Yüksekova

Yüksekova (Gever)
Yüksekova (Gever)
Coordinates: 37°34′00″N 44°17′00″E / 37.56667°N 44.28333°E / 37.56667; 44.28333Coordinates: 37°34′00″N 44°17′00″E / 37.56667°N 44.28333°E / 37.56667; 44.28333
Country Turkey
Province Hakkâri
Government
  Mayor Ruken Yetişkin (BDP)
  Kaymakam Üzeyir Aziz Özeren
Area[1]
  District 2,371.85 km2 (915.78 sq mi)
Elevation 1,950 m (6,400 ft)
Population (2012)[2]
  Urban 68,230
  District 115,966
  District density 49/km2 (130/sq mi)
Post code 30300
Website www.yuksekova.bel.tr

Yüksekova (Kurdish: Gever; Syriac: Gawar), is a Kurdish populated city and formerly known as Gever, is a district of Hakkari Province of Turkey, situated on the border with Iran. Its location on the trade route between north western Iran and eastern Turkey made it an important juncture for travelers and the location of several ethnic groups that were active in regional trade.

Gawar or "Gaur, Gwer, Gabr, Gawr" is a term of Aramaic origin used to denote Zoroastrians in Mesopotamia by Persians and later applied to all non-Muslim people of Middle East in the Islamic era (see گبر). This word was later used as Islamic religious term as "Giaour, Gavur, Kuffar" which means "infidel".[3][4] In the 1936 its name was changed to Yuksekova by Turkish authorities.

History

In the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, Gawar had around 30 villages. The population of Gawar was 15,000.[5] Inhabitants lived off agriculture that mainly consisted of wheat and barley, cotton, tea. Gawar had around 1497 families in the 1880s.

Up until World War I, Gawar was the seat of a bishop of the Church of the East. The district of Gawar served as the main travel stop for Assyrians traveling between the Hakkari tribal areas and the Urmia plains.

In the 1810s the whole population of villages in the region of the Upper Zab River were Predominantly Kurdish and Nestorian Christians.[6]

Climate

The climate in Yüksekova is a hot-summer subtype (Köppen: Dsa) of the humid continental climate. Summers are virtually dry with the most rainfall occurring in late winter to early spring (February to April).

Climate data for Yüksekova
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) −6.4
(20.5)
−4.0
(24.8)
2.7
(36.9)
10.3
(50.5)
17.6
(63.7)
22.8
(73)
26.7
(80.1)
26.8
(80.2)
23.2
(73.8)
16.3
(61.3)
7.7
(45.9)
−3.3
(26.1)
11.7
(53.07)
Daily mean °C (°F) −9.0
(15.8)
−7.3
(18.9)
−0.7
(30.7)
6.0
(42.8)
12.1
(53.8)
16.5
(61.7)
20.3
(68.5)
20.2
(68.4)
16.4
(61.5)
10.5
(50.9)
3.3
(37.9)
−5.5
(22.1)
6.9
(44.42)
Average low °C (°F) −11.5
(11.3)
−10.6
(12.9)
−4.0
(24.8)
1.8
(35.2)
6.6
(43.9)
10.3
(50.5)
13.6
(56.5)
13.9
(57)
9.6
(49.3)
4.7
(40.5)
−1.0
(30.2)
−7.7
(18.1)
2.14
(35.85)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 71
(2.8)
90
(3.54)
104
(4.09)
106
(4.17)
58
(2.28)
18
(0.71)
6
(0.24)
5
(0.2)
6
(0.24)
50
(1.97)
76
(2.99)
80
(3.15)
670
(26.38)
Source: Climate-Data.org[7]

Notable Gawar Assyrians

See also

References

  1. "Area of regions (including lakes), km²". Regional Statistics Database. Turkish Statistical Institute. 2002. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
  2. "Population of province/district centers and towns/villages by districts - 2012". Address Based Population Registration System (ABPRS) Database. Turkish Statistical Institute. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
  3. Bausani, A. (1965), "Gabr", Encyclopedia of Islam II (2 ed.), Leiden: Brill
  4. Shaki, Mansour (2001), "Gabr", Encyclopedia Iranica 10, Costa Mesa: Mazda
  5. Assyrians Of The Van District During The Rule Of Ottoman Turks, M.Y.A . Lilian, 1914
  6. Aboona, Hirmis (2008). Assyrians, Kurds, and Ottomans: Intercommunal Relations on the Periphery of the Ottoman Empire. Cambria Press. p. 7. ISBN 1604975830.
  7. "Climate:Yüksekova". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 11 April 2014.


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