Derik () is a municipality and
district
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
of
Mardin Province
Mardin Province (; ; ; ) is a province and metropolitan municipality in Turkey. Its area is 8,780 km2, and its population is 870,374 (2022). The largest city in the province is Kızıltepe, while the capital Mardin is the second largest ci ...
,
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. Its area is 1,381 km
2, and its population is 62,028 (2022).
History
The town is first mentioned in the late 14th century, however a Roman fort indicates that the area has been inhabited for longer. Prior to the
Assyrian and
Armenian genocide
The Armenian genocide was the systematic destruction of the Armenians, Armenian people and identity in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Spearheaded by the ruling Committee of Union and Progress (CUP), it was implemented primarily t ...
,
Assyrians
Assyrians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to Mesopotamia, a geographical region in West Asia. Modern Assyrians share descent directly from the ancient Assyrians, one of the key civilizations of Mesopotamia. While they are distinct from ot ...
and
Armenians
Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...
formed the majority in the district.
The Armenian population of the county continued to form the majority even up until the 1930s, when systematic state persecution forced many to emigrate. One family continues to live here, and they maintain the old Armenian Church. The Armenian Apostolic Church in Derik is only one out of six in Anatolian Turkey that operates as a church.
Today
Kurds
Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...
and
Turks
Turk or Turks may refer to:
Communities and ethnic groups
* Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
* Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Turkey
* Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic lang ...
live in Derik.
Government
In the local elections of April 10 Mülkiye Esmez from the
Peoples' Democratic Party was elected mayor. But on 15 November 2019 she was detained and a day later dismissed from her post as mayor and the District Governor Hakan Kafkas was appointed as trustee instead.
There are 80
neighbourhoods
A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neighbourh ...
in Derik District:
Mahalle
Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
* Adak ()
* Adakent ()
* Ahmetli ()
* Akçay ()
* Akıncılar ()
* Alagöz ()
* Alanlı ()
* Alibey ()
* Ambarlı ()
* Aşağımezraa ()
* Atlı
Atlı (, literally "equestrian", "horseman" or "rider") is a Turkish surname and may refer to:
* Aşir Atlı (1881–1957), officer of the Ottoman and general of the Turkish Army
* İsmet Atlı (1931–2014), Turkish wrestler
* Mert Atlı (born 1 ...
()
* Aydınlar ()
* Bağarası
* Bahçelievler
* Ballı ()
* Balova ()
* Başaran ()
* Bayırköy ()
* Bayraklı
Bayraklı is a municipality and district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 30 km2, and its population is 299,859 (2024). It covers the northern part of the metropolitan area of İzmir
İzmir is the List of largest cities and tow ...
()
* Beşbudak ()
* Böğrek ()
* Boyaklı ()
* Bozbayır ()
* Bozok ()
* Burçköy ()
* Çadırlı ()
* Çağıl ()
* Çataltepe ()
* Çayköy ()
* Cevizpınar
* Çukursu ()
* Dağ
* Demirli ()
* Denktaş ()
* Derinsu ()
* Dikmen ()
* Doğancı ()
* Dumanlı
Dumanlı, also known as Sanda (), is a village in Gümüşhane District, Gümüşhane Province in Turkey, close to its border with Trabzon Province. Its population is 80 (2022).
History
The village was established in the 17th century by Pontic ...
()
* Dumluca ()
* Düztaş ()
* Göktaş ()
* Gölbaşı ()
* Hayırlı ()
* Hisaraltı ()
* Ilıca ()
* İncesu ()
* Issız ()
* Kale
* Kanatlı ()
* Karaburun
Karaburun (, Achirlí) is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of İzmir Province, in western Turkey. Its area is 421 km2, and its population is 12,200 (2022). The district area roughly corresponds to the peninsula of the same nam ...
()
* Karataş
Karataş (Turkish language, Turkish for ''black stone'') is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Adana Province, Turkey. Its area is 862 km2, and its population is 23,499 (2022). The town itself has 10,293 inhabitants. It is o ...
()
* Kayacık ()
* Kocatepe ()
* Koçyiğit ()
* Konak ()
* Konuk ()
* Köseveli ()
* Kovalı ()
* Kovanlı ()
* Küçükpınar
* Kuruçay ()
* Kuşçu ()
* Kutluca ()
* Kuyulu ()
* Meşeli ()
* Ortaca
Ortaca () is a municipality and district of Muğla Province, Turkey. Its area is 285 km2, and its population is 54,478 (2022). Formerly a township part of Köyceğiz district, it was made into a separate district in 1987.
Ortaca's economy i ...
()
* Pınarcık ()
* Pirinçli ()
* Şahverdi ()
* Şerefli ()
* Soğukkuyu ()
* Söğütözü
Söğütözü is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Çankaya, Ankara Province, Turkey. Its population is 5,668 (2022).
It is located between the Eskişehir Road ( D-200 Eskişehir Yolu) and Atatürk Forest Farm and Zoo. Its p ...
()
* Subaşı ()
* Taşıt ()
* Tepebağ ()
* Üçkuyu ()
* Üçtepe ()
* Yazıcık ()
* Yukarımezraa ()
* Zeytinpınar
Demographics
Notable people
* Qedrîcan (1911–1972), Kurdish
Kurdish may refer to:
*Kurds or Kurdish people
*Kurdish language
** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji)
**Central Kurdish (Sorani)
**Southern Kurdish
** Laki Kurdish
*Kurdish alphabets
*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:
**Southern ...
poet, writer and translator
*Ahmet Türk
Ahmet Türk (born 2 July 1942, in Derik, Turkey, Derik, Mardin Province, Mardin, Turkey) is a Kurds in Turkey, Kurdish politician from the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party). He has been a member of the Grand National Assembly of T ...
(), Kurdish politician
*Bülent Tekin
Bülent Tekin (born 15 February 1954), Kurdish poet and writer, Turkish citizen. In the 1970s he wrote two novels (“Son” and “Money”), a collection of “Social Poems”, and a research document on the socialism in Allende's Chile, all f ...
(), Kurdish poet and writer
*Firat Cewerî
Firat Cewerî is a Kurdish writer, translator and journalist. He was born in the town of Derik near Mardin in southeastern Turkey. In the 1980s, he emigrated to Sweden, where he lives now.
He started writing in Kurdish in the 1980s. He served as ...
(), writer, translator, and journalist
* Enwer Karahan (), Kurdish writer
* Leyla Birlik (), Kurdish politician
* Mülkiye Esmez (), Kurdish politician
* Civar Çetin (), Kurdish footballer
References
{{Portal bar, Geography, Kurdistan, Turkey
Populated places in Mardin Province
Assyrian communities in Turkey
Kurdish settlements in Mardin Province
Former Armenian communities in Mardin Province
Districts of Mardin Province
Metropolitan district municipalities in Turkey