province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
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. Another town in Muş province, Malazgirt (''Manzikert''), is famous for the
Battle of Manzikert
The Battle of Manzikert or Malazgirt was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Seljuk Empire on 26 August 1071 near Manzikert, Iberia (theme), Iberia (modern Malazgirt in MuÅŸ Province, Turkey). The decisive defeat of the Byzantine army ...
of 1071.
History
The province is considered a part of historical
Western Armenia
Western Armenia (Western Armenian: Ô±Ö€Õ¥Ö‚Õ´Õ¿Õ¥Õ¡Õ¶ Õ€Õ¡ÕµÕ¡Õ½Õ¿Õ¡Õ¶, ''Arevmdian Hayasdan'') is a term to refer to the western parts of the Armenian highlands located within Turkey (formerly the Ottoman Empire) that comprise the historic ...
. Before 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 ...
, the area was a part of the Six Armenian Vilayets. The province is considered part of
Turkish Kurdistan
Turkish Kurdistan or Northern Kurdistan () is the southeastern part of Turkey where Kurds form 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 ...
There are a total of 8 mountain ranges, 4 of which are large, in the province. MuÅŸ province is surrounded by Otluk Mountains in the middle,
AkdoÄŸan Mountains
Akdoğan Mountains (); (); is a mountain range located at the zero point of the Muş and Erzurum border. It extends from the east of Akdoğan lake to Karaçoban district by crossing the border where Varto, Bulanık and Hınıs districts inter ...
in the north,
Bingöl Mountains
Bingöl Mountains (; ) is a mountain range in Turkey at the zero point of the provincial border of Erzurum and Muş.
Geology and geomorphology
Bingöl Mountains is an example of Shield volcanoes. Dağkale Hill, which is the highest point of ...
in the northwest,
Åžerafettin Mountains
Åžerafettin Mountains (), is a mountain range in 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 ...
Lake AkdoÄŸan
Lake AkdoÄŸan, also called Lake Hamurpert, is the name of two neighbouring Crater lakes on the AkdoÄŸan Mountains in Turkey. They are separated by a land strip of about . They are both high-altitude lakes located in Varto district of MuÅŸ Provi ...
The main plant species in the MuÅŸ province are toxic Ferula and non-toxic Ferula, Rheum ribes,
Gundelia
''Gundelia'' or tumble thistle is a low to high (20–100 cm) thistle-like Perennial plant, perennial herbaceous plant with latex, spiny compound inflorescences, reminiscent of teasles and eryngos, that contain cream, yellow, greenish, pink, ...
,
Sorrel
Sorrel (''Rumex acetosa''), also called common sorrel or garden sorrel, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Polygonaceae. Other names for sorrel include spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock ("dock" being a common name for the genus ''Ru ...
Thymus (plant)
The genus ''Thymus'' ( ; thymes) contains about 350 species of aromatic perennial plant, perennial herbaceous plants and subshrubs in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World.
Several members of the genus are cultivated as culinary he ...
Frangula alnus
''Frangula alnus'', commonly known as alder buckthorn, glossy buckthorn, or breaking buckthorn, is a tall deciduous shrub in the family Rhamnaceae. Unlike other "buckthorns", alder buckthorn does not have thorns. It is native to Europe, northern ...
and
Prunus cerasifera
__NOTOC__
''Prunus cerasifera'' is a species of plum known by the common names cherry plum and myrobalan plum.Oak
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
trees,
Crataegus monogyna
''Crataegus monogyna'', known as common hawthorn, whitethorn, one-seed hawthorn, or single-seeded hawthorn, is a species of flowering plant in the rose family, Rosaceae. It grows to about tall, producing plant sexuality, hermaphrodite flowers i ...
Prunus mahaleb
''Prunus mahaleb'', the mahaleb cherry or St Lucie cherry, is a species of cherry tree. The tree is cultivated for a spice obtained from the seeds inside the cherry stones. The seeds have a fragrant smell and have a taste comparable to bitter alm ...
Bear
Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...
,
Wolf
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...
Pig
The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...
,
Partridge
A partridge is a medium-sized Galliformes, galliform bird in any of several genera, with a wide Indigenous (ecology), native distribution throughout parts of Europe, Asia and Africa. Several species have been introduced to the Americas. They ar ...
,
Lynx
A lynx ( ; : lynx or lynxes) is any of the four wikt:extant, extant species (the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx and the bobcat) within the medium-sized wild Felidae, cat genus ''Lynx''. The name originated in Middle Engl ...
,
Duck
Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...
,
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...
European green lizard
The European green lizard (''Lacerta viridis'') is a large lizard distributed across European midlatitudes from Slovenia and eastern Austria to as far east as the Black Sea coasts of Ukraine and Turkey. It is often seen sunning on rocks or lawns, ...
Kayalıdere Castle
The Kayalıdere Castle (), is a historical castle on a rocky hill in the Varto district of Muş. This castle was one of the most important checkpoints for the kingdom of Urartu.
Kayalıdere Castle is located on the hill that has an island appea ...
Lake AkdoÄŸan
Lake AkdoÄŸan, also called Lake Hamurpert, is the name of two neighbouring Crater lakes on the AkdoÄŸan Mountains in Turkey. They are separated by a land strip of about . They are both high-altitude lakes located in Varto district of MuÅŸ Provi ...
,
Künav Cave
Künav Cave () is a Karstic cave located near Kayadelen village of Varto district of Muş province, Turkey. The cave is 3 kilometers long and 15 km away from Varto district center.
The ceiling height of Künav Cave is around 35 meters in places ...
train station
A train station, railroad station, or railway station is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight, or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track, and a station building providing suc ...
and a bus station(MUÅžTÄ°).
Districts
MuÅŸ province is divided into 6
districts
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 counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...
Varto
Varto (; or , ''Varto'') is a town in Muş Province, Turkey. It is the seat of Varto District.Bulanık
* Malazgirt
* Hasköy
* Korkut
Economy
Historically, MuÅŸ was known for producing
wheat
Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...
. The province also grew madder, but locals retained it, using it for
dye
Juan de Guillebon, better known by his stage name DyE, is a French musician. He is known for the music video of the single "Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical ele ...
. The area also had salt mines. As of 1920, the region had so much salt that it was said to have enough to supply Europe and Asia.