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46-490: The province is considered part of Turkish Kurdistan and has a Kurdish majority. The Batman Province contains the strategic Tigris river with fertile lands by its sides, as well as rocky hills with numerous caves providing a natural shelter. Therefore, it was inhabited from prehistoric times, likely from the Neolithic ( Paleolithic ) period, according to archeological evidence. First documented evidence of settlements in

92-565: A bigger refinery capable of processing up to 200 tonnes/day was built in Batman. An even bigger refinery (330 tonnes/d) was built in Batman by 1955. Several other oil fields were later discovered in the province with the Batı Raman oil field , which produces about 7,000 barrels daily, being the largest oil field in Turkey. A 511 km (318 mi) long oil pipeline was brought in 1967 from Batman to

138-540: A major source of income in the Iraq-Turkey border area. Larger-scale agriculture and industrial activities dominate the economic life of the lower-lying region around Diyarbakır , the largest Kurdish-majority city in the region. Elsewhere, however, military activity and high unemployment has led to extensive migration from the region to other parts of Turkey and abroad. Part of the Fertile Crescent of

184-597: A part of Ottoman sanjaks . However, powerful and less accessible tribes, particularly those close to the frontier with Persia , enjoyed a high degree of autonomy. According to a kanunname (book of law) mentioned by Evliya Çelebi , there were two administrative units different from regular sanjaks: 1) Kurdish sanjaks ( Ekrad Beyliği ), characterized by the hereditary rule of the Kurdish aristocracy and 2) Kurdish governments ( hükümet ). The Kurdish sanjaks, like ordinary sanjaks, had military obligations and had to pay taxes. On

230-552: A part of which was based in the province, in the city of Hasankeyf . The city is a cultural center of the Batman Province and as such was declared as a natural conservation area in 1981. Around 4th–6th centuries AD the province became an outpost of the Silk Road . It was populated by Assyrian (Non-Syriac) Christians and Armenians, also had a significant presence of Pontic Greeks , Baghdadi Jews . Significant changes in

276-445: A roadside bomb. The province occupies an area of 4,477 km (1,729 sq mi). It lies in a mountainous area with the average elevation of 550 meters which contains several thousands of caves. The tallest mountains are Sason Dağları (2500 m), Meleto (2967 m), Kuşaklı Dağı (1947 m), Avcı Dağı (2121 m), Meydanok Tepesi (2042 m), Kortepe (2082 m) and Raman Dağı (1288 m). Several rivers ( Turkish : Çay or Nehir ) flow through

322-420: A volume of 1.175 km. The dam supplies water for an area of 37,744 hectares (93,270 acres). 38°04′55″N 41°24′26″E  /  38.08194°N 41.40722°E  / 38.08194; 41.40722 Turkish Kurdistan Ancient Medieval Modern Turkish Kurdistan or Northern Kurdistan ( Kurdish : Bakurê Kurdistanê ) is the southeastern part of Turkey where Kurds form

368-454: Is a few kilometres south of the city of Batman , with the Raman oil field lying to the east. The Batman River flows nearby, on the western side of the Batman city. The two fields are separated by a narrow fault system. The oil is classified as heavy. It has a density of 9.7–15 API (1.002–0.966 g/cm , 12 API or 1 g/cm on average) and a viscosity of 450–1000 cP at reservoir conditions. Oil

414-415: Is located at an average depth of 1310 meters and is capped by a layer of Garzan Limestone – a carbonate of Cretaceous period. The layer is about 64 m (210 ft) thick and lies at a depth of about 1320 m, it has an average porosity of 18%. Its measured permeability of 200–500 mD is higher than calculated bulk values of 10–100 mD indicating the presence of numerous cracks and fractures. The layer

460-549: Is located in Batman Province , in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey . With estimated reserves of 1.85 billion barrels (252×10 tonnes) and a production rate of around 7,500 barrels per day (1,190 m /d) from 300 wells (as of 2007), it is the largest and most productive oil field in Turkey . The field is 18 km long and 3–5 km wide and is oriented from east to west. It

506-444: Is often used in the context of Kurdish nationalism , which makes it a controversial term among proponents of Turkish nationalism . The term has different meaning depending on context. The Encyclopaedia of Islam delineates the geography of Turkish Kurdistan as following: According to Trotter (1878), the limit of their extent to the north was the line Divriği — Erzurum — Kars . In the region of Erzurum they are found especially to

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552-416: Is rather heterogeneous, both laterally and vertically. The field was discovered in 1961 and developed by Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı . Oil production began in 1962 at a rate of 400 barrels per day (64 m /d) and rapidly increased to 9,000 bbl/d (1,400 m /d) in 1969 but then declined. The major oil production mechanism was expansion of fluid, which was pressurized to about 1800 psi, but

598-529: Is regarded as one of the earliest leaders who pursued modern nationalist ideas among Kurds. In a letter to a British Vice-Consul, he declared: the Kurdish nation is a people apart. . . we want our affairs to be in our hands'.' The breakup of the Ottoman Empire after its defeat in the First World War led to its dismemberment and establishment of the present-day political boundaries, dividing

644-855: The Ancient Near East , Northern Kurdistan was quickly affected by the Neolithic Revolution that saw the spread of agriculture. In the Bronze Age , it was ruled by the Arameans , followed by the Neo-Assyrian Empire in the Iron Age . Classical antiquity saw the arrival of first Greater Armenia , then the Roman Empire . The early Muslim conquests swept over the region with the spread of Islam . During

690-627: The Middle Ages , the region came under the rule of local chieftains. In the 10th and 11th centuries, it was ruled by the Kurdish Marwanid dynasty. From the 14th century onwards, the region was mostly incorporated into the Ottoman Empire . A tax register (or defter ) dating back to 1527 mentions an area called Vilayet-i Kurdistan , which included seven major and 11 minor emirates (or principalities ). The document refers to

736-583: The Ottoman Empire , Constantinople decided not to settle these in Kurdistan due to the extreme poverty and lack of material resources for the refugees. Yet after some time, the Ottomans started seeing the refugees as a chance to diminish the Kurdish claim to the region and allowed the refugees to settle in the region. From early stage on, some Caucasians went through a voluntary process of Kurdification and thereby had Kurdish as their mother tongue. When

782-562: The 1990s, forced immigration from the southeast has led millions of Kurds to settle in the cities Ankara , Izmir or Istanbul . There used to be 11 Jewish communities in the Turkish Kurdistan . Much of the region is fertile and has traditionally exported grain and livestock to the cities in the plains. The local economy is dominated by animal husbandry and small-scale agriculture , with cross-border smuggling to and from Iraqi Kurdistan (especially of petroleum ) providing

828-525: The Batman city area by unidentified gunmen between 1992 and 1993. The province became a stronghold of the Turkish Hezbollah and it was reported that Batman hosted a camp where the militants received military and political training. Recent individual incidents include the following: 1 Turkish soldier was killed and 2 wounded during clashes in the province on 15 April 2010. Four Kurdish civilians were killed on 1 August 2010 after their vehicle struck

874-633: The Kurdish emirates as eyalet (state), an indication of the autonomy they enjoyed. In a Ferman (imperial decree) issued by Suleiman I , around 1533, he outlines the rules of inheritance and succession among Kurdistan beys i.e. the Kurdish aristocracy. Hereditary succession was granted to Kurdish emirates loyal to the Ottoman Empire , and Kurdish princes were granted autonomy within the Empire. The degree of autonomy of these emirates varied greatly and depended on their geopolitical significance. The weak Kurdish tribes were forced to join stronger ones or become

920-729: The Kurdish question arose in Turkey, it also had an effect on their Caucasian neighbors. Even today, there is an aversion from joining the Kurds in their conflict against the Turkish state, but some individuals of Caucasian origin joined the Kurdistan Workers' Party . As part of their campaign, Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) won elections in most Caucasian villages in Turkish Kurdistan. Bat%C4%B1 Raman oil field The Batı Raman oil field ( batı meaning west in Turkish )

966-437: The Kurdish states or hükümets as Cezire, Egil, Genç, Palu and Hazo. In the late 18th and early 19th century, with the decline of the Ottoman Empire , the Kurdish principalities became practically independent. The Ottoman government began to assert its authority in the region in the early 19th century. Concerned with independent-mindedness of Kurdish principalities, Ottomans sought to curb their influence and bring them under

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1012-475: The Kurdish-inhabited regions between several newly created states. The establishment and enforcement of the new borders had profound effects for the Kurds, who had to abandon their traditional nomadism for village life and settled farming. There has been significant conflict in Turkey over the Kurdish populations' linguistic rights. At various points in its history Turkey has enacted laws prohibiting

1058-494: The census of 1935, the first census conducted there after the province was split from Bitlis earlier. Bingöl Province was separated from Muş in 1935, while Tunceli Province was separated from Elazığ in 1936 and Kurdish was also the first language in these newly-established provinces in their first census in 1945 with 56% and 53%, respectively. Moreover, other ethnic groups also exist in Turkish Kurdistan including Arabs , Assyrians , Circassians , Ossetians and Turks . Since

1104-589: The control of the central government in Constantinople. However, removal from power of these hereditary principalities led to more instability in the region from the 1840s onwards. In their place, sufi sheiks and religious orders rose to prominence and spread their influence throughout the region. One of the prominent Sufi leaders was Sheikh Ubeydalla Nahri , who began a revolt in the region between Lakes Van and Urmia . The area under his control covered both Ottoman and Qajar territories. Shaikh Ubaidalla

1150-478: The east and the south-east. The Kurds also occupy the western slopes of Ararat, the districts of Kağızman and Tuzluca . On the west they extend in a wide belt beyond the course of the Euphrates, and, in the region of Sivas, in the districts of Kangal and Divriği. Equally, the whole region includes areas to the east and south-east of these limits... Turkish Kurdistān numbers at least 17 of them almost totally: in

1196-461: The field from 1971 to 1978, followed by CO 2 injection in 1987. This increased production after 1987, which peaked at 13,000 bbl/d (2,100 m /d) in 1993 and is gradually declining since then. Only about 20 wells were drilled by 1967 but a hundred new ones were added by 1969. Some wells were abandoned then and their total number decreased to about 90 in 1987 but then gradually increased again to about 200 by 1995. The productivity of most wells

1242-473: The first census of Turkey in 1927, Kurdish was the largest first language in the provinces of Ağrı ( 58%), Bitlis ( 75%), Diyarbakır ( 69%), Elazığ ( 53%), Hakkâri ( 89%), Mardin ( 61%), Siirt ( 74%, includes present-day Batman) and Van ( 77%). Moreover, Kurdish was the largest first language with a plurality in Şanlıurfa with 42%. 69% of the population in Muş Province had Kurdish as their first language in

1288-536: The frontiers of Kurdistan hardly allow an exact appreciation of the area." The region forms the south-eastern edge of Anatolia , in Upper Mesopotamia . It is dominated by high peaks rising to over 3,700 m (12,000 ft) and arid mountain plateaux , forming part of the arc of the Taurus Mountains . It has an extreme continental climate —hot in the summer, bitterly cold in the winter. In

1334-573: The language and management of the province were brought in 1515 by Mahmoud Pasha Elekhani. It is believed that a variant of his name, Elah , was transformed into Iluh and gave the old name to Batman city. From July 1987 to October 1997 Batman Province was included in the OHAL state of emergency region. Development of oil fields resulted in relocation of Turkish people into a mostly Kurd-populated Batman Province. This brought ethnic conflicts which escalated in 1990s. More than 180 civilians were killed in

1380-427: The north-east, the provinces of Erzincan , Erzurum and Kars ; in the centre, going from west to east and from north to south, the provinces of Malatya , Tunceli , Elazığ , Bingöl , Muş , Karaköse ( Ağrı ), then Adıyaman , Diyarbakır , Siirt , Bitlis and Van ; Finally, the southern provinces of Şanlıurfa (Urfa), Mardin and Çölamerik ( Hakkarî ). Nonetheless, it is emphasized that "the imprecise limits of

1426-663: The other hand, the Kurdish hükümet neither paid taxes nor provided troops for the Ottoman Army , and the Ottomans preferred not to interfere in their succession and internal affairs. According to Çelebi, by the mid-17th century the autonomy of the Kurdish emirates had diminished. At this time, out of 19 sanjaks of the Diyarbekir Eyalet , 12 were regular Ottoman sanjaks, and the remaining were referred to as Kurdish sanjaks. The Kurdish sanjaks were Sagman, Kulp, Mihraniye, Tercil, Atak, Pertek, Çapakçur and Çermik. Çelebi lists

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1472-453: The police have been closing down these private schools. There has been a long-running separatist conflict in Turkey which has cost 30,000 lives, on both sides. The region saw several major Kurdish rebellions during the 1920s and 1930s. These were forcefully put down by the Turkish authorities and the region was declared a closed military area from which foreigners were banned between 1925 and 1965. Kurdish place names were changed and turkified,

1518-468: The port city of Dörtyol near the easternmost point of the Mediterranean coast to transport the Batman crude oil. The pipeline has an annual capacity of 3.5 million tonnes and was transporting about 20 million barrels (about 2.7 million tonnes) in the 1990s and about twice less between 2003 and 2007. Another, short (41 km [25 mi]) pipeline connected Batman with Şelmo – the location of

1564-451: The predominant ethnic group . The Kurdish Institute of Paris estimates that there are 20 million Kurds living in Turkey, the majority of them in the southeast. Southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdistan) is considered to be one of the four parts of Kurdistan , which also includes parts of northern Syria ( Western Kurdistan ), northern Iraq ( Southern Kurdistan ) and northwestern Iran ( Eastern Kurdistan ). The term Turkish Kurdistan

1610-463: The pressure dropped to about 400 psi due to extraction. Considering the high density and viscosity of the oil, only 1.5% of the deposit could be extracted by the natural mechanism and this limit was quickly exhausted – about 94 million barrels (14,900,000 m ) (5%) of oil had been recovered from the field by 2007. The pressure was raised by injecting water and later carbon dioxide . About 3.2 million barrels (510,000 m ) of water were pumped into

1656-614: The province dates back to 7th century BC. An artificial "island" was created in this marshy area. It was named Elekhan , and had an independent status for 194 years from 546 BC till the invasion of Alexander the Great in 334 BC. The Batman Province was a religious center in the 4th–6th centuries AD and a part of the Byzantine Empire . In the 11th–12th centuries it was ruled by the Great Seljuq Empire and Artuqids ,

1702-583: The province is rapidly growing as a result of the inflow of workforce to the capital. Between 1990 and 2000, its population was rising at a rate of 5% per year. The population was stable in Beşiri and Gercüş, increasing by 1% per year in Kozluk and Sason and decreasing by 3% per year in Hasankeyf. The total population was 634,491 in 2022. Search for oil in the Batman Province was started in 1935. On 20 April 1940, oil

1748-479: The province, including Tigris , Batman , Sason and Garzan. The 115 km (71 mi) long Batman River flowing approximately from north to south forms a natural border between the Batman Province and Diyarbakır Province lying to the west. The historic Malabadi Bridge (built in 1146–1147) crosses the river near the town of Silvan . The Tigris flows from west to east, merges with the Batman River and exits

1794-606: The province. The Garzan River flowing from north to south enters the Tigris and separates Batman from the Siirt Province lying to the east. The province is also of interest from an archaeological point of view. Sights include the Imam Abdullah Dervish monastery, the bridge of Camiü‘r Rızk and Hasankeyf . The province is divided into six districts: There are 289 villages in the province. The population of

1840-521: The rest of the 1980s and into the 1990s. By 1993, the total number of security forces involved in the struggle in southeastern Turkey was about 200,000, and the conflict had become the largest counter-insurgency in the Middle East , in which much of the countryside was evacuated, thousands of Kurdish-populated villages were destroyed, and numerous extra judicial summary executions were carried out by both sides. More than 37,000 people were killed in

1886-407: The second largest oil field in Turkey. It was transferring between 1.5 and 0.5 million barrels per year in the period 1990–2007. Both pipelines are operated by BOTAŞ . The Batman dam construction was started in 1986 and completed in 1999. It has a height of 85 meters and an annual power generation capacity of 483 GWh (peak power 198 MW). The associated reservoir has a surface area of 49 km and

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1932-551: The use of Kurdish in schools. To counter the Dersim rebellion , a turkification process was started by the Turkish government and the Elazığ Girls' Institute ( Turkish : Elazığ Kız Enstitüsü, EGI ) was opened in 1937. The institute was a boarding school for Kurdish girls and young women who had to learn to speak Turkish with their children which before they were not able to as most of them didn't know Turkish. The girls' school

1978-516: The use of Kurdish language was outlawed, the words Kurds and Kurdistan were erased from dictionaries and history books, and the Kurds were only referred to as Mountain Turks . Politicians were often prosecuted and sentenced to prison terms for speaking Kurdish. In 1983, a number of provinces were placed under martial law in response to the activities of the militant separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). A guerrilla war took place through

2024-632: The violence and hundreds of thousands more were forced to leave their homes. The situation in the region has since eased following the capture of the PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan in 1999 and the introduction of a greater degree of official tolerance for Kurdish cultural activities, encouraged by the European Union . However, some political violence is still ongoing and the Turkish–Iraqi border region remains tense. When refugees from Caucasus reached

2070-424: Was found at a depth of 1048 meters at the Raman oil field , south-east of Batman, nearby the city. The first experimental well started producing 10 tonnes (about 62 barrels) per day from 6 June 1940. The field was expanded for commercial production by 1945, but the production was delayed to 1947 by the lack of storage. A small refinery was built at the site with a capacity of 9 tonnes/day by 1947 and by November 1948

2116-610: Was open until 1959. In 2014, several Kurdish NGOs and two Kurdish political parties supported a boycott of schools in Northern Kurdistan to promote the right to education in the Kurdish language in all subjects. While Kurdish identity has become more acceptable in Turkish society, the Turkish government has only allowed the Kurdish language to be offered as an elective in schools. The government has refused to honor other demands. In several southeastern cities, Kurds have established private schools to teach classes in Kurdish but

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