Tunceli Province

Tunceli Province (, , Zazaki: ; ) is a province in the Eastern Anatolia region of Turkey. It was named Dersim Province before being named Tunceli Province. It is the least densely-populated province in Turkey. It has a population of 83,645 people."Tunceli Nüfusu". Nufusune. Tunceli Province has 8 districts: Çemişgezek, Hozat, Mazgirt, Nazımiye, Ovacık, Pertek, Pülümür, and Tunceli (the capital district).     

Before the Armenian genocide, Mamuret-ul-Aziz (Kharput) vilayet (province), was one of the six vilayets which was a part of historical Turkish Armenia. Tunceli Province was part of Mamuret-ul-Aziz (Kharput) vilayet. It has a Zaza Alevi majority. 

The districts of Mazgirt, Nazımiye and Çemişgezek had a large Armenian population during the Ottoman period. A large part of this population must have been deported out of Anatolia with the deportation order of 1915. It is likely that the remaining population migrated to Western Anatolia. The province is mostly populated by Zazas.

 History 
The history of the province stretches back to antiquity. It was mentioned as Daranalis by Ptolemy, and seemingly, it was referred to as Daranis before him. One theory as to the origin of the name associates with Darius the Great. Another, more likely hypothesis, considering the region's Armenian background, says the name Daranalis or Daranaghis comes from the historical Armenian province of Daron, of which Dersim belonged.
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Armenian_regions-expansion_of_the_House_of_Mamikonian.gif|right|thumb|300x300px|They are named Daranaghi in what is today Dersim, that in Mamigonian times was part of Daron.
The area that would become Dersim province formed part of Urartu, Media, the Achaemenid Empire, and the Ancient kingdom of Armenia. Later ruled by the Roman and Parthian Empires and by their successors, the Byzantine and Sasanian Empires. Seljuq Turks invaded in the 11th.Cengiz, (2005). 

As of the end of the 19th century, the region, called Dersim, was included in the Ottoman sancak (sub-province) of Hozat, including the city and the Mamuret-ul-Aziz Vilayet (now Elazığ), with the exception of the actual district of Pülümür, which was in the neighboring sancak of Erzincan, then a part of the Erzurum Vilayet. This status continued through the first years of the Republic of Turkey, until 1936 when the name of the province ("Dersim") was changed to Tunceli, literally 'the land of bronze' in Turkish (tunç meaning 'bronze' and el (in this context) meaning 'land') after the brutal events of the Dersim rebellion. The town of Kalan was made the capital and the district of Pülümür was included in the new province.

In 1937, an Alevi Kurdish revolt broke out in the region and was suppressed with the deaths of 30,000 Kurds.

Following the Tunceli Law 1935, which demanded a more powerful government in the region, the Fourth Inspectorate-General (Umumi Müfettişlik, UM) was created in January 1936. The fourth UM span over the provinces of Elaziğ, Erzincan, Bingöl and Tunceli, and was governed by a Governor Commander. Most of the employees in the municipality were to be filled with military personnel and the Governor-Commander had the authority to evacuate whole villages and resettle them in other parts. Also the juridical guarantees did not comply with the law in the other parts in Turkey. The trials were at most 15 days long and sentences could not be appealed. For a release, the Governor Commander had to give his consent. The application of the death penalty was under the authority of the Governor-Commander, while normally it would be the authority of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey to approve such a punishment. In 1946 the Tunceli Law was abolished and the state of emergency removed but the authority of the fourth UM was transferred to the military. The Inspectorates-General was dissolved in 1952 during the Government of the Democrat Party.

 Demographics 

 Languages 
Tunceli's language distribution is 69.5% Zaza, 29.8% Turkish and 0.74% Kurdish in 1927. Zaza is spoken in Hozat, Pülümür, Ovacık and Nazımiye. Both Kurdish and Zaza is spoken in Tunceli town and Mazgirt.

 Armenians in Dersim 

According to Mihran Prgiç Gültekin, the head of the Union of Dersim Armenians, around 5% of the population in villages of Dersim are "converted Armenians.""Mihran Gultekin: Dersim Armenians Re-Discovering Their Ancestral Roots". Massis Post. "5 percent of Dersim population is converted Armenians, founder of “Union of Dersim Armenians” Mihran Gultekin told reporters in Yerevan (Dersim is a region of eastern Turkey, which includes Tunceli Province, Elazig Province, and Bingöl Province).""Documentary on Islamized Armenians of Dersim Screened at Columbia University". Armenian Weekly. "Mihran Prgiç Gültekin, the head of the Union of Dersim Armenians, estimates that about 75% of the village’s population are “converted Armenians." The greater part of hidden Armenians of Dersim, according Gultekin, is afraid that the nationalist regime may be back and may repress them. Currently over 200 families have announce their Armenian descent in Dersim, Gultekin said."Mihran Gultekin: Dersim Armenians Re-Discovering Their Ancestral Roots". Massis Post. "The greater part of hidden Armenians of Dersim, according Gultekin, is afraid that the nationalist regime may be back and may repress them. Currently over 200 families have announce their Armenian descent in Dersim, Gultekin said." In April 2013, Aram Ateşyan, the acting Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul, stated maybe that 5% of Tunceli (Dersim)'s population is of Armenian origin."Tunceli'nin yüzde 5'ı dönme Ermeni'dir". İnternet Haber. "Erkam Tufan, “Tunceli civarında bir kaç sayıda Kripto Ermeni olduğu söyleniyor bu doğru mudur?” şeklindeki sorusuna Ateşyan şu yanıtı verdi: [...] “Doğrudur Tunceli'nin yüzde 5'ı belki dönme Ermeni'dir. Neden derseniz 30 yaşlarında bir çocuk geldi bana ve ''benim köküm Ermeni'' dedi. ''Ben dönmek istiyorum'' dedi. Ben de ''ispatla dedim'' ispatlayamadı, kabul etmedim. Ama inatla gitti geldi, vazgeçmedi. Gitti, geldi rahatsız etti beni, daha sonra babası aradı. Beyefendi dedi ''ben belediye çalışıyorum emekli olayım bende İstanbul'a gelip döneceğim. Buradaki halkın yüzde 5'ı Ermeni'dir, lütfen kabul et'' dedi. Bende kabul ettim ders aldı, vaftiz oldu, kilisemizin üyesi oldu.”" In 2015, a group of citizens in Dersim (Tunceli) established the Dersim Armenians and Alevis Friendship Association (DERADOST). The opening ceremony of the association was attended by Hüseyin Tunç, then Deputy Mayor of Tunceli, Yusuf Cengiz, President of Tunceli Chamber of Commerce and Industry, representatives of non-governmental organisations and some citizens."Tunceli'de Ermeni ve Alevi dostluk derneği kurdu". Hürriyet. "Tunceli'de bir grup vatandaş, Dersimli Ermeniler ve Aleviler Dostluk Derneği (DERADOST) kurdu. Moğultay Mahallesi Ata Sokak’taki bir iş hanında kurulan derneğin açılışına Tunceli Belediye Başkan Yardımcısı Hüseyin Tunç, Tunceli Ticaret ve Sanayi Odası Başkanı Yusuf Cengiz, sivil toplum kuruluşu temsilcileri ile bazı vatandaşlar katıldı.""Tunceli'de Ermeni ve Alevi Dostluk Derneği Kurdu". Haberler. "Tunceli'de bir grup vatandaş, Dersimli Ermeniler ve Aleviler Dostluk Derneği (DERADOST) kurdu. Moğultay Mahallesi Ata Sokak'taki bir iş hanında kurulan derneğin açılışına Tunceli Belediye Başkan Yardımcısı Hüseyin Tunç, Tunceli Ticaret ve Sanayi Odası Başkanı Yusuf Cengiz, sivil toplum kuruluşu temsilcileri ile bazı vatandaşlar katıldı." On the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, president of the association Serkan Sariataş said that the state should face its past history as soon as possible."DERADOST başkanından Erdoğan ile Davutoğlu'na Ermeni Soykırımı çağrısı". Ermeni Haber Ajansı. "Ermeni Soykırımı'nın 100. yılında Dersimli Ermeniler ve Aleviler Dostluk Derneği (DERADOST) Başkanı Serkan Sariataş, devletin bir an önce geçmiş tarihiyle yüzleşmesi gerektiğini söyledi." Through the 20th century, many Armenians lived in the mountainous region of Dersim. During the Armenian genocide, many of the Armenians in the region were saved by their Kurdish neighbors.

 Population 
Population by year (1914: Ottoman Empire; 1940–today: Turkey)
Census yearPopulation191480,075194094,639194590,4461950105,7591955121,7431960140,0681965154,1751970157,2931975164,5911980157,9741985151,9061990133,143200093,584200784,022200886,449200983,061201076,699201185,062201286,276201385,428201486,527201586,076201682,193201782,498201888,198201984,660202083,443202183,645

 Politics 
Maçoğlu, who entered the election as the candidate of the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP), was elected mayor of Tunceli (Dersim) with 32 per cent of the votes."Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) wins Dersim province in local elections". Liberation. "For the first time in the history of Turkey, communists will be administering the municipality of a province. In the municipal elections held on March 31, running as the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) candidate on the Dersim Democratic People Solidarity (DDHD) ticket, Fatih Mehmet Maçoğlu won the mainly Kurdish province of Dersim in Eastern Turkey with 32 percent of the votes.""Tunceli'yi kazanan TKP'li Maçoğlu'na 'söylenemeyecek güvenlik gerekçesi' ile mazbatası verilmedi". Euronews. "Yerel seçimlere Türkiye Komünist Partisi adayı olarak giren Maçoğlu, oyların yüzde 32,77'sini alarak Tunceli Belediye Başkanı seçilmişti."'"'Komünist Başkan' Maçoğlu mazbatasını aldı". Sputnik. "30 Mart 2014'te yapılan Mahalli İdareler Genel Seçimleri'nde Ovacık Belediye Başkanlığı'nı kazanıp Türkiye'nin ilk ve tek TKP'li Belediye Başkanı olan Fatih Mehmet Maçoğlu, 31 Mart seçiminde Tunceli'den aday oldu. Seçimi yüzde 32.77 oy oranıyla kazanan Maçoğlu, Tunceli'nin yeni belediye başkanı seçildi. Ovacık Belediyesi'ni halefine devreden Maçoğlu'na 'güvenlik' gerekçesiyle verilmeyen mazbatası bugün kendisine teslim edildi." Thus, for the first time in the history of Turkey, communists began to govern the municipality of a province.

 Name changes 
According to Nuri Dersimi, it is noteworthy that six centuries before Christ, Greek historians and geographers called the Dersim region Daranis, and in the Bisltun inscriptions of Dara, this region is called Zuza, and the term Zuza is similar to the word Zaza, which is the "Kurdish dialect" spoken in Dersim and its region. According to another thesis, estimated that the name Dersim (Der-sîm "silver gate" in Persian) was given to the region, which frequently changed hands between the Sassanids and Byzantium during the Byzantine period. After and before the Dersim rebellion, any villages and towns deemed to have non-Turkish names were renamed and given Turkish names in order to suppress any non-Turkish heritage.T.C İçişleri Bakanlığı İller İdaresi Genel Müdürlüğü (1968). "Köylerimiz". During the Turkish Republican era, the words Kurdistan and Kurds were banned. The Turkish government had disguised the presence of the Kurds statistically by categorizing them as "Mountain Turks".

The people of Tunceli have been actively fighting to get their province reverted to its old Kurdish name "Dersim". Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) claimed they are working on what it called a “democratization package” that includes the restoration of the Kurdish name of the eastern province of Tunceli back to Dersim in early 2013, but there has been no updates or news of it since then."After 78 years, Turkey to restore Tunceli’s original name". Today's Zaman. "Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) is working on what it called a “democratization package” that includes the restoration of the Kurdish name of the eastern province of Tunceli. The original name of the province was Dersim and was changed to Tunceli in 1935." The local authority decided to call it Dersim in May 2019, while the Governor said it was against the law to call it Dersim."A short history of Turkification: From Dersim to Tunceli". Ahval. "The local authority in Tunceli in eastern Turkey decided this month to call the city and the province by its Kurdish name – Dersim - saying the Turkish name, which means bronze fist, did not represent the culture, history or religious beliefs of an area often at odds with central government." 

 Notable people 

 John I Tzimiskes (925–976)(in Armenian) Matthew of Edessa. Մատթեոս Ուռհայեցի`Ժամանակնագրություն (The Chronicle of Matthew of Edessa). Translation and commentary by Hrach Bartikyan. Yerevan, Armenian SSR: Hayastan Publishing, 1973, pp. 12–13. - Byzantine emperor between 969 and 976 years
 Seyid Riza (1863–1937) - Kurdish tribal leader and organizator of Dersim rebellion 
 Nuri Dersimi (1893–1973) - Kurdish nationalist writer, revolutionary and intellectual
 Aurora Mardiganian (1901–1994) - Armenian author, actress, and a survivor of the Armenian genocide 
 Turgut Özal (1927–1993)"Çemişgezek'e bir gelen geri dönmek istemiyor". Sabah. (in Turkish). "8. Cumhurbaşkanı Turgut Özal'ın annesi Hafize Özal, Çemişgezek Mezire Köyü doğumlu.""Turgut Özal'ı rahmetle anıyoruz". Yeni Akit. "Babası Malatya/Çırmıktı'lı Ünlüoğulları'ndan banka memuru Mehmet Sıddık Özal, annesi ise Tunceli Çemişgezekli, ilkokul öğretmeni Hafize Hanım (d. 1906 - ö. 1988) olan Turgut Özal kısmen Kürt kökenlidir." - 8th president of Turkey, he was of mixed Turkish and Kurdish descent 
 Sait Kırmızıtoprak (1935–1971) - Kurdish nationalist writer and revolutionary 
 Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu (1948) - Turkish economist, retired civil servant, social democratic politician and leader of the Republican People's Party
 Gültan Kışanak (1961)"Gültan Kışanak Kimdir?". Bianet. "Ailesi zamanında Dersim'den göçerek Elazığ'ın merkez köylerinden Sünköy'e yerleşmiş bulunan Ağuce aşiretine mensuptur." - Kurdish journalist, author and politician
 Alican Önlü (1967) - Kurdish politician 
 Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius (1977) - Dutch politician of Zaza origin, current minister of justice and security in Netherlands 
 Sakine Cansız (1958–2013) - Kurdish activist, co-founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party
 Volga Sorgu (1981) - Zaza movie and serial actor
 Zuhal Demir (1980)"Belçika’nın Kürt asıllı bakanı Zuhal Demir tehdit edildi". Ahval. (in Turkish). "Tunceli ve Elazığ kökenli, maden işçisi bir babanın üçüncü çocuğu olan Zuhal Demir, 12 Mart 1980'de Belçika'nın Genk kentinde dünyaya geldi." - Belgian lawyer and politician of Kurdish origin, current minister of environment, justice, tourism and energy in Flanders, Belgium
 Edibe Şahin (1960) - Kurdish politician, former mayor of the municipality of Tunceli.
 Kamer Genç (1940–2016) - Turkish politician 
 Hülya Oran (1978) - Kurdish miliant, one of leaders of Kurdistan Workers' Party and is the co-chair of the Kurdistan Communities Union
 Hozan Diyar (1966) - Kurdish singer
 Yıldız Tilbe"Star'daki Yıldız Tilbe'nin Programında Türk-Kürt Gerginliği...". Haber Vitrini "Programın ilerki bölümlerinde Yıldız Tilbe, “Ulaştırma Bakanından uyarı gelmiş. Benim anam Kürt, babam Ağrılı Kürt. Ben bu topraklarda doğdum, büyüdüm. Kürt neyse benim için Türk de odur, Laz da odur,Zaza da olur, Çerkez de odur. Hiç bir farkı yoktur birbirinden asla” dedi." (1966) - singer of Kurdish origin
 Hüseyin Aygün (1970) - Zaza lawyer and politician
 Ali Haydar Kaytan (1952–2019) - Kurdish miliant, co-founder of the Kurdistan Workers' Party
 Aynur Doğan (1975) - Zaza singer and songwriter
 Fatih Mehmet Maçoğlu (1968) - Komünist Başkan Maçoğlu: Dersim burası, Kızılbaş, Kürdüm. Rûdaw. (in Turkish). "Ben Kızılbaş Kürt biriyim. Ama şöyle bir yanım yok yani. Ben dünyadaki bütün insanların tenlerinde, ırkında, yaşam biçiminde ayrıştırmaları doğru bulan biri değilim." communist politician, currently the mayor of Tunceli with Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) ticket
 Ferhat Tunç (1964) - Kurdish"Ferhat Tunç: Sanatçı özgürlükten vazgeçemez". Bianet. (in Turkish). "“Ülkemizde güçlü muhalefet olmadığı veya her kendini ifade eden büyük baskıyla karşılaştığı için dijital ve küresel desteklerin sonuç verici olacağına inanıyorum” diyen Tunç, konferans katılımcılarına şöyle seslendi: “Türkiye'de özgür sanat yapmaya çalışan bir Kürdüm. Hem Kürt hem de muhalif kimliğim kırk senedir baskıya, hapis cezalarına, konser yasaklarına uğramama neden oluyor. Size bu videoyu hazırlarken Kürtçe bir tiyatro oyunu ‘kamu düzenini bozacağı’ iddiasıyla yasaklandı mesela." singer, songwriter and musician
 Mikail Aslan (1972) - Zaza musician

 Sources 
















References