Batman Province
Encyclopedia
Batman Province is a Turkish province
southeast of Anatolia
. The province's population exceeded 500,000 in 2010.
The province is important because of its reserves and production of oil which was started in the 1940s. There is a 494-km long oil pipeline from Batman to the Turkish port of İskenderun
. Cotton
is the main agricultural product. A railway line connects Batman with the nearby provinces of Diyarbakır
and Elazığ
and with the capital Istanbul
. The Batman River
flows though the area. Batman
with 246,700 inhabitants, is the provincial capital. The province is also of interest from an archeological point of view. Sights include the Imam Abdullah Dervish monastery, Malabadi Bridge
and the bridges of Camiü‘r Rızk and Hasankeyf
.
river with fertile lands by its sides, as well as rocky hills with numerous caves providing a natural shelter. Therefore it was inhabited from prehistoric times, likely from the Neolithic
(Paleolithic
) period, according to archeological evidence. First documented evidence of settlements in the province dates back to 7th century BC
. An artificial "island" was created in this marshy area. It was named Elekhan, and had an independent status for 194 years from 546 BC till the invasion of Alexander the Great in 352 BC. The Batman Province was a religious center in the 4th–6th centuries AD and a part of the Byzantine Empire
. In the 11th–12th centuries it was ruled by the Great Seljuq Empire
and Artuqids, a part of which was based in the province, in the city of Hasankeyf
. The city is a cultural center of the Batman Province and as such was declared as a natural conservation area in 1981.
Around 4th–6th centuries AD the province became an outpost of the Silk Road
. It was populated by Assyrian (Syriac) Christians and also had a significant presence of Pontic Greeks
, Baghdadi Jews
and Armenians
, who lived in the region from the 3rd millennium BC to the late 19th century. Tigranakert, the ancient capital of the ancient Kingdom of Armenia founded in the 1st century BC, was possibly located at Silvan
in the Batman Province. It was built by King Tigran the Great around 95–55 BC and named in his honor.
Significant changes in the language and management of the province were brought in 1515 by Mahmoud Pasha Elekhani. It is believed that a variant of his name, Elah, was transformed into Iluh and gave the old name to Batman city.
Development of oil fields resulted in relocation of Turkish people into a mostly Kurd-populated Batman Province. This brought ethnic conflicts which escalated in 1990s. More than 180 civilians were killed in the Batman city area by unidentified gunmen between 1992 and 1993. The province became a stronghold of Turkish Hezbollah and hosted its camp where the militants received political and military training.
Recent individual incidents include the following: 1 Turkish soldier was killed and 2 wounded during clashes in the province on 15 April 2010. In the Siirt Province
2 PKK militants were killed and 3 soldiers wounded. One Turkish soldier was killed and 2 injured after a PKK
attack on a Turkish military outpost on 7 July 2010. Four Kurdish civilians were killed on 1 August 2010 after their vehicle struck a roadside bomb, reportedly planted by PKK members. Later on 9 August 2010 5 PKK militants were killed in clashes with the Turkish military.
(capital, population 324,402 in 2008), Beşiri
(32,282), Gercüş
(26,111), Hasankeyf
(7,412), Kozluk
(62,114) and Sason
(33,295). There are 270 villages in the province.
The population of the province is rapidly growing as a result of the inflow of workforce to the capital. Between 1990 and 2000, its population was rising at a rate of 5% per year. The population was stable in Beşiri and Gercüş, increasing by 1% per year in Kozluk and Sason and decreasing by 3% per year in Hasankeyf. The total population was 510,200 in 2010 with 373,388 people living in the urban areas, mostly in the capital. It was 49.8% female. The province lies in the mountainous area with the average elevation of 550 meters which contains several thousands of caves. The tallest mountains are Sason Dağları (2500 m), Meleto (2967 m), Kuşaklı Dağı (1947 m), Avcı Dağı (2121 m), Meydanok Tepesi (2042 m), Kortepe (2082 m) and Raman Dağı (1288 m). Several rivers flow though the province, including Tigris
, Batman
, Sason and Garzan. The 115 km long Batman River flowing approximately from north to south forms a natural border between the Batman Province and Diyarbakır Province
lying to the west. The historic Malabadi Bridge
(built in 1146–1147) crosses the river near the town of Silvan
. The Tigris flows from west to east, merges with the Batman River and exists the province. The Garzan River flowing from north to south enters the Tigris and separates Batman from the Siirt Province
lying to the east.
Search for oil in the Batman Province was started in 1935. On 20 April 1940, oil was found at a depth of 1048 meters at the Raman oil field
, south-east of Batman, nearby the city. The first experimental well started producing 10 tonnes (about 62 barrels) per day from 6 June 1940. The field was expanded for commercial production by 1945, but the production was delayed to 1947 by the lack of storage. A small refinery was built at the site with a capacity of 9 tonnes/day by 1947 and by November 1948 a bigger refinery capable of processing up to 200 tonnes/day was built in Batman. Even bigger refinery (330 tonnes/d) was built in Batman by 1955. Several other oil fields were later discovered in the province with the Batı Raman oil field
, which produces about 7,000 barrels daily, being the largest oil field in Turkey. A 511 km long oil pipeline was brought in 1967 from Batman to the port city of Dörtyol
near the easternmost point of the Mediterranean
coast to transport the Batman crude oil. The pipeline has an annual capacity of 3.5 million tonnes and was transporting about 20 million barrels (about 2.7 million tonnes) in the 1990s and about twice less between 2003 and 2007. Another, short (41 km) pipeline connected Batman with Şelmo – the location of the second largest oil field in Turkey. It was transferring between 1.5 and 0.5 million barrels per year in the period 1990–2007. Both pipelines are operated by BOTAŞ
.
Provinces of Turkey
Turkey is divided into 81 provinces, called il in Turkish .A province is administered by an appointed governor , and was formerly termed a "governorate" ....
southeast of Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
. The province's population exceeded 500,000 in 2010.
The province is important because of its reserves and production of oil which was started in the 1940s. There is a 494-km long oil pipeline from Batman to the Turkish port of İskenderun
Iskenderun
İskenderun is a city and urban district in the province of Hatay on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The current mayor is Yusuf Hamit Civelek .-Names:...
. Cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
is the main agricultural product. A railway line connects Batman with the nearby provinces of Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır
Diyarbakır is one of the largest cities in southeastern Turkey...
and Elazığ
Elazig Province
Elâzığ Province is a province of Turkey with its seat in the city of Elâzığ. The source of the Euphrates river is located in this province.The province has a population of 552,646 as of 2010...
and with the capital Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
. The Batman River
Batman River
The Batman River is a major tributary of the Tigris, joining it near the source of Tigris called Dicle River in southeast Turkey. It originates in the Anti-Taurus Mountains and flows approximately from north to south, passing near the city of Batman and forming a natural border between the Batman...
flows though the area. Batman
Batman, Turkey
Batman is a city in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey and the capital of Batman Province. It lies on a plateau, 540 meters above sea level, near the confluence of the Batman River and the Tigris. The Batı Raman oil field, which is the largest oil field in Turkey, is located just outside...
with 246,700 inhabitants, is the provincial capital. The province is also of interest from an archeological point of view. Sights include the Imam Abdullah Dervish monastery, Malabadi Bridge
Malabadi Bridge
The Malabadi Bridge is an arch bridge spanning the Batman River near the town of Silvan in southeastern Turkey. It was built between 1146 and 1147 during the Artuk period by Timurtas of Mardin, son of Ilgazi, grandson of Artuk. It was restored in the late twelfth century, and recently in the...
and the bridges of Camiü‘r Rızk and Hasankeyf
Hasankeyf
Hasankeyf is an ancient town and district located along the Tigris River in the Batman Province in southeastern Turkey. It was declared a natural conservation area by Turkey in 1981...
.
History
The Batman Province contains the strategic TigrisTigris
The Tigris River is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.-Geography:...
river with fertile lands by its sides, as well as rocky hills with numerous caves providing a natural shelter. Therefore it was inhabited from prehistoric times, likely from the Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
(Paleolithic
Paleolithic
The Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
) period, according to archeological evidence. First documented evidence of settlements in the province dates back to 7th century BC
7th century BC
The 7th century BC started the first day of 700 BC and ended the last day of 601 BC.The Assyrian Empire continued to dominate the Near East during this century, exercising formidable power over neighbors like Babylon and Egypt. In the last two decades of the century, however, the empire began to...
. An artificial "island" was created in this marshy area. It was named Elekhan, and had an independent status for 194 years from 546 BC till the invasion of Alexander the Great in 352 BC. The Batman Province was a religious center in the 4th–6th centuries AD and a part of the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. In the 11th–12th centuries it was ruled by the Great Seljuq Empire
Great Seljuq Empire
The Great Seljuq Empire was a medieval Persianate, Turko-Persian Sunni Muslim empire, originating from the Qynyq branch of Oghuz Turks. The Seljuq Empire controlled a vast area stretching from the Hindu Kush to eastern Anatolia and from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf...
and Artuqids, a part of which was based in the province, in the city of Hasankeyf
Hasankeyf
Hasankeyf is an ancient town and district located along the Tigris River in the Batman Province in southeastern Turkey. It was declared a natural conservation area by Turkey in 1981...
. The city is a cultural center of the Batman Province and as such was declared as a natural conservation area in 1981.
Around 4th–6th centuries AD the province became an outpost of the Silk Road
Silk Road
The Silk Road or Silk Route refers to a historical network of interlinking trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and European world, as well as parts of North and East Africa...
. It was populated by Assyrian (Syriac) Christians and also had a significant presence of Pontic Greeks
Pontic Greeks
The Pontians are an ethnic group traditionally living in the Pontus region, the shores of Turkey's Black Sea...
, Baghdadi Jews
Baghdadi Jews
Baghdadi Jews, also known as Iraqi Jews, are Jewish emigrants from Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq, who fled religious persecution and formed immigrant communities in their new homelands...
and Armenians
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
, who lived in the region from the 3rd millennium BC to the late 19th century. Tigranakert, the ancient capital of the ancient Kingdom of Armenia founded in the 1st century BC, was possibly located at Silvan
Silvan, Turkey
Silvan is a district of the Diyarbakır Province of Turkey. Its population is 41,451 Notable attraction is Malabadi Bridge.-History:Silvan has been identified by several scholars as one of two possible locations of Tigranakert, the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Armenia, which was built by...
in the Batman Province. It was built by King Tigran the Great around 95–55 BC and named in his honor.
Significant changes in the language and management of the province were brought in 1515 by Mahmoud Pasha Elekhani. It is believed that a variant of his name, Elah, was transformed into Iluh and gave the old name to Batman city.
Development of oil fields resulted in relocation of Turkish people into a mostly Kurd-populated Batman Province. This brought ethnic conflicts which escalated in 1990s. More than 180 civilians were killed in the Batman city area by unidentified gunmen between 1992 and 1993. The province became a stronghold of Turkish Hezbollah and hosted its camp where the militants received political and military training.
Recent individual incidents include the following: 1 Turkish soldier was killed and 2 wounded during clashes in the province on 15 April 2010. In the Siirt Province
Siirt Province
Siirt Province is a province of Turkey, located in the southeast. The province borders Bitlis to the north, Batman to the west, Mardin to the southwest, Şırnak to the south, and Van to the east. It has an area of 5,406 km² and a total population of 300,695...
2 PKK militants were killed and 3 soldiers wounded. One Turkish soldier was killed and 2 injured after a PKK
Kurdistan Workers' Party
The Kurdistan Workers' Party , commonly known as PKK, also known as KGK and formerly known as KADEK or KONGRA-GEL , is a Kurdish organization which has since 1984 been fighting an armed struggle against the Turkish state for an autonomous Kurdistan and greater cultural and political rights...
attack on a Turkish military outpost on 7 July 2010. Four Kurdish civilians were killed on 1 August 2010 after their vehicle struck a roadside bomb, reportedly planted by PKK members. Later on 9 August 2010 5 PKK militants were killed in clashes with the Turkish military.
Basic information
The province occupies an area of 4,649 km² (4,659 according to other source) and is divided into six districts: BatmanBatman, Turkey
Batman is a city in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey and the capital of Batman Province. It lies on a plateau, 540 meters above sea level, near the confluence of the Batman River and the Tigris. The Batı Raman oil field, which is the largest oil field in Turkey, is located just outside...
(capital, population 324,402 in 2008), Beşiri
Besiri
Beşiri is a district of Batman Province, Turkey. The mayor is Sait Karabulut .Population: ADNKS 31.649 - 2008 year...
(32,282), Gercüş
Gercüs
Gercüş is a district of Batman Province, Turkey. The mayor is Esat Öner ....
(26,111), Hasankeyf
Hasankeyf
Hasankeyf is an ancient town and district located along the Tigris River in the Batman Province in southeastern Turkey. It was declared a natural conservation area by Turkey in 1981...
(7,412), Kozluk
Kozluk
Kozluk, formerly Hazzo or Hazo, is a district of Batman Province, Turkey. The mayor is Mehmet Raşit Haşimi ....
(62,114) and Sason
Sason
Sason is a district in the Batman Province of Turkey. It was formerly part of the sanjak of Siirt, which was in Diyarbakır vilayet until 1880 and in Bitlis vilayet in 1892. Later it became part of Muş sanjak in Bitlis vilayet, and remained part of Muş until 1927...
(33,295). There are 270 villages in the province.
The population of the province is rapidly growing as a result of the inflow of workforce to the capital. Between 1990 and 2000, its population was rising at a rate of 5% per year. The population was stable in Beşiri and Gercüş, increasing by 1% per year in Kozluk and Sason and decreasing by 3% per year in Hasankeyf. The total population was 510,200 in 2010 with 373,388 people living in the urban areas, mostly in the capital. It was 49.8% female. The province lies in the mountainous area with the average elevation of 550 meters which contains several thousands of caves. The tallest mountains are Sason Dağları (2500 m), Meleto (2967 m), Kuşaklı Dağı (1947 m), Avcı Dağı (2121 m), Meydanok Tepesi (2042 m), Kortepe (2082 m) and Raman Dağı (1288 m). Several rivers flow though the province, including Tigris
Tigris
The Tigris River is the eastern member of the two great rivers that define Mesopotamia, the other being the Euphrates. The river flows south from the mountains of southeastern Turkey through Iraq.-Geography:...
, Batman
Batman River
The Batman River is a major tributary of the Tigris, joining it near the source of Tigris called Dicle River in southeast Turkey. It originates in the Anti-Taurus Mountains and flows approximately from north to south, passing near the city of Batman and forming a natural border between the Batman...
, Sason and Garzan. The 115 km long Batman River flowing approximately from north to south forms a natural border between the Batman Province and Diyarbakır Province
Diyarbakir Province
Diyarbakır Province is a province in eastern Turkey. The province covers an area of 15,355 km² and the population is 1,528,958. The provincial capital is Diyarbakir...
lying to the west. The historic Malabadi Bridge
Malabadi Bridge
The Malabadi Bridge is an arch bridge spanning the Batman River near the town of Silvan in southeastern Turkey. It was built between 1146 and 1147 during the Artuk period by Timurtas of Mardin, son of Ilgazi, grandson of Artuk. It was restored in the late twelfth century, and recently in the...
(built in 1146–1147) crosses the river near the town of Silvan
Silvan, Turkey
Silvan is a district of the Diyarbakır Province of Turkey. Its population is 41,451 Notable attraction is Malabadi Bridge.-History:Silvan has been identified by several scholars as one of two possible locations of Tigranakert, the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Armenia, which was built by...
. The Tigris flows from west to east, merges with the Batman River and exists the province. The Garzan River flowing from north to south enters the Tigris and separates Batman from the Siirt Province
Siirt Province
Siirt Province is a province of Turkey, located in the southeast. The province borders Bitlis to the north, Batman to the west, Mardin to the southwest, Şırnak to the south, and Van to the east. It has an area of 5,406 km² and a total population of 300,695...
lying to the east.
Oil industry
| Name | Discovered | Production started in | Reserves (million bbl Barrel (unit) A barrel is one of several units of volume, with dry barrels, fluid barrels , oil barrel, etc... ) | Production (bbl/day, 2007) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batı Kozluca Batı Kozluca oil field The Batı Kozluca oil field is an oil field located in Batman, Batman Province, Southeastern Anatolia Region. It was discovered in 1978 and developed by Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı. It began production in 1980 and produces oil. The total proven reserves of the Batı Kozluca oil field are... |
1978 | 1980 | 138 | 1500 |
| Batı Raman Batı Raman oil field The Batı Raman oil field is located in the Batman Province, in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey... |
1961 | 1962 | 1850 | 7000 |
| Dinçer Dinçer oil field The Dinçer oil field is an oil field located in Batman, Batman Province, Southeastern Anatolia Region. It was discovered in 1988 and developed by Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı. It began production in 1990 and produces oil. The total proven reserves of the Dinçer oil field are around 55... |
1988 | 1990 | 55 | 400 |
| Garzan Garzan oil field The Garzan oil field is an oil field located in Batman, Batman Province, Southeastern Anatolia Region. It was discovered in 1947–1951 and developed by Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı. It began production in 1956. The total proven reserves of the Garzan oil field are around 163 million barrels ,... |
1951 | 1956 | 163 | 1700 |
| İkiztepe İkiztepe oil field The İkiztepe oil field is an oil field located in Batman, Batman Province, Southeastern Anatolia Region. It was discovered in 1988 and developed by Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı. It began production in 1990 and produces oil. The total proven reserves of the İkiztepe oil field are around 53... |
1988 | 1990 | 53 | 400 |
| Raman Raman oil field The Raman oil field is an oil field located in Batman, Batman Province, Southeastern Anatolia Region, Turkey. It was discovered in 1940 and developed by Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı. It began production in 1948 and produces oil. The total proven reserves of the Raman oil field are around... |
1940 | 1947 | 400 | 4000 |
Search for oil in the Batman Province was started in 1935. On 20 April 1940, oil was found at a depth of 1048 meters at the Raman oil field
Raman oil field
The Raman oil field is an oil field located in Batman, Batman Province, Southeastern Anatolia Region, Turkey. It was discovered in 1940 and developed by Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı. It began production in 1948 and produces oil. The total proven reserves of the Raman oil field are around...
, south-east of Batman, nearby the city. The first experimental well started producing 10 tonnes (about 62 barrels) per day from 6 June 1940. The field was expanded for commercial production by 1945, but the production was delayed to 1947 by the lack of storage. A small refinery was built at the site with a capacity of 9 tonnes/day by 1947 and by November 1948 a bigger refinery capable of processing up to 200 tonnes/day was built in Batman. Even bigger refinery (330 tonnes/d) was built in Batman by 1955. Several other oil fields were later discovered in the province with the Batı Raman oil field
Batı Raman oil field
The Batı Raman oil field is located in the Batman Province, in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey...
, which produces about 7,000 barrels daily, being the largest oil field in Turkey. A 511 km long oil pipeline was brought in 1967 from Batman to the port city of Dörtyol
Dörtyol
Dörtyol is a port city and oil terminus at the head of the Gulf of İskenderun, near the easternmost point of the Mediterranean coast. Dörtyol is located 26 km north of the city of Iskenderun in the province of Hatay in southeastern Turkey.-Geography:...
near the easternmost point of the Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
coast to transport the Batman crude oil. The pipeline has an annual capacity of 3.5 million tonnes and was transporting about 20 million barrels (about 2.7 million tonnes) in the 1990s and about twice less between 2003 and 2007. Another, short (41 km) pipeline connected Batman with Şelmo – the location of the second largest oil field in Turkey. It was transferring between 1.5 and 0.5 million barrels per year in the period 1990–2007. Both pipelines are operated by BOTAŞ
BOTAS
BOTAŞ Petroleum Pipeline Corporation is the state-owned crude oil and natural gas pipelines and trading company in Turkey. The company was established in 1974 as a subsidiary of Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı...
.
Batman dam
The dam construction was started in 1986 and completed in 1999. It has a height of 85 meters and annual power generation capacity of 483 GWh (peak power 198 MW). The associated reservoir has a surface area of 49 km2 and a volume of 1.175 km3. The dam supplies water for the area of 37744 ha.Famous personalities
- CigerxwînCigerxwînCigerxwîn or Cegerxwîn was a renowned Kurdish polymath, and nationalist.He is known to be one of the most influential Kurdish writers and poets in the Kurdistan region of the Middle East, and his work has been renewed for the creation of hundreds of songs and played a crucial role in the...
(1903–1984) – KurdishKurdish peopleThe Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
poet, writer, journalist, historian, lexicographer, and nationalist.
See also
- Ilısu Dam CampaignIlisu Dam CampaignThe Ilısu Dam Campaign is a UK based campaign working to stop the construction of the Ilısu Dam on the river Tigris in south east Turkey. The construction plans for the dam would lead to the flooding of about 300 square kilometers and would displace between 25,000 and 78,000 people, in the...
- Sasun Resistance (1894)Sasun Resistance (1894)The Sassoun resistance of 1894 or also known as First Sassoun resistance was the conflict between Ottoman Empire's forces and the Armenian militia belong to Armenian national movement's Hunchak party at the Sassoun region.- Background :...
- Sasun Uprising (1904)
- Southeastern Anatolia ProjectSoutheastern Anatolia ProjectThe Southeastern Anatolia Project is a multi-sector integrated regional development project based on the concept of sustainable development for the 9 million people living in the Southeastern Anatolia region of Turkey...
External links
- Maps of Kurdish Regions by GlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...
- Map of Kurdish Population Distribution by GlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...
