Artvin

Artvin is a city in northeastern Turkey and the administrative seat of both Artvin Province and Artvin District. It lies approximately 30 kilometres inland from the Black Sea, on steep terrain overlooking the Çoruh River and near the Deriner Dam. The city had a population of 25,841 in 2021. Its physical setting—mountain slopes, river valleys, forests and high plateaus—has strongly shaped its identity, economy and cultural reputation. The wider Artvin region has evidence of settlement from the Bronze Age and earlier. Over the centuries it formed part of several political and cultural spheres, including Colchis, Greater Armenia, the medieval Georgian principalities of Tao-Klarjeti, Seljuk and other Turkic states, the Ottoman Empire, the Russian Empire, the Democratic Republic of Georgia and modern Turkey. This succession left a complex historical landscape in which Georgian, Armenian, Muslim, Ottoman, Russian and Turkish influences overlap. Ottoman control was consolidated during the sixteenth century after campaigns in the eastern Black Sea and Caucasus frontier. The area subsequently became part of the contested borderlands between the Ottoman and Russian empires. Following the Russo-Turkish conflicts of the nineteenth century, Artvin was incorporated into the Russian sphere and became the administrative centre of Artvin Okrug within Batum Oblast. The town and surrounding communities suffered from repeated military changes, population movements and political uncertainty. After the Russian Revolution, the area was occupied successively by British, Georgian and Turkish forces. Its incorporation into the Republic of Turkey was confirmed by the Treaty of Kars in 1921. Artvin’s built heritage includes Artvin, or Livane, Castle, traditionally dated to 937, as well as Ottoman mosques, houses, civic buildings and fountains. The city also has an important ecclesiastical history. An Armenian Catholic eparchy was established in 1850, although political upheaval, restrictions under Russian rule and the destruction and displacement of Armenian communities during and after the First World War led to the loss of its functioning population and institutions. The former eparchy was later treated by the Holy See as a vacant Armenian Catholic titular see, but it has never had a titular incumbent. Today, Artvin is primarily an administrative, educational, cultural and tourism centre rather than a conventional commercial brand. Artvin Çoruh University contributes to its role as a regional institution. The surrounding province is associated with trekking, climbing, rafting, highland landscapes and protected natural areas. Karagöl-Sahara National Park and the Camili, or Maçahel, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve are important environmental attractions. The city’s most recognizable cultural event is the annual Caucasus Culture and Arts Festival at the Kafkasör plateau, whose bull-wrestling competitions attract local and international visitors. Artvin’s public identity therefore combines frontier history, mountain ecology, living regional culture and outdoor recreation.

Archaeological evidence indicates that the Artvin area was settled during the Bronze Age and possibly earlier. In antiquity it was connected with Colchis and Greater Armenia, while its location between the Caucasus, the eastern Black Sea and Anatolia made it vulnerable to successive invasions and political transformations. During the early medieval period, the region was associated with Georgian political and religious centres, particularly the principalities of Tao-Klarjeti. These states helped preserve and develop Georgian cultural traditions in the mountainous frontier. Muslim forces connected with the Abbasid sphere controlled the area at different times, and Byzantine influence also reached the region. Seljuk forces captured Artvin in the eleventh century, although Georgian and Byzantine forces temporarily reversed some of these gains. Later, the area was contested among Georgian rulers, Mongol-era powers and Turkmen groups before Safavid expansion brought it into a new political sphere in the early sixteenth century. Ottoman authority expanded across the eastern Black Sea hinterland under Mehmed II, Selim I and later Ottoman commanders. In the sixteenth century, Kara Ahmed Pasha organized the Livane Sanjak, while the capture of Ardanuç Castle in 1551 helped secure Ottoman control. Artvin remained linked to the wider Ottoman frontier for roughly two and a half centuries, although the region’s strategic position continued to expose it to conflict. The Russo-Turkish wars transformed the city’s political status. After the Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829, Artvin was ceded to Russia, later returned to Ottoman rule, and then transferred to Russia again after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. Under Russian administration it became the centre of Artvin Okrug in Batum Oblast. The nineteenth-century border changes caused extensive displacement and hardship, with many residents moving westward from areas under Russian control. The First World War and the Russian Revolution produced another sequence of transfers. Russian forces withdrew after the revolution; British forces entered after the Ottoman defeat, followed by the Democratic Republic of Georgia. After the Red Army’s invasion of Georgia, Artvin was incorporated into Turkey under the Treaty of Kars in 1921. Artvin’s religious history includes the Armenian Catholic Eparchy of Artvin, established by Pope Pius IX in 1850 for Armenian Catholics in northeastern Turkey and the Transcaucasus. It had three recorded incumbents, though one was never able to take possession because of Russian restrictions. By the end of the First World War, genocide, displacement and political repression had severely reduced the community served by the eparchy. The Holy See later listed Artvin as a vacant Armenian Catholic titular see, but no titular bishop was appointed. The city’s architectural heritage reflects this layered past. Artvin Castle occupies a strategically placed summit above the town and includes defensive walls, rooms, an entrance outwork, a donjon and archery openings. Ottoman-era monuments include Salih Bey Mosque, Çarşı Mosque, Balcıoğlu Mosque and the Çelebi Efendi Fountain. In the modern period, Artvin has developed as the provincial administrative centre and as a base for education, environmental tourism and outdoor activities. Artvin Çoruh University, national parks, highland settlements and annual cultural events all contribute to its contemporary identity.

• 2021

  Population recorded at 25,841

  [1]Artvinen.wikipedia.org

  The city’s population was reported as 25,841.

• 1972

  Former eparchy treated as a titular see

  [1]Artvinen.wikipedia.org

  The Holy See ceased listing Artvin as a vacant residential eparchy and began listing it as an Armenian Catholic titular bishopric.

• 1921

  Artvin incorporated into Turkey

  [1]Artvinen.wikipedia.org

  The Treaty of Kars confirmed Artvin’s incorporation into the newly established Republic of Turkey.

• 1850

  Armenian Catholic Eparchy established

  [1]Artvinen.wikipedia.org

  Pope Pius IX established the Armenian Catholic Eparchy of Artvin on 30 April 1850.

• 1551

  Ottoman control consolidated

  [1]Artvinen.wikipedia.org

  The capture of Ardanuç Castle by Skender Pasha helped establish secure Ottoman control over the Artvin area.

• Artvin Castle traditionally dated to the medieval period

  [1]Artvinen.wikipedia.org

  Artvin Castle, also known as Livane Castle, is traditionally dated to 937 and occupies a defensive position above the city.

A mountainous northeastern Turkish destination positioned around cultural plurality, historic frontier heritage, highland traditions, protected landscapes and outdoor adventure.

• Tourism

  Cultural and heritage tourism

  Artvin offers visitors a combination of medieval and Ottoman monuments, frontier history, religious heritage and landscapes shaped by Georgian, Armenian, Russian and Turkish traditions. Artvin Castle, historic mosques, fountains and traditional buildings form the core of the city’s built-heritage appeal.

• Tourism

  Outdoor and nature tourism

  The mountainous province supports trekking, climbing, rafting and highland travel. Karagöl-Sahara National Park and the Camili, or Maçahel, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve are prominent natural attractions associated with Artvin’s destination identity.

• Cultural event

  Caucasus Culture and Arts Festival

  Held annually at the Kafkasör plateau, the festival presents regional cultural and artistic traditions. Traditional bull wrestling is its most recognized feature and draws visitors from Turkey and abroad.

• Caucasus Culture and Arts Festival

  Turkey · International visitors

  Artvin’s recurring festival at Kafkasör promotes Caucasus-linked cultural traditions, arts and local identity, with bull wrestling serving as the principal attraction.

  Outcome. The event has become one of Artvin’s best-known cultural and visitor attractions.

  Source

1. 1Artvinen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Artvin Municipalityartvin.bel.tr