capital district)
{{clear left}}


== Cities and towns == === 2018 ===
{{Election results|party1=]|votes1=28219|party2=]|votes2=14358|party3=]|votes3=7228|party4=]|votes4=3019|party5=]|votes5=849|electorate=64290|valid=54194|invalid=1255|seats1=1|seats2=1|sc2=0|sc1=0|sw1=–4.35|sw2=–2.03|sw3=+1.53|sw4=+2.96|sw5=new|party6=Other|votes6=521}}
*] City 31,599 inh.
*] City 11,869 inh.
*] City 4,714 inh.
*] City 3,227 inh.
*] City 2,819 inh.
*Akpazar Town 1,769 inh.
*] City 1,712 inh.
*] City 1,656 inh.
*] City 1,636 inh.

== Politics ==
], who entered the election as the candidate of the ], was elected mayor of Tunceli with 32 per cent of the votes.<ref name="NN">. Liberation. "For the first time in the history of Turkey, communists will be administering the municipality of a province. In the municipal elections held on March 31, running as the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) candidate on the Dersim Democratic People Solidarity (DDHD) ticket, Fatih Mehmet Maçoğlu won the mainly Kurdish province of Dersim in Eastern Turkey with 32 percent of the votes."</ref><ref>. Euronews. (in Turkish). "Yerel seçimlere Türkiye Komünist Partisi adayı olarak giren Maçoğlu, oyların yüzde 32,77'sini alarak Tunceli Belediye Başkanı seçilmişti."</ref><ref>. Sputnik. (in Turkish). "30 Mart 2014'te yapılan Mahalli İdareler Genel Seçimleri'nde Ovacık Belediye Başkanlığı'nı kazanıp Türkiye'nin ilk ve tek TKP'li Belediye Başkanı olan Fatih Mehmet Maçoğlu, 31 Mart seçiminde Tunceli'den aday oldu. Seçimi yüzde 32.77 oy oranıyla kazanan Maçoğlu, Tunceli'nin yeni belediye başkanı seçildi. Ovacık Belediyesi'ni halefine devreden Maçoğlu'na 'güvenlik' gerekçesiyle verilmeyen mazbatası bugün kendisine teslim edildi."</ref> Thus, for the first time in the history of Turkey, ] began to govern the municipality of a province.<ref name="NN">. Liberation. "For the first time in the history of Turkey, communists will be administering the municipality of a province. In the municipal elections held on March 31, running as the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) candidate on the Dersim Democratic People Solidarity (DDHD) ticket, Fatih Mehmet Maçoğlu won the mainly Kurdish province of Dersim in Eastern Turkey with 32 percent of the votes."</ref>


== Education == == Education ==
Tunceli University was established on May 22, 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.turkishdailymail.com/news/1169/tunceli-university-signs-protocol-with-4-american-universities.html|title=Tunceli University Signs Protocol with 4 American Universities|website=turkishdailymail.com|access-date=1 May 2018}}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Tunceli University was established on May 22, 2008.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tunceli University Signs Protocol with 4 American Universities |url=http://www.turkishdailymail.com/news/1169/tunceli-university-signs-protocol-with-4-american-universities.html |access-date=1 May 2018 |website=Turkish Daily Mail}}</ref> Tunceli is famous for excellent rankings in National Education statistics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnnturk.com/turkiye/egitim-siralamasinda-tunceli-birinci|title = Eğitim sıralamasında Tunceli birinci| date=11 December 2018 }}</ref>


== Places of interest == == Places of interest ==
] in ], Tunceli ]]
Tunceli is known for its old buildings such as the Çelebi Ağa Mosque,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kulturportali.gov.tr/turkiye/tunceli/gezilecekyer/celebi-aga-camii|title=ÇELEBİ AĞA CAMİİ|website=Kültür Portalı|access-date=2020-04-11}}</ref> Elti Hatun Mosque,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4d52/7ed7db458b1531d9a21f86b79a9468054079.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411222342/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4d52/7ed7db458b1531d9a21f86b79a9468054079.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 April 2020|title=Pushover Analysis of Historical Elti Hatun Mosque|website=Semantic Scholar|s2cid=194452128 |access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref> Mazgirt Castle,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sinclair|first=T. A.|title=Eastern Turkey: An Architectural & Archaeological Survey, Volume III|date=31 December 1989|publisher=Pindar Press|isbn=978-1-904597-78-0|pages=148|language=en}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tuncelikulturturizm.gov.tr/TR,57312/pertek-kalesi.html |title=Pertek Kalesi |access-date=2016-10-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020045215/http://www.tuncelikulturturizm.gov.tr/TR,57312/pertek-kalesi.html |archive-date=2016-10-20 }}</ref> and the Derun-i Hisar Castle.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tuncelikulturturizm.gov.tr/TR,57313/derun-i-hisar-sagman-kalesi.html |title=Derun-i Hisar (Sağman) Kalesi |access-date=2017-11-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201034311/http://www.tuncelikulturturizm.gov.tr/TR,57313/derun-i-hisar-sagman-kalesi.html |archive-date=2017-12-01 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kulturportali.gov.tr/turkiye/tunceli/gezilecekyer/derun-i-hisar-sagman-kalesi|title=DERUN-İ HİSAR (SAĞMAN) KALESİ|website=Kültür Portalı|access-date=2020-04-11}}</ref> Tunceli is known for its old buildings such as the Çelebi Ağa Mosque,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kulturportali.gov.tr/turkiye/tunceli/gezilecekyer/celebi-aga-camii|title=ÇELEBİ AĞA CAMİİ|website=Kültür Portalı|access-date=2020-04-11}}</ref> Elti Hatun Mosque,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4d52/7ed7db458b1531d9a21f86b79a9468054079.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411222342/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4d52/7ed7db458b1531d9a21f86b79a9468054079.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 April 2020|title=Pushover Analysis of Historical Elti Hatun Mosque|website=Semantic Scholar|s2cid=194452128 |access-date=11 April 2020}}</ref> Mazgirt Castle,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sinclair|first=T. A.|title=Eastern Turkey: An Architectural & Archaeological Survey, Volume III|date=31 December 1989|publisher=Pindar Press|isbn=978-1-904597-78-0|pages=148|language=en}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tuncelikulturturizm.gov.tr/TR,57312/pertek-kalesi.html |title=Pertek Kalesi |access-date=2016-10-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020045215/http://www.tuncelikulturturizm.gov.tr/TR,57312/pertek-kalesi.html |archive-date=2016-10-20 }}</ref> and the Derun-i Hisar Castle.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tuncelikulturturizm.gov.tr/TR,57313/derun-i-hisar-sagman-kalesi.html |title=Derun-i Hisar (Sağman) Kalesi |access-date=2017-11-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201034311/http://www.tuncelikulturturizm.gov.tr/TR,57313/derun-i-hisar-sagman-kalesi.html |archive-date=2017-12-01 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kulturportali.gov.tr/turkiye/tunceli/gezilecekyer/derun-i-hisar-sagman-kalesi|title=DERUN-İ HİSAR (SAĞMAN) KALESİ|website=Kültür Portalı|access-date=2020-04-11}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
], who was born in ], Tunceli on 925. He ruled as Byzantine Emperor from 969 to 976, an intuitive and successful general, he strengthened the Empire and expanded its borders during his reign.]]
* ] (925–976)<ref>"Çemişgezek" in The Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names, 2005, by John Everett-Heath, Oxford University Press.</ref> - Byzantine emperor between 969 and 976
* ] (1863–1937) - Alevi Zaza-Kurdish political leader of the Alevi Zaza-Kurds of Dersim, a religious figure and the leader of the Dersim movement in Turkey during the 1937–1938 Dersim Rebellion
* ] (1893–1973) - Kurdish nationalist writer, revolutionary and intellectual
* ] (1901–1994) - Armenian author, actress, and a survivor of the Armenian genocide
* ] (1903–1995) - Armenian engineer, author, and a survivor of the Armenian genocide
* {{Interlanguage link|Andranik Andréassian|lt=|hy|Անդրանիկ Անդրեասյան (գրող)}} (1909–1996) - Armenian author, editor, and a survivor of the Armenian genocide
* {{Interlanguage link|Sait Kırmızıtoprak|lt=|ku|Sait Kırmızıtoprak}} (1935–1971) - Kurdish nationalist writer and revolutionary
* ] (1937) - Kurdish writer and politician
* ] (1940–2016) - Turkish politician
* ] (1948) - economist, retired civil servant, social democratic politician and leader of the Republican People's Party
* ] (1951) - Kurdish politician
* ] (1952–2021) - Kurdish militant, co-founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party
* ] (1957) - educator and social worker of Kurdish origin
* ] (1958–1984) - Kurdish rebel
* ] (1958–2013) - Kurdish activist, co-founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party
* ] (1959) - German politician of Kurdish descent
* ] (1960) - Kurdish politician, former mayor of the municipality of Tunceli
* ] (1962) - German politician of Kurdish descent
* ] (1964) - Turkish record producer of mixed Turkish and Kurdish descent
* ] (1964) - Kurdish singer, songwriter and musician
* ] (1966) - Kurdish singer
* ] (1967) - Kurdish politician
* ] (1968) - Kurdish politician, currently the mayor of the municipality of Tunceli
* ] (1970) - Zaza-Kurdish lawyer and politician
* ] (1974) - German-Kurdish political scientist
* ] (1974) - Dutch politician of Kurdish descent
* ] (1975) - Kurdish singer and songwriter
* ] (1978) - Kurdish militant, one of leaders of Kurdistan Workers' Party and is the co-chair of the Kurdistan Communities Union
* {{Interlanguage link|Volga Sorgu|lt=|tr|Volga Sorgu}} (1981) - actor of Zaza-Kurdish descent

=== Originating from Tunceli ===

* ] (1927–1993)<ref>. ''Sabah''. (in Turkish). Retrieved 9 February 2023. "8. Cumhurbaşkanı Turgut Özal'ın annesi Hafize Özal, Çemişgezek Mezire Köyü doğumlu."</ref><ref>. ''Yeni Akit''. (in Turkish). Retrieved 9 February 2023. "Babası Malatya/Çırmıktı'lı Ünlüoğulları'ndan banka memuru Mehmet Sıddık Özal, annesi ise Tunceli Çemişgezekli, ilkokul öğretmeni Hafize Hanım (d. 1906 - ö. 1988) olan Turgut Özal kısmen Kürt kökenlidir."</ref> - 8th president of Turkey, he was of mixed Turkish and Kurdish descent
* ] (1961)<ref>. ''Bianet''. (in Turkish). 9 February 2023. "Ailesi zamanında Dersim'den göçerek Elazığ'ın merkez köylerinden Sünköy'e yerleşmiş bulunan Ağuce aşiretine mensuptur."</ref> - Kurdish journalist, author and politician
* ]<ref>. ''Haber Vitrini''. (in Turkish). Retrieved 9 February 2023. "Programın ilerki bölümlerinde Yıldız Tilbe, “Ulaştırma Bakanından uyarı gelmiş. Benim anam Tuncelili, hem Zaza hem Kürt, babam Ağrılı Kürt. Ben bu topraklarda doğdum, büyüdüm. Kürt neyse benim için Türk de odur, Laz da odur, Çerkez de odur. Hiç bir farkı yoktur birbirinden asla” dedi."</ref> (1966) - singer of Kurdish descent
* ] (1971-1992) - Kurdish female fighter
* ] (1977) - Dutch politician of Turkish-Kurdish descent, current ] in Netherlands
* ] (1980)<ref>. ''Ahval''. (in Turkish). Retrieved 9 February 2023. "Tunceli ve Elazığ kökenli, maden işçisi bir babanın üçüncü çocuğu olan Zuhal Demir, 12 Mart 1980'de Belçika'nın Genk kentinde dünyaya geldi."</ref> - Belgian lawyer and politician of Kurdish origin, current Flemish minister of Environment, Justice, Tourism and Energy
* ] (1981) - German-Turkish actor of Zaza-Kurdish descent

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}


== References == == References ==
Line 143: Line 184:


== Sources == == Sources ==
* {{cite book |last=Gültekin|first=Ahmet Kerim|title=Kurdish Alevism: Creating New Ways of Practicing the Religion|date=2019|url=https://www.multiple-secularities.de/media/wps_18_gueltekin_alevikurds.pdf|publisher=]}}

* {{cite book |last=Karpat |first=K.H. |title=Ottoman population, 1830-1914: demographic and social characteristics |url=https://archive.org/details/ottomanpopulatio00karp |url-access=limited |publisher=University of Wisconsin Press |location=Madison, Wis |year=1985 |isbn=9780299091606 }}
* {{Cite encyclopedia |title=DIMLĪ |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Iranica |last=Asatrian |first=Garnik |date=1995 |editor-last=Yarshater |editor-first=Ehsan |volume=VI. Fasc. 4 |page=405–411 |isbn=978-0933273634 |quote=DIM(I)LĪ (or Zāzā), the indigenous name of an Iranian people living mainly in eastern Anatolia, in the Dersim region (present-day Tunceli) between Erzincan (see ARZENJĀN) in the north and the Muratsu (Morādsū, Arm. Aracani) in the south, the far western part of historical Upper Armenia (Barjr Haykʿ). The Deylamite origin of the Dimlīs is also indicated by the linguistic position of Dimlī (see below). The appearance of the Dimlī in the areas they now inhabit seems to have been connected, as their name suggests, with waves of migration of Deylamites ii from the highlands of Gīlān during the 10th-12th centuries.}}
* {{cite journal |last=Tunçel |first=H. |lang=tr |title=Türkiye'de İsmi Değiştirilen Köyler |trans-title=Changed Villages in Turkey |journal=Journal of Social Sciences |publisher=Firat University |date=2000 |volume=10 |number=2}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bayir |first=Derya |title=Minorities and Nationalism in Turkish Law |date=2016 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-09579-8}}
* {{Cite encyclopedia |title=Tunceli |encyclopedia=TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi |last=Tuncel |first=Metin |date=2012 |volume=41 |pages=380–381 |language=tr }}
* {{Cite book |last=Cagaptay |first=Soner |title=Islam, Secularism and Nationalism in Modern Turkey: Who is a Turk? |date=2006 |publisher=Routledge |year= |isbn=978-1-134-17448-5 |location= |pages= |language=}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Faroqhi |first1=Suraiya N. |title=The Cambridge History of Turkey |last2= |first2= |last3= |first3= |last4= |first4= |date=2008 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-62096-3 |editor-last=Faroqhi |editor-first=Suraiya N. |volume=3 |chapter=Guildsmen and handicraft producers}}
* {{Cite encyclopedia |title=Tunceli |encyclopedia=TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi |last=Tuncel |first=Metin |date=2012 |volume=41 |page=380–381 |language=Tr |quote=}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Sertel |first=Savaş |date=2014 |title=Türkiye Cumhuriyeti'nin İlk Genel Nüfus Sayımına Göre Dersim Bölgesinde Demografik Yapı |url= |journal=Fırat Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi |language=tr |location=Elâzığ |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=8 |doi=10.18069/fusbed.82073 |issn=1300-9702 |quote=}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Nişanyan |first=Sevan |author-link=Sevan Nişanyan |date=2011 |title=Hayali Coğrafyalar: Cumhuriyet Döneminde Türkiye'de Değiştirilen Yeradları |journal=TESEV Demokratikleşme Programı |type=PDF |language=tr |pages= |quote=}}
*{{cite journal |last=Tuncel |first=Harun |year=2000 |title=Türkiye'de İsmi Değiştirilen Köyler English: Renamed Villages in Turkey |url= |journal=Fırat University Journal of Social Science |language=tr |volume=10 |issue=2 |pages=1 |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date= |quote=}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Malmîsanij |first=Mehemed |date=1988 |title=Dımıli ve Kurmanci Lehçelerinin Köylere Göre Dağılımı |trans-title=Distribution of Dimili and Kurmanji Dialects by Villages |journal=Berhem |type=PDF |language=Turkish and Kurdish |volume=3 |pages=62–67}}
* {{cite book |last=Watts |first=Nicole F. |title=Activists in Office: Kurdish Politics and Protest in Turkey (Studies in Modernity and National Identity) |publisher=University of Washington Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-295-99050-7 |location=Seattle |page=167 |quote=}}
* {{cite book |last=Hooglund |first=Eric |url= |title=Turkey: a Country Study |publisher=U.S. Government Print Office |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-8444-0864-4 |editor-last=Metz |editor-first=Helen Chapin |edition= |location=Washington, DC |page=95 |chapter=The Society and It's Environment |quote= |access-date=}}
* {{cite book |last=Bartkus |first=Viva Ona |url= |title=The Dynamic of Secession |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-521-65970-3 |edition= |location=New York, NY |pages=91 |quote= |access-date=}}
* {{cite book |last1=Gerlach |first1=Christian |title=The Extermination of the European Jews |date=2016 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-88078-7 |page=401 |language=en |quote=But by far the bloodiest violence targeted Kurds during the Dersim uprising of 1937–38, when Turkish troops massacred about 30,000 people. |author1-link=}}
* {{Cite book |last=Halajyan |first=Gevorg |title=Dersimi hayeri azgagrutʻyuně, masn A |publisher=Haykakan SSH GA hratarakchʻutʻyun |year=1973 |location=Yerevan |pages=249–250 |language=hy |trans-title=Ethnography of the Dersim Armenians, part I}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Bois |first1=Th |last2=Minorsky |first2=V. |last3=MacKenzie |first3=D. N. |date=2002 |orig-date=1960 |title=Kurds, Kurdistān |url= |journal=Encyclopaedia of Islam |edition=2 |publisher=BRILL |doi= |isbn=9789004161214 |quote=}}


== External links == == External links ==
Line 173: Line 202:
{{Provinces of Turkey}} {{Provinces of Turkey}}


{{coord|39|12|53|N|39|28|17|E|region:TR-62_type:adm1st|display=title}}
{{Authority control}} {{Authority control}}



Latest revision as of 16:27, 7 December 2024

Province of Turkey Province in Turkey
Tunceli Province
Province
The Munzur River runs through the provinceThe Munzur River runs through the province
Location within TurkeyLocation within Turkey
CountryTurkey
Established25 December 1935
SeatTunceli
Government
 • GovernorBülent Tekbıyıkoğlu
Area7,582 km (2,927 sq mi)
Population89,317
 • Density12/km (31/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+3 (TRT)
Area code0428
Websitewww.tunceli.gov.tr

Tunceli Province (Turkish: Tunceli ili), formerly Dersim Province (Kurdish: Parêzgeha Dêrsim; Zazaki: Dêsim wilayet; Armenian: Դերսիմի մարզ), is a province in the Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. Its central city is Tunceli. The province is considered part of Turkish Kurdistan and has a Kurdish majority. Moreover, it is the only province in Turkey with an Alevi majority. The province has eight municipalities, 366 villages and 1,087 hamlets.

History

The Armenian district of Daranaghi (partly corresponding with Tunceli province) shown as a part of the holdings of the Mamikonian dynasty

Antiquity

This region was known as Ishuva in the 2000s BC. As a result of the struggle of the Ishuva Kingdom, which was established by the Hurrians in the region, with the Hittites, the region came under the rule of the Hittites in the 1600s BC. Then, it came under the domination of the Urartians and formed the westernmost part of the country of Urartu. After that, it was ruled by Medes and the Persian Achaemenid Empire, and after that it was ruled by Alexander the Great, king of Macedon.

Ottoman Empire rule

Although the presence of Ottoman Empire was beginning to be felt in the region after Mehmed II the Conqueror defeated the Aq Qoyunlu in 1473, its incorporation into Ottoman lands took place after the Battle of Chaldiran in 1514, during the reign of Selim the Grim. However, the harsh and rugged geographical structure of the region helped preserved its autonomy, keeping the control of the region away from the centralized government. The people of Dersim displayed rebellious attitudes during the weak periods of the central administrations. Various Armenian and Alevi Kurdish rebellions took place in the region in 1877, 1885, 1892, 1907, 1911, 1914 and 1916.

In Turkey

With the abolition of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey became the owner of the region. It was originally named Dersim Province (Dersim vilayeti), then demoted to a district (Dersim kazası) and incorporated into Elazığ Province in 1926. In 1935, the Tunceli Law was passed, which established a state of emergency in the region, changed its name to Tunceli and made it a separate province consisting of the Nazımiye, Hozat, Mazgirt, Pertek, Ovacık, and Çemişgezek districts of Elazığ Province and the Pülümür District of Erzincan Province. In January 1936, the Fourth Inspectorate-General (Umumi Müfettişlik, UM) was created, which spanned the provinces of Elazığ, Erzincan, Bingöl and Tunceli and was governed by a Governor-Commander, who had the authority to evacuate whole villages and resettle them in other regions. This effectively established military rule in those provinces, and significant military infrastructure was established in the region. Judicial guarantees such as the right to appeal were suspended, and the Governor-Commander had the right to apply the death penalty, whereas normally this would have to be approved by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. In 1937–1938, the Dersim massacre took place in Tunceli Province and the adjacent regions, which resulted in the massacre of 30,000 Kurds and displacement of tens of thousands of inhabitants of the region by Turkish forces. In 1946 the Tunceli Law was abolished and the state of emergency removed but the authority of the Fourth UM was transferred to the military. Some of the deported families were allowed to return home. The Inspectorates-General were dissolved in 1952 during the government of the Democrat Party.

Since the 1970s, Tunceli Province has been a stronghold for groups such as the Communist Party of Turkey/Marxist–Leninist and the Kurdistan Workers' Party.

Name changes

Before and after the Dersim massacre, any villages and towns deemed to have non-Turkish names were renamed and given Turkish names in order to suppress any non-Turkish heritage. During the Turkish Republican era, the words Kurdistan and Kurds were banned. The Turkish government had disguised the presence of the Kurds statistically by categorizing them as Mountain Turks.

Linguist Sevan Nişanyan estimates that 4,000 Kurdish geographical locations have been changed (both Zazaki and Kurmanji). Prior to the name changes, Many villages in Tunceli had recognizably Armenian names, often in corrupted forms. The people of Tunceli have been actively fighting to get their province reverted to its old Kurdish name "Dersim". Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) claimed they are working on what it called a “democratization package” that includes the restoration of the Kurdish name of the eastern province of Tunceli back to Dersim in early 2013, but there has been no updates or news of it since then. The local authority decided to call it Dersim in May 2019, while the Governor said it was against the law to call it Dersim.

Topographic map of Tunceli Province

Geography

See also: Munzur Valley National Park
Districts of the province
A map of Dersim by the British Vice-Consul in Van, L. Molyneux-Seel, 1911

The adjacent provinces are Erzincan to the north and west, Elazığ to the south, and Bingöl to the east. The province covers an area of 7,582 km (2,927 sq mi). Tunceli is traversed by the northeasterly line of equal latitude and longitude. Munzur Valley National Park in the Munzur Mountains is also located in the province. Karagöl Lake is one of the largest lakes in Tunceli province. Others are Lake Çinili and Lake Baraların.

Tunceli Province is a plateau characterized by its high, thickly forested mountain ranges. The historical region of Dersim, which largely corresponds to Tunceli Province, lies roughly between the Karasu and Murat rivers, both tributaries of the Euphrates.

Munzur Valley National Park.

Districts

Tunceli Province is divided into 8 districts (the capital district is in bold):

Name

Tunceli, which is a modern name, literally means "bronze fist" in Turkish (tunç meaning "bronze" and eli (in this context) meaning "fist"). It shares the name with the military operation that the Dersim Massacre was conducted under.

It has been proposed that the name Dersim is connected with various placenames mentioned by ancient and classical writers, such as Daranis, Derxene (a district of Armenia mentioned by Pliny), and Daranalis/Daranaghi (a district of Armenia mentioned by Ptolemy, Agathangelos, and Faustus of Byzantium). One theory as to the origin of the name associates it with Darius the Great.

One Armenian folk tradition derives the name Dersim from a certain 17th-century priest named Der Simon, who, fearing the maurading Celali rebels, proposed that his parishioners convert to the Alevi faith of their Kurdish neighbors. The proposal was accepted, and the Armenian converts renamed their home region Dersimon in honor of their religious leader, which later transformed into Dersim.

Demographics

Armenian family in 1915 from Çemişgezek district, Dersim (Tunceli)
Kurdish tribal leaders of Dersim (Tunceli) in 1895

Tunceli Province has the lowest population density of any province in Turkey, at just 12 inhabitants/km. Its population is 89,317 (2023).

Language

In 1927, Tunceli's language distribution was 69.5% Kurmanji Kurdish and Zazaki, 29.8% Turkish and 0.74% Armenian. Kurmanji Kurdish is the main dialect around Pertek, while Zazaki is spoken in Hozat, Pülümür, Ovacık and Nazımiye. Both Kurmanji and Zaza are spoken in Tunceli town and Mazgirt.

Zazas/Alevis

Further information: Zazas and Kurdish Alevism

The majority of Tunceli's population are Zaza Kurds and most of them practice Kurdish Alevism. The Zazas migrated into Dersim during the 10th-12th centuries, probably originating from the Daylam region of northern Iran. Today, the Dersim region is the heartland and sacred land of Kurdish Alevis. The region's isolation has insulated it from the influence of Turkey's dominant Sunni sect of Islam, helping to keep its unique Alevi character relatively pure.

Armenians of Dersim

Dersim had a large Armenian population prior to the Armenian genocide, with one estimate placing it at 45 percent of the total population of the region. The districts of Mazgirt, Nazımiye and Çemişgezek had large Armenian populations during the Ottoman period.

The region is home to the ruins of a number of Armenian monasteries and churches, such as St. Karapet Monastery, which remains an object of reverence for Alevi Zaza-Kurds in Dersim today. The Armenians and Alevi Zaza-Kurds of the region had generally good relations. During the Armenian genocide, many of the Kurds of Dersim saved thousands of Armenians by hiding them or helping them reach the positions of the Russian army. Some of the region's Armenian inhabitants that managed to survive converted to Alevism, and an unknown number of inhabitants of the province today have Armenian roots. Distinctly Armenian settlements continued to exist in parts of Dersim until the massacre of 1938, after which the remaining Armenians completely assimilated into the Alevi Kurdish population. An organization called Union of Dersim Armenians has been founded in Turkey by people from Dersim seeking to reconnect with their Armenian identity.

Muslim and Armenian population of the region according to Ottoman censuses
Year Muslims Armenians Notes
1881/82–1893 41,089 (75.33%) 13,050 (23.92%)
1906/7 56,266 (81.19%) 12,591 (18.16%) 9,167 "Armenians", 3,424 "Armenian Catholics"
1914 65,976 (82.39%) 13,825 (17.26%) 13,367 "Armenians", 458 "Armenian Catholics"

Politics

Further information: Tunceli (electoral district)

In the municipal elections held in March 2019, Fatih Mehmet Maçoğlu was elected mayor of Tunceli municipality with 32% of the votes cast (Maçoğlu had previously been elected mayor of Ovacık in 2014). He ran as the candidate of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), making him the first communist mayor of a municipality in Turkey. In his first year in office, he has established free public transport in parts of the city. The development of industrial and agricultural cooperatives, which are meant to tackle unemployment, has already begun.

Tunceli recorded the strongest "No" vote at 80.42% during the 2017 Turkish constitutional referendum. Previously, the province had recorded the strongest "No" vote at 81.02% during the 2010 Turkish constitutional referendum.

The province is a stronghold for pro-Kurdish parties, as well as the Republican People's Party.

Latest general election results

June 2015

PartyVotes%+/–Seats+/–
Peoples' Democratic Party32,28160.94new2+2
Republican People's Party10,90620.59–36.910–2
Justice and Development Party5,63110.63–5.10
Nationalist Movement Party3,1315.91+3.78
Other1,0261.94
Total52,975100.002
Valid votes52,97598.63
Invalid/blank votes7361.37
Total votes53,711100.00
Registered voters/turnout63,61484.43

November 2015

PartyVotes%+/–Seats+/–
Peoples' Democratic Party27,88256.42–4.521+1
Republican People's Party14,09428.52+7.931–1
Justice and Development Party5,83711.81+1.18
Nationalist Movement Party1,2922.61–3.30
Other3150.64
Total49,420100.002
Valid votes49,92098.90
Invalid/blank votes5541.10
Total votes50,474100.00
Registered voters/turnout62,60880.62

2018

PartyVotes%+/–Seats+/–
Peoples' Democratic Party28,21952.07–4.3510
Republican People's Party14,35826.49–2.0310
Justice and Development Party7,22813.34+1.53
Nationalist Movement Party3,0195.57+2.96
Good Party8491.57new
Other5210.96
Total54,194100.002
Valid votes54,19497.74
Invalid/blank votes1,2552.26
Total votes55,449100.00
Registered voters/turnout64,29086.25

Education

Tunceli University was established on May 22, 2008. Tunceli is famous for excellent rankings in National Education statistics.

Places of interest

Pertek Castle in Pertek District, Tunceli

Tunceli is known for its old buildings such as the Çelebi Ağa Mosque, Elti Hatun Mosque, Mazgirt Castle, Pertek Castle, and the Derun-i Hisar Castle.

Notable people

John I Tzimiskes, who was born in Çemişgezek, Tunceli on 925. He ruled as Byzantine Emperor from 969 to 976, an intuitive and successful general, he strengthened the Empire and expanded its borders during his reign.
  • John I Tzimiskes (925–976) - Byzantine emperor between 969 and 976
  • Seyid Riza (1863–1937) - Alevi Zaza-Kurdish political leader of the Alevi Zaza-Kurds of Dersim, a religious figure and the leader of the Dersim movement in Turkey during the 1937–1938 Dersim Rebellion
  • Nuri Dersimi (1893–1973) - Kurdish nationalist writer, revolutionary and intellectual
  • Aurora Mardiganian (1901–1994) - Armenian author, actress, and a survivor of the Armenian genocide
  • Vazken Andréassian (1903–1995) - Armenian engineer, author, and a survivor of the Armenian genocide
  • Andranik Andréassian [hy] (1909–1996) - Armenian author, editor, and a survivor of the Armenian genocide
  • Sait Kırmızıtoprak [ku] (1935–1971) - Kurdish nationalist writer and revolutionary
  • Kemal Burkay (1937) - Kurdish writer and politician
  • Kamer Genç (1940–2016) - Turkish politician
  • Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (1948) - economist, retired civil servant, social democratic politician and leader of the Republican People's Party
  • Mehmet Ali Eren (1951) - Kurdish politician
  • Ali Haydar Kaytan (1952–2021) - Kurdish militant, co-founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party
  • Gülşen Aktaş (1957) - educator and social worker of Kurdish origin
  • Hıdır Aslan (1958–1984) - Kurdish rebel
  • Sakine Cansız (1958–2013) - Kurdish activist, co-founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party
  • Hamide Akbayir (1959) - German politician of Kurdish descent
  • Edibe Şahin (1960) - Kurdish politician, former mayor of the municipality of Tunceli
  • Hüseyin Kenan Aydın (1962) - German politician of Kurdish descent
  • Hasan Saltık (1964) - Turkish record producer of mixed Turkish and Kurdish descent
  • Ferhat Tunç (1964) - Kurdish singer, songwriter and musician
  • Hozan Diyar (1966) - Kurdish singer
  • Alican Önlü (1967) - Kurdish politician
  • Fatih Mehmet Maçoğlu (1968) - Kurdish politician, currently the mayor of the municipality of Tunceli
  • Hüseyin Aygün (1970) - Zaza-Kurdish lawyer and politician
  • Kenan Engin (1974) - German-Kurdish political scientist
  • Nilüfer Gündoğan (1974) - Dutch politician of Kurdish descent
  • Aynur Doğan (1975) - Kurdish singer and songwriter
  • Hülya Oran (1978) - Kurdish militant, one of leaders of Kurdistan Workers' Party and is the co-chair of the Kurdistan Communities Union
  • Volga Sorgu [tr] (1981) - actor of Zaza-Kurdish descent

Originating from Tunceli

Notes

  1. Most of them are Alevis, ethnically Kurdish.

References

  1. ^ "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2023, Favorite Reports" (XLS) (in Turkish). TÜİK. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
  2. Area codes page of Turkish Telecom website Archived 2011-08-22 at the Wayback Machine (in Turkish)
  3. ^ "Türkiye Mülki İdare Bölümleri Envanteri". T.C. İçişleri Bakanlığı (in Turkish). Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  4. Watts, Nicole F. (2010). Activists in Office: Kurdish Politics and Protest in Turkey (Studies in Modernity and National Identity). Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 167. ISBN 978-0-295-99050-7.
  5. ^ "Kurds, Kurdistān". Encyclopaedia of Islam (2 ed.). BRILL. 2002. ISBN 9789004161214.
  6. ^ Tuncel 2012, pp. 380–381.
  7. Album of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Archived 2013-08-01 at the Wayback Machine, Vol. 1, p. XXII, Dersim İli, 26.06.1926 tarih ve 404 sayılı Resmi Ceride'de yayımlanan 30.5.1926 tarih ve 877 sayılı Kanunla ilçeye dönüstürülerek Elazıg'a bağlanmıştır.
  8. "Hükümet Konağı Tarihçe". tunceli.gov.tr. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
  9. ^ Kieser, Hans-Lukas (2016-01-19). "Dersim Massacre, 1937-1938". www.sciencespo.fr. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  10. Kanun No. 2885, Resmî Gazete, 4 January 1936.
  11. "İl İdaresi ve Mülki Bölümler Şube Müdürlüğü İstatistikleri - İl ve İlçe Kuruluş Tarihleri" (PDF) (in Turkish). p. 81. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  12. ^ Bayir, Derya (2016-04-22). Minorities and Nationalism in Turkish Law. Routledge. pp. 139–141. ISBN 978-1-317-09579-8.
  13. McDowall, David (2007). A Modern History of the Kurds. London and New York: I. B. Tauris. pp. 105, 209. ISBN 9781850434160. OCLC 939584596.
  14. Fleet, Kate; Kunt, I. Metin; Kasaba, Reşat; Faroqhi, Suraiya (2008-04-17). The Cambridge History of Turkey. Cambridge University Press. p. 343. ISBN 978-0-521-62096-3.
  15. Dinc, Pinar; Eklund, Lina; Shahpurwala, Aiman; Mansourian, Ali; Aturinde, Augustus; Pilesjö, Petter (2021-08-01). "Fighting Insurgency, Ruining the Environment: the Case of Forest Fires in the Dersim Province of Turkey". Human Ecology. 49 (4): 481–493. doi:10.1007/s10745-021-00243-y. ISSN 1572-9915. S2CID 237770099.
  16. Nişanyan 2011, p. 14. sfn error: no target: CITEREFNişanyan2011 (help)
  17. Tunçel 2000, p. 1.
  18. T.C İçişleri Bakanlığı İller İdaresi Genel Müdürlüğü (1968). "Köylerimiz".
  19. Hooglund 1996, p. 95. sfn error: no target: CITEREFHooglund1996 (help)
  20. Bartkus 1999, p. 91. sfn error: no target: CITEREFBartkus1999 (help)
  21. Nişanyan 2011, p. 54. sfn error: no target: CITEREFNişanyan2011 (help)
  22. ^ Arakelova, Victoria; Grigorian, Christine. "The Halvori Vank': An Armenian Monastery and a Zaza Sanctuary". academia.edu. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  23. Gasparyan, H. H. (1979). "Dersim (Patmaazgagrakan aknark)" [Dersim (historical-ethnographical outline)] (PDF). Patma-Banasirakan Handes (in Armenian). 2: 195–210. Archived from the original on 2014-03-06.
  24. "After 78 years, Turkey to restore Tunceli’s original name". Today's Zaman. (in Turkish). "Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is working on what it called a “democratization package” that includes the restoration of the Kurdish name of the eastern province of Tunceli. The original name of the province was Dersim and was changed to Tunceli in 1935."
  25. "A short history of Turkification: From Dersim to Tunceli". Ahval. (in Turkish). "The local authority in Tunceli in eastern Turkey decided this month to call the city and the province by its Kurdish name–Dersim–saying the Turkish name, which means bronze fist, did not represent the culture, history or religious beliefs of an area often at odds with central government."
  26. "İl ve İlçe Yüz ölçümleri". General Directorate of Mapping. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  27. "Munzur Valley National Park | National Parks Of Turkey". www.nationalparksofturkey.org. Retrieved 2020-04-11.
  28. "Munzur Dağları'ndaki Karagöl, doğal güzelliğiyle doğaseverleri ağırlıyor". aa.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-08-02.
  29. "Ovacık Ovası (Tunceli) ve çevresinin jeomorfolojisi" (in Turkish). Istanbul University, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Coğrafya Anabilim Dalı. 2006. p. 40.
  30. "The Massacre in Dersim Still Haunts Kurds in Turkey". jacobin.com. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  31. ^ Korkmaz, M. (2012). Deylem’den Dersim’e Dersimliler. Ankara: Alter Yayıncılık, pp. 164–169. Archived from the original on 2022-05-04.
  32. "Daranaghi". Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia (in Armenian). Vol. 3. 1977. p. 311.
  33. Halajyan, Gevorg (1973). Dersimi hayeri azgagrutʻyuně, masn A [Ethnography of the Dersim Armenians, part I] (in Armenian). Yerevan: Haykakan SSH GA hratarakchʻutʻyun. pp. 249–250.
  34. Sertel, Savaş (2016-01-31). "TÜRKİYE CUMHURİYETİ'NİN İLK GENEL NÜFUS SAYIMINA GÖRE DERSİM BÖLGESİNDE DEMOGRAFİK YAPI". Fırat Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi. 24 (1). doi:10.18069/fusbed.82073. ISSN 1300-9702.
  35. Malmîsanij, Mehemed (1988). "Dımıli ve Kurmanci Lehçelerinin Köylere Göre. Dağılımı". Berhem (in Kurdish and Turkish). 3: 62–67.
  36. "DIMLĪ". Encyclopaedia Iranica. Retrieved 2021-09-22.
  37. Gültekin (2019), p. 4.
  38. Benanav, Michael (26 June 2015). "Finding Paradise in Turkey's Munzur Valley". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  39. ^ Hakobyan, T. Kh.; Melik-Bakhshyan, St. T.; Barseghyan, H. Kh. (1988). Hayastani ev harakitsʻ shrjanneri teghanunneri baṛaran [Dictionary of toponymy of Armenian and adjacent territories] (in Armenian). Vol. 2. Yerevan: Yerevan State University. pp. 93–94.
  40. ^ Kharatyan, Hranush (2014-06-25). "The search for identity in Dersim Part 2: the Alevized Armenians in Dersim". repairfuture.net. Archived from the original on 2022-05-04.
  41. Abrahamyan, Gayane (2015-04-23). "Turkey's Armenians Rediscover Their Identity". eurasianet.org. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
  42. Karpat 1985, p. 144, Ottoman General Census of 1881/82-1893 (continued), see the Hozat (Dersim) and Mazgirt.
  43. Karpat 1985, p. 164, Summary of Census of Ottoman Population, 1906/7 (continued), see the Dersim.
  44. Karpat 1985, p. 182, Summary of Ottoman Population, 1914 see the Dersim, Çemişgezek, Çarsancak, Ovacık, Nazımiye and Mazgirt.
  45. "Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) wins Dersim province in local elections". Liberation. March 31, 2019. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  46. Malzahn, Philip (April 1, 2019). "TKP gewinnt in Dersim". Neues Deutschland. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  47. Ashly, Jaclynn (February 3, 2020). "The Communist Mayor of Dersim". The Indypendent. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  48. "Tunceli University Signs Protocol with 4 American Universities". Turkish Daily Mail. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  49. "Eğitim sıralamasında Tunceli birinci". 11 December 2018.
  50. "ÇELEBİ AĞA CAMİİ". Kültür Portalı. Retrieved 2020-04-11.
  51. "Pushover Analysis of Historical Elti Hatun Mosque" (PDF). Semantic Scholar. S2CID 194452128. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  52. Sinclair, T. A. (31 December 1989). Eastern Turkey: An Architectural & Archaeological Survey, Volume III. Pindar Press. p. 148. ISBN 978-1-904597-78-0.
  53. "Pertek Kalesi". Archived from the original on 2016-10-20. Retrieved 2016-10-19.
  54. "Derun-i Hisar (Sağman) Kalesi". Archived from the original on 2017-12-01. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
  55. "DERUN-İ HİSAR (SAĞMAN) KALESİ". Kültür Portalı. Retrieved 2020-04-11.
  56. "Çemişgezek" in The Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names, 2005, by John Everett-Heath, Oxford University Press.
  57. "Çemişgezek'e bir gelen geri dönmek istemiyor". Sabah. (in Turkish). Retrieved 9 February 2023. "8. Cumhurbaşkanı Turgut Özal'ın annesi Hafize Özal, Çemişgezek Mezire Köyü doğumlu."
  58. "Turgut Özal'ı rahmetle anıyoruz". Yeni Akit. (in Turkish). Retrieved 9 February 2023. "Babası Malatya/Çırmıktı'lı Ünlüoğulları'ndan banka memuru Mehmet Sıddık Özal, annesi ise Tunceli Çemişgezekli, ilkokul öğretmeni Hafize Hanım (d. 1906 - ö. 1988) olan Turgut Özal kısmen Kürt kökenlidir."
  59. "Gültan Kışanak Kimdir?". Bianet. (in Turkish). 9 February 2023. "Ailesi zamanında Dersim'den göçerek Elazığ'ın merkez köylerinden Sünköy'e yerleşmiş bulunan Ağuce aşiretine mensuptur."
  60. "Star'daki Yıldız Tilbe'nin Programında Türk-Kürt Gerginliği...". Haber Vitrini. (in Turkish). Retrieved 9 February 2023. "Programın ilerki bölümlerinde Yıldız Tilbe, “Ulaştırma Bakanından uyarı gelmiş. Benim anam Tuncelili, hem Zaza hem Kürt, babam Ağrılı Kürt. Ben bu topraklarda doğdum, büyüdüm. Kürt neyse benim için Türk de odur, Laz da odur, Çerkez de odur. Hiç bir farkı yoktur birbirinden asla” dedi."
  61. "Belçika’nın Kürt asıllı bakanı Zuhal Demir tehdit edildi". Ahval. (in Turkish). Retrieved 9 February 2023. "Tunceli ve Elazığ kökenli, maden işçisi bir babanın üçüncü çocuğu olan Zuhal Demir, 12 Mart 1980'de Belçika'nın Genk kentinde dünyaya geldi."

Sources

External links

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