İspir (, Sper; ka, სპერი, Speri) is a municipality and

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

of Erzurum Province,

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 area is 2,129 km², and its population is 14,607 (2022). It is on the Çoruh River. The mayor is Ahmet Coşkun ( MHP).

History

İspir is known from the 3rd millennium BC. The ancient kingdom of Hayasa-Azzi (2nd millennium BC), which was the forerunner of Armenian statehood, was located in the upper reaches of the rivers Euphrates and Chorokh, and included Sper. The name Sper is thought by some to be derived from Saspers, or Sasperi, the name Sper with a Georgian prefix of place Sa-, which evolved into the term Iberian. The Saspers were mentioned by

Xenophon Xenophon of Athens (; ; 355/354 BC) was a Greek military leader, philosopher, and historian. At the age of 30, he was elected as one of the leaders of the retreating Ancient Greek mercenaries, Greek mercenaries, the Ten Thousand, who had been ...

;T. A. Sinclair, "Eastern Turkey an Architectural and Archaeological Survey", Volume 2, 1989, p272 In the 4th-3rd centuries BC Sper was organized into a province of the Iberian Kingdom as noted by

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

sent one of his generals Menon to conquer Sper, but Menon and his forces were defeated and killed. The region was then a part of Upper Armenia (, Bardzr Hayk'), a province of Greater Armenia, since the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD. After this, Sper was an Armenian Bagratid domain in the 4th - 6th centuries, the territory of which also comprised the Bayburt plain until that was lost to the Byzantines (perhaps in 387). In the 7th century it passed to the Arab Caliphate; in 885 Bagratuni Kingdom of Armenia. Under the medieval Kingdom of Armenia, it was part of the province of Upper Armenia and was famous for its gold mines. In the 11th century it was conquered by the Seljuqs. Ispir was under the control of the Saltukids till 1124 when the

Georgians Georgians, or Kartvelians (; ka, ქართველები, tr, ), are a nation and Peoples of the Caucasus, Caucasian ethnic group native to present-day Georgia (country), Georgia and surrounding areas historically associated with the Ge ...

took over power, governed by Zakare and Ivane Zakarids as a fief. It was recaptured by Mughith ad Din Tughrul, son of the Seljuk sultan Kilij Arslan II, sometime between 1201 and 1225. He built a mosque in the citadel which still survives. It was conquered in 1242 by the

Mongols Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...

; was regained by Georgian Kingdom during the reign of George V the Brilliant (1314–1346), it remained part of the Kingdom before its disintegration, which then passed into the hands of Georgian Atabegs belonging to the House of Jaqeli; it was conquered in 1502 by

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

and was probably in 1515 taken by the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

from the Georgian ruler of Samtskhe. The town was occupied in 1916 by the Russians during

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 ...

and 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 ...

, then was recaptured by the Turks in 1918. Historic sights in the town are the citadel, a mosque and a church in the citadel (probably 13th century), the originally 13th century ''Çarsi'' mosque's building being a recent structure. The ''Sultan Melik'' mosque and

Madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...

built in the 13th century, the Madrasa of ''Kadizade Mehmet'' built in 1725/26, ''Kadizade'' was the Mufti of Erzurum from 1744 to 1759 and his father was the Qadi of Ispir. There is also a tomb with a graveyard containing some Ottoman tombstones.

Climate

The climate is described as Humid continental by

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

, abbreviated as ''Dfa''.

Economy

As of 1920,

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

was being produced in the area.

Composition

There are 101 neighbourhoods in İspir District:Mahalle
Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 12 July 2023. * Ahlatlı * Akgüney * Akpınar * Akseki * Aksu * Aktaş * Alacabük * Araköy * Ardıçlı * Armutlu * Aşağıfındıklı * Aşağıözbağ * Atürküten * Avcıköy * Bademli * Bahçeli * Başçeşme * Başköy * Başpınar * Bostancı * Bozan * Çakmaklı * Çamlıca * Çamlıkaya * Cankurtaran * Çatakkaya * Çayırbaşı * Çayırözü * Cibali * Çiçekli * Değirmendere * Değirmenli * Demirbilek * Demirkaya * Devedağı * Duruköy * Düzköy * Elmalı * Gaziler * Geçitağzı * Göçköy * Gölyurt * Gülhas * Güllübağ * Gündoğdu * Güney * Halilpaşa * İkisu * İncesu * Irmakköy * İyidere * Karahan * Karakale * Karakamış * Karakaya * Karaseydi * Karşıyaka * Kavaklı * Kaynakbaşı * Kirazlı * Kırık * Kızılhasan * Koçköy * Köprüköy * Kümetaş * Leylekköy * Madenköprübaşı * Mescitli * Meydanlı * Moryayla * Mülkköy * Numanpaşa * Ortaköy * Ortaören * Özlüce * Öztoprak * Petekli * Pınarlı * Sandıklı * Şenköy * Sırakonak * Soğuksu * Taşbaşı * Taşlıca * Tekpınar * Tepecik * Ulubel * Ulutaş * Üzümbağı * Yağlı * Yaylacık * Yedigöl * Yedigöze * Yeşiltepe * Yeşilyurt * Yıldıztepe * Yukarı * Yukarıfındıklı * Yukarıözbağ * Yunusköy * Zeyrek

References

External links

The website of the governor of İspirThe website of the tourism info
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ispir Populated places in Erzurum Province Former provinces of Georgia (country) Historical regions of Georgia (country) Tao-Klarjeti Districts of Erzurum Province Metropolitan district municipalities in Turkey