Silvan (; , ) 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 ...

Diyarbakır Province Diyarbakır Province (; ; ) is a province and metropolitan municipality in southeastern Turkey. Its area is 15,101 km2, and its population is 1,804,880 (2022). The provincial capital is the city of Diyarbakır. The Kurdish majority 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 1,252 km², and its population is 86,161 (2022). It is populated by

Kurds Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...

History

Silvan has been identified by several scholars as one of two possible locations (the other being Arzan) of Tigranakert (Tigranocerta), the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Armenia, which was built by King Tigran the Great (ruling 95–55 BC) and named in his honor. Hakobyan, Tadevos Kh. ''«Տիգրանակերտ»'' (Tigranakert). Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia. vol. xi. Yerevan:

Armenian Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia (NAS RA) (, ''Hayastani Hanrapetut’yan gitut’yunneri azgayin akademia'') is the Armenian national academy, functioning as the primary body that conducts research and coordinates acti ...

, 1986, pp. 699-700.

Roman era

In 69 BC, the

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

of Republican Rome defeated Tigran's troops in the battle of Tigranocerta. The city lost its importance as a thriving center for trade and

Hellenistic In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...

culture in the following decades. In 387 AD, with the Peace of Acilisene, Tigranakert was made part of 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 ...

. Around 400 AD, the city's

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

, Marutha (later, saint Maruthas), brought a large number of

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

s of Christian martyrs persecuted under Sassanid rule back from

Sassanid Persia The Sasanian Empire (), officially Eranshahr ( , "Empire of the Iranian peoples, Iranians"), was an List of monarchs of Iran, Iranian empire that was founded and ruled by the House of Sasan from 224 to 651. Enduring for over four centuries, th ...

. For this reason Tigranakert was renamed Martyropolis (Μαρτυρούπολις), " city of the martyrs." Following the reforms of

Justinian I Justinian I (, ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was Roman emperor from 527 to 565. His reign was marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovatio imperii'', or "restoration of the Empire". This ambition was ...

(rule 527–565), the city was made the capital of the province of Fourth Armenia. The city was inconclusively besieged by the Persians in the last phase of the

Iberian War The Iberian War was fought from 526 to 532 between the Byzantine Empire and the Sasanian Empire over the eastern Georgian kingdom of Iberia—a Sasanian client state that defected to the Byzantines. Conflict erupted among tensions over tribut ...

. The city suffered heavily in the Battle of Martyropolis in 588 AD, but soon prospered again.

Islamic era

It was known by the name of Mayyāfāriqīn after the

Arabs Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...

took over this region in the 7th century. It was then controlled by the first three

Arab Caliphate A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of the entir ...

s until it came under the control of the

Hamdanids The Hamdanid dynasty () was a Islam, Shia Muslim Arab dynasty that ruled modern day Northern Mesopotamia and Bilad al-Sham , Syria (890–1004). They descended from the ancient Banu Taghlib tribe of Mesopotamia and Arabia. History Origin ...

in 935, then the

Buyids The Buyid dynasty or Buyid Empire was a Zaydi and later Twelver Shi'a dynasty of Daylamite origin. Founded by Imad al-Dawla, they mainly ruled over central and southern Iran and Iraq from 934 to 1062. Coupled with the rise of other Iranian dyna ...

in 978, then it came under the

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

Marwanids and became the capital of their dynasty until the end of the 11th century. The city and the entire province of Diyarbakir were taken in 1085 by the

Seljuk Turks The Seljuk dynasty, or Seljukids ( ; , ''Saljuqian'',) alternatively spelled as Saljuqids or Seljuk Turks, was an Oghuz Turks, Oghuz Turkic, Sunni Muslim dynasty that gradually became Persianate society, Persianate and contributed to Turco-Persi ...

under

Malik-Shah I Malik-Shah I (, ) was the third sultan of the Seljuk Empire from 1072 to 1092, under whom the sultanate reached the zenith of its power and influence. During his youth, he spent his time participating in the campaigns of his father Alp Arslan, ...

. During the following years, the city changed hands several times due to rivalries between Seljuk clans and local rulers. In 1118, the Artukids took the city. They resisted the attacks of

Zengid The Zengid or Zangid dynasty, also referred to as the Atabegate of Mosul, Aleppo and Damascus (Arabic: أتابكة الموصل وحلب ودمشق), or the Zengid State (Old Anatolian Turkish: , Modern Turkish: ; ) was initially an '' Atabegat ...

ruler

Imad al-Din Zengi Imad al-Din Zengi (; – 14 September 1146), also romanized as Zangi, Zengui, Zenki, and Zanki, was a Turkoman atabeg of the Seljuk Empire, who ruled Mosul, Aleppo, Hama, and, later, Edessa. He was the namesake and founder of the Zengid dyn ...

for many years. The Artukid

Husam al-Din Timurtash Husam al-Din Timurtash (; ; – 1154) was an Artuqid emir of Mardin (1122–1154) and ruler of Aleppo (1124–1125). Biography Early career The main sources of his reign were the chronicle of Ibn al-Azraq al-Fariqi and Ibn al-Athir, in addi ...

built the Malabadi Bridge near Meiafarakin, one of the wonders of the time by its dimensions. The dynasty remained in place but preferred to reside in

Mardin Mardin (; ; romanized: ''Mārdīn''; ; ) is a city and seat of the Artuklu District of Mardin Province in Turkey. It is known for the Artuqids, Artuqid architecture of its old city, and for its strategic location on a rocky hill near the Tigris ...

, leaving a governor to preside over Meiafarakin. In early 1260, the city, defended by its last

Ayyubid The Ayyubid dynasty (), also known as the Ayyubid Sultanate, was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultan of Egypt, Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate, Fatimid Caliphate of Egyp ...

ruler Al-Kamil Muhammad, suffered the Siege of Mayyāfāriqīn, and its population then massacred by the Mongol army led by

Hulagu Khan Hulegu Khan, also known as Hülegü or Hulagu; ; ; ; ( 8 February 1265), was a Mongol ruler who conquered much of Western Asia. As a son of Tolui and the Keraite princess Sorghaghtani Beki, he was a grandson of Genghis Khan and brother of ...

, with the help of his Georgian and Armenian allies. The Artukids eventually disappeared in 1408 under the attacks of the

Qara Qoyunlu The Qara Qoyunlu or Kara Koyunlu (, ; ), also known as the Black Sheep Turkomans, were a culturally Persianate, Muslim Turkoman "Kara Koyunlu, also spelled Qara Qoyunlu, Turkish Karakoyunlular, English Black Sheep, Turkmen tribal federation tha ...

Ottoman Empire

In 1896, reports by the British Vice Consul Hallward indicate that many villages were destroyed during the Armenian massacres in 1895. Hallward was engaged in the rebuilding of about 35 villages.

21st century

An ambush killing 13 Turkish soldiers occurred in the forests of Silvan by

Kurdistan Workers' Party The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK, isDespite the PKK's 12th Congress announcing plans for total organisational dissolution, the PKK has not yet been dissolved de facto or de jure. a Kurds, Kurdish militant political organization and armed ...

separatists, who also lost seven killed in action. Silvan was also the site of serious clashes between Turkish government forces and Kurdish

Kurdistan Workers Party The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK, isDespite the PKK's 12th Congress announcing plans for total organisational dissolution, the PKK has not yet been dissolved de facto or de jure. a Kurdish militant political organization and armed gu ...

(PKK) separatists in August 2015 during the wider Operation Martyr Yalçın. Naşide Toprak from the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) was elected Mayor of Silvan in the

local elections Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...

in March 2019. She was dismissed in March 2020, and Mehmet Uslu has been appointed as a trustee instead of her.

Archaeology

Archaeologists headed by professor Ahmet Tanyıldız, the vice-rector of

Dicle University Dicle University (, ) is a public university located in Diyarbakır, Turkey, and one of the largest higher education institution. Vocational schools are located in Ergani, Çermik, Çüngüş, Bismil, and Silvan, Turkey, Silvan History Dicle Uni ...

, announced in 2021 that they had discovered the grave of the Seljuk Sultan of Rum

Kilij Arslan I Kilij Arslan ibn Suleiman (; ; or ''Kılıcarslan'', "Sword Lion") (‎1079–1107) was the Seljuk sultan of Rûm. He reigned from 1092 until his death in 1107. He ruled the Sultanate during the time of the First Crusade and thus faced the ...

, who fought against the Crusader forces. They also discovered his daughter Saide Hatun's burial site during nine days of work. Researchers dug two meters deep across a 35-square-meter area and focused their works on two gravesites in Orta Çeşme Park.

Demographics

The Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople reported 13,824

Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...

living in the

kaza A kaza (, "judgment" or "jurisdiction") was an administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire, administrative division of the Ottoman Empire. It is also discussed in English under the names district, subdistrict, and juridical district. Kazas co ...

of Silvan on the eve of

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 ...

, all

-speaking. They had 28 churches, two monasteries, and 35 schools. The town itself had 2,500 Armenian Apostolic Christians and 1,500 other Christians: Chaldeans (500 according to Priest Joseph Tfinkdji), Syriac Catholics,

Syriac Orthodox The Syriac Orthodox Church (), also informally known as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox denomination that originates from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 4-5 million followers. The church upholds the Mia ...

, and Melchites.

Assyrians Assyrians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to Mesopotamia, a geographical region in West Asia. Modern Assyrians share descent directly from the ancient Assyrians, one of the key civilizations of Mesopotamia. While they are distinct from ot ...

call the city ܣܝܠܘܐܢ. Following the simultaneous

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 ...

and

Sayfo The Sayfo (, ), also known as the Seyfo or the Assyrian genocide, was the mass murder and deportation of Assyrian people, Assyrian/Syriac Christians in southeastern Anatolia and Persia's Azerbaijan (Iran), Azerbaijan province by Ottoman Army ...

, the city's Christian population was largely exterminated and the remaining Christians fled to neighbouring countries. Today, the municipality and district is populated by

Ecclesiastical history

Composition

There are 94

neighbourhoods A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neighbourh ...

in Silvan District: * Akçayır * Akçeltik * Akdere * Akyol * Alibey *

Altınkum Altınkum is a neighbourhood of the municipality and district of Didim, Aydın Province, Turkey. Its population is 5,516 (2022). It is a seaside resort on the Aegean Sea, 123 km from Aydın. It is near the ancient Temple of Apollo and the r ...

* Arıköy * Aşağıkaya * Aşağıveysi * Babakaya * Bağdere * Bağlar * Bahçe * Bahçelievler * Başdeğirmen * Başıbüyük * Bayrambaşı * Bellibahçe * Bereketli * Beypınar * Boyunlu * Çakıltaşı * Çaldere * Cami * Çardak * Çevriksu * Çiftliçevre * Çiğdemli * Çiğil * Çobantepe * Dağcılar * Darköprü * Demirkuyu * Dolapdere * Doluçanak * Duru * Düzalan * Erikyazı * Eskiköy * Eskiocak * Eşme * Feridun * Gökçetevek * Görentepe * Görmez * Güçlü * Gündüz * Gürpınar * Güzderesi * Heybelikonak * İncesu * Kale * Karacalar * Karahacı * Karamus * Kasımlı * Kayadere * Kazandağı * Keklikdere * Kıraçtepe * Kızlal * Konak * Kumgölü * Kumluk * Kutlualan * Malabadi * Mescit * Nohuttepe * Onbaşılar * Ormandışı * Otluk * Sağlık * Şanlı * Sarıbuğday * Selahattin * Sulak * Sulubağ *

Susuz Susuz (, , ) is a town in Kars Province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. It is the seat of Susuz District.

* Taşpınar * Tekel * Tokluca * Üçbasamak * Umurköy * Yenidoğan * Yeniköy * Yenişehir * Yeşerdi * Yeşilbahçe *

Yeşilköy (; meaning "Green Village"; prior to 1926, San Stefano or Santo Stefano , ) is an affluent neighbourhood () in the municipality and district of Bakırköy, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 25,039 (2022). on the Marmara Sea about ...

* Yolaç * Yolarası * Yukarıveysi * Yüksek *

Yuva ''Yuva'' ( Youth) is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language political drama film written, produced, and directed by Mani Ratnam''.'' It stars Ajay Devgn, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Rani Mukerji, Kareena Kapoor and Esha Deol. It was simulta ...

Notable people

* Ibn Nubata (d. 984), preacher *

Ibn al-Azraq al-Fariqi Aḥmad ibn Yūsuf ibn al-Azraq al-Fāriqī (; ) was a chronicler from Mayyafariqin, present-day Silvan, Diyarbakır, Silvan. His major work, ''Ta'rikh Mayyafariqin wa-Amid'' ("the history of Mayyafariqin and Amid"), is written in Arabic language, ...

(1116–1176), chronicler * Mehdi Zana (b. 1940), Former Kurdish politician * Yekta Uzunoglu (b. 1953), doctor, writer, human rights fighter, translator and entrepreneur. * Beytocan (b. 1955–2023), Kurdish singer and musician * Mahsum Korkmaz (1956–1986), first commander of the

(PKK)'s military forces. * Leyla Zana (b. 1961), Kurdish politician * Hakki Akdeniz (b. 1980),

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

and

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspe ...

from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Notable sites

* Malabadi Bridge