Hakkâri

Hakkâri, formerly Çölemerik, city, capital of Hakkâri il (province), southeastern Turkey. It lies at an elevation of about 5,500 feet (1,700 metres), surrounded by mountains and overlooked by a medieval fortress, the former residence of its Kurdish rulers. A market for local livestock and livestock products, Hakkâri has road links to Van to the north and Siirt to the west.

Hakkâri province is drained by the Great Zab River (Büyükzap Suyu). Iran borders it on the east and Iraq on the south. Mostly mountainous, it is one of the most sparsely populated and isolated provinces in Turkey. East of Hakkâri city rise the high ranges of the Cilo (13,700 feet [4,175 metres]) and Sat (12,500 feet [3,810 metres]) mountains. Cropland is scarce, and the proportion of land under cultivation is among the country’s lowest. Livestock raising is the main activity. The largely Kurdish population is seminomadic, moving to higher summer pastures in season.

Although the region was annexed to the Ottoman Empire in 1515–16, it was ruled largely by local Kurdish emirs under nominal Ottoman suzerainty until the mid-19th century. During the 1990s Hakkâri province was the scene of violent clashes between Turkish government forces and Kurdish insurgents seeking an independent Kurdish state in eastern Anatolia. Area province, 2,749 square miles (7,121 square km). Pop. (2000) city, 58,145; province, 236,581; (2013 est.) city, 58,584; province, 279,982.