Iğdır Province

**Iğdır Province** () is a province in eastren Turkey, locatit alang the border wi Armenie, Azerbaijan (the aurie o Nakhchivan), an Iran. Its adjacent provinces are Kars tae the northwast an Ağrı tae the wast an sooth. It occupees an aurie o 3,587&nbsp;km² an population o 184,418 (2010 est.), it wis 168,634 in 2000 (up frae 142,601 in 1990).

Turkey's heichest muntain, Munt Ararat (Ağrı Dağı) is in Iğdır, but hintle o the land is a wide plain far below the muntain. The climate is the warmest in this pairt o Turkey, cotton can be grown in Iğdır. Iğdır is where Noah is said tae hae thrived follaein the flood. The border wi Armenie follaes the Aras River.

The provincial caipital is the ceety o **[[Iğdır]]**.

## Destricts
Iğdır province is dividit intae 4 destricts (caipital destrict in **bauld**):
* Aralık
* **[[Iğdır]]**
* Karakoyunlu
* Tuzluca

## Etymology
The aurie is named efter a wastren Turkish clan *Iğdıroğlu* belonging to a branch of the Oghuz Turks.   They spread throughoot Anatolie an there are touns an veelages named Iğdır in Malatya an ither pairts o Turkey today. 

## History

Archaeological research has uncovered Hurrian settlements in the Iğdır region goin back tae 4000 BC. The aurie wis pairt o the Urartu kinrick circa 800 BC. There is a Urartu statuary in the aurie. It remained unner Urartian control till its transition tae the Median Empire, Persian Empire, Alexander The Great, Orontid Dynasty o the Kinrick o Armenie. Seleucid, Parthian, Roman, Sassanid an Byzantine forces wur prominent frae the 4t century BC, follaeed bi the Arab airmies o Islam in 646. Turks, Georgians an Mongols fought through here for 400 years frae 1064 onwards till the aurie wis settled bi Kara Koyunlu an then Ak Koyunlu Turkic tribes in the early 15t century.

A warfare ensued atween Ottoman Empire an the Persian Empire frae 1534 til 1746. In 1746, maist o the land athin the province o Iğdır the day wis cedit tae Persie an became pairt o the Erivan khanate, a Muslim principality in Persie. The northren pairt o the province remained in Persian haunds till efter the Russo-Persie War, 1826-1828 when it became pairt o the Roushie Empire unner the Treaty o Turkmenchay. Unner Roushie admeenistration, the aurie became the Surmalu uyezd (wi its caipital at the ceety o Iğdır) o the Armenian Oblast an later the Erivan Govrenorate.  The soothren hauf o the province remained in Ottoman hands through maist o the 19t century but wis an aa brocht athin the Roushie Empire bi Russo-Turkis War o 1877-78.

By the end o Warld War I, the whole aurie wis unner Roushie control an Iğdır came unner the admeenistration o the Democratic Republic o Armenie as pairt o the Ararat province but upon the arrival o the newly foondit Turkis airmy, Iğdır wis cedit tae Turkey bi the Soviet Union in the Treaty o Kars. A substantial Armenian population remained in the aurie throughoot this history o struggle atween great pouers. Armenians formed the ethnic majority in the ceety o Iğdır itsel till 1919-1920 when maist either dee'd or fled due tae starvation an Turkis–Armenian War.

## Demographics

The day, Iğdır haes a mixed population o Azeris an Kurds, baith o whom compromise roughly hauf o the population, the umwhile primarily inhabitin the north an east o the province an the latter inhabitin the sooth an wast o the province. The auncient Iranian New Year kent as Newroz tae Kurds an Novruz tae Azeris an aa is widely celebratit in Iğdır. The rural auries o Iğdır province hae a heicher population density (30 inhabitants/km²) than those o neighbourin provinces.

## Places o interest

* **The caravanserai of Zor**, believed tae hae been built bi an Armenie airchitect in the 13t or 14t century, is locatit 35&nbsp;km sooth-wast o the ceety o Iğdır, an is named efter the nearbi veelage o Zor. It wis ane o haltin places alang the trade route atween northren Persie an Georgie. Caravans uised tae stay ower-here afore passin ower the Çilli pass. Restoration wirks hae begun on the structur which haes been put unner protection syne 1988. The ruins o an Armenie kirk wis ance locatit in the same aurie, but the day nothing remains o it.
* **Sürmeli castle**, 25&nbsp;km wast o the ceety o Iğdır an on the road tae Tuzluca, is the steid o a medieval Armenie toun. Housomeivver, it is currently inaccessible due tae border restrictions.
* **Statues wi Ram Heids**, Cementer stanes wi ram heuds existin amaist in aw auld cementers in Iğdır Plain are remnants frae Kara Koyunlu period. These cementers o brave, heroic persons an young persons who haed dee'd in youth age.
* **Aras Bird Research an Education Center**, Ane o anerlie fower active bird research an bandin (ringin) stations in Turkey. 204 bird species hae been recordit so far in the wetlands alang Aras River, Yukari Ciyrikli, Tuzluca. Bird enthusiasts can volunteer or visit tae experience the diverse birdlife an traditional veelage life. Frae Kars tae Igdir, turn immediately richt 10 meter afore the Aras brige an drive 4&nbsp;km tae Yukari Ciyrikli veelage.

## References