Üçdere () is a village in

Muş District Muş District (also: ''Merkez'', meaning "central" in Turkish) is a district of the Muş Province of Turkey. Its seat is the city of Muş.

Muş Province Muş Province (; ; ) is a Provinces of Turkey, province in the east Anatolia region of Turkey (Türkiye). Its area is 8,718 km2, and its population is 399,202 (2022), down from 453,654 in 2000. The provincial capital is the city of Muş. Ano ...

, eastern

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. Its population is 753 (2022). It is located 6 kilometers from the center of Muṣ.

History

Human settlement has been present in the Muş plain for about 10,000 years. During the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, Muş was the center of the Taron kingdom. In the late 8th century, the area came under the control of the Armenian Bagratid (Bagratuni) dynasty, until it was captured and annexed by the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

in 969. In the 11th century, the town was ruled by Islamic dynasties such as the

Ahlatshahs The Shah-ArmensClifford Edmund Bosworth "The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual". Article «The Shâh-i Armanids», p. 197. (lit. 'Kings of Armenia', ), also known as Ahlatshahs (lit. 'Rulers of Ahlat', ) or Begtimurids ...

. In the 1500s, the

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

took control of the area. During the

Armenian genocide The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...

of 1915, the indigenous Armenian population of the region was exterminated. The town was formerly known as Tsoghounk, until

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The town was occupied by the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

in 1916 and was recaptured by Turkish troops on 30 April 1917. Today, the economy of the village depends on agriculture and animal husbandry. There is a primary school, electricity and landline telephone in the village. A number of ruins dot the landscape near the village including the Arakelots Monastery, Surp Marineh Church, Mush,

Surb Karapet Monastery Surb Karapet Monastery of Mush (, ''Msho Surb Karapet vank'', also known by other names) was an Armenian Apostolic monastery in the historic province of Taron, about northwest of Mush (Muş), in present-day eastern Turkey. ''Surb Karapet'' t ...

. Mosques like the Alaeddin Bey (18th century), Haci Seref (17th century), and Ulu Mosque (14th century).

Caravanserai A caravanserai (or caravansary; ) was an inn that provided lodging for travelers, merchants, and Caravan (travellers), caravans. They were present throughout much of the Islamic world. Depending on the region and period, they were called by a ...

such as the "Yıldızlı Han" (13th century) which was destroyed in 1916 and the now almost completely ruined "Arslanli Han" can be found in the area. The bathhouse and fountain of Alaeddin Bey as well as the tombs of Muslim saints are also located around Üçdere.

References

Villages in Muş District Kurdish settlements in Muş Province {{Muş-geo-stub