Bayburt

The name of the town was formerly written in Ottoman Turkish as بايبورد (Bayburd){{Cite web|last=Miroğlu|first=İsmet|title=BAYBURT|url=https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/bayburt|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607045142/https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/bayburt|archive-date=7 June 2020|access-date=1 July 2020|website=TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi}} and in English as Baiburt.{{sfnp|EB|1878}}{{sfnp|EB|1911}} It was known under a variety of names during the Byzantine period; Procopius naming the city Baiberdon, meanwhile Kedrenos calling it Paiperte.{{Cite web|title=Bayburt|url=https://nisanyanmap.com/?yer=36515&haritasi=bayburt|access-date=1 February 2023|website=nisanyanmap.com|language=en}} The name derives from the medieval Armenian Baydbert ({{lang|hy|Բայտբերդ}}).https://www.vehi.net/istoriya/armenia/khorenaci/02.html; The “History of Armenia” by Movses Khorenatsi, Yerevan, 1990 (in Russian). In Movses of Khoren's History of Armenia the town is being named as Բայբերդ (Paypert). Movses asserts that the city's ancient name was Smpadapert, in reference to the Smbat I, founder of the Bagratuni dynasty. Dede Korkut mentions the city in his book a couple of times as بايبورد (Bayburd). It is thought that Baydbert consists of two words namely Bayd and Bert. The first one has been discussed so much but true etymon is not clear yet. However, the second one is most probably an Armenian loanword bert (բերդ) "fortress".

File:Bayburt, 69000 Bayburt Merkez-Bayburt, Turkey - panoramio (3).jpg

File:Bayburt, 69000 Bayburt Merkez-Bayburt, Turkey - panoramio (6).jpg

Bayburt was a part of Hayasa-Azzi, then was subsequently settled or conquered by the Cimmerians in the {{nowrap|8th century BC,}} the Medes in the {{nowrap|7th century BC,}} then the Persian Empire, Lesser Armenia, Pontus, Greater Armenia, Rome, the Byzantines, the Bagratid Armenian Kingdom, the Seljuk Turks, the Aq Qoyunlu, Safavid Persia, and then the Ottoman Turks.{{Cite web |title=BAYBURT |url=https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/bayburt |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi |language=tr}}

The town was the site of an Armenian fortress in the 1st century and may have been the Baiberdon fortified by the emperor Justinian.{{sfnp|EB|1878}} It was a stronghold of the Genovese in the late Middle Ages{{sfnp|EB|1878}} and prospered in the late 13th and early 14th century because of the commerce between Trebizond and Persia. It contained a mint under the Seljuks and Ilkhanids.{{cite book|last1=Sinclair|first1=T. A.|title=Eastern Turkey: An Architectural & Archaeological Survey, Volume I|date=1989|publisher=Pindar Press|isbn=9780907132325|pages=284–289}} From c. 1243 to 1266, Bayburt was under brief control of the Georgian princes of Samtskhe. A Christian church within the Bayburt Castle was built in the 13th century under the Trapezuntine or Georgian influence.{{cite book|last1=Peacock|first1=Andrew|editor1-last=Beyazit|editor1-first=Deniz|title=At the Crossroads of Empires: 14th-15th century Eastern Anatolia|series=Varia Anatolica|volume=25|date=2012|publisher=Institut français d'études anatoliennes|location=Paris and Istanbul|isbn=978-2-36245-002-0|pages=49–70|chapter=Between Georgia and the Islamic world: the atabegs of Samc‘xe and the Turks}}

Bayburt and the surrounding areas are considered to be one of the earliest Turkish settlements in Anatolia.{{Cite web |title=BAYBURT |url=https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/bayburt |access-date=2023-09-30 |website=TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi |language=tr}} Under Ottoman rule, the town was the center of the Bayburt Sanjak in Erzurum Eyalet. When Erzurum was devastated in the early 16th century, Bayburt served for a time as the de facto capital of the province. The area was raided by the Safavids in 1553. Bayburt was captured by a Russian army under General Paskevich{{sfnp|EB|1911}} and its fortifications thoroughly demolished in 1829.{{sfnp|EB|1878}} It was the furthest westward reach of the Russians during that campaign.{{sfnp|EB|1911}} The British traveller and geologist William Hamilton commented on the ruins in the 1840s,{{cite book|last1=Hamilton|first1=William J.|title=Researches in Asia Minor, Pontus, and Armenia|url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.46618|date=1842|publisher=Murray|pages=[https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.46618/page/n261 231]–233}}. though the population grew to 6000 by the 1870s.{{sfnp|EB|1878}} The bazaar, however, remained poor and the town long lacked industry.{{sfnp|EB|1911}} On the eve of the First World War, the population of 10,000 was mostly Turkish with some Armenians.{{sfnp|EB|1911}}

According to the Qamus al-A'lam (Qāmūsu'l-aˁlām/قاموس الأعلام, “Dictionary of the World”) of Shemseddin Sami, Sanjak of Bayburt, comprising four kazas called Ispir, Şiran, Kelkit and Bayburt itself, had 505 villages and 40 nahiyes. The sanjak had a population of 124.019 people. 108.373 people of the population was Turkish and Muslim, and the rest of the population was Christian, predominantly Armenian.{{Cite book |last=Frashëri |first=Sami |title=Ḳāmusu'l-ˁAlām |publisher=Mihran |year=1898 |location=Istanbul |pages=430 |chapter=بايبورد (Bayburd)}}

Inside the Sanjak of Bayburt there were said to be 292 mosque and masjid, 176 madrasah, 87 church and monastery, 2 middle school (rushdiye), 108 primary school (sıbyan mektebi).{{Cite book |last=Frashëri |first=(Shemseddin) Sami |title=Kamus-ül alâm: tarih ve coğrafya lûgati ve tabir-i esahhiyle kâffe-yi esma-yi hassa-yi camidir (قاموس الأعلام) |publisher=Mihran Matbaası |year=1896 |location=Istanbul}}

Bayburt straddles the Çoruh amid an open and fertile plateau on the route between Trabzon and Erzurum.{{sfnp|EB|1911}}

Bayburt has a continental climate with warm summers and cold winters. Precipitation is fairly frequent most of the year, with a peak in spring. The city gets frequent, but not necessarily heavy snow, the highest snow depth recorded was 110 cm (43.3 inches) in March 1976.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024|reason=Snow depth record must be cited}}

Highest recorded temperature:{{Convert|38.4|C|F|abbr=on}} on 15 August 2019
Lowest recorded temperature:{{Convert|-31.3|C|F|abbr=on}} on 20 January 1972{{Citation |url=https://www.mgm.gov.tr/veridegerlendirme/il-ve-ilceler-istatistik.aspx?k=A&m=BAYBURT |title=İllerimize Ait Genel İstatistik Verileri |language=Turkish |access-date=24 June 2024 |publisher=Meteoroloji Genel Müdürlüğü}}

{{Weather box

|metric first= Yes

|single line= Yes

|location= Bayburt (1991–2020, extremes 1959–2023)

| Jan record high C = 11.0

| Feb record high C = 13.9

| Mar record high C = 21.2

| Apr record high C = 25.3

| May record high C = 31.3

| Jun record high C = 34.7

| Jul record high C = 37.0

| Aug record high C = 38.4

| Sep record high C = 34.4

| Oct record high C = 28.8

| Nov record high C = 20.7

| Dec record high C = 18.2

| year record high C = 38.4

| Jan high C = -0.2

| Feb high C = 1.3

| Mar high C = 6.9

| Apr high C = 13.5

| May high C = 18.8

| Jun high C = 23.7

| Jul high C = 27.8

| Aug high C = 28.6

| Sep high C = 24.2

| Oct high C = 17.6

| Nov high C = 9.0

| Dec high C = 2.1

| year high C = 14.4

| Jan mean C = -5.4

| Feb mean C = -4.2

| Mar mean C = 1.3

| Apr mean C = 7.2

| May mean C = 11.9

| Jun mean C = 15.9

| Jul mean C = 19.3

| Aug mean C = 19.5

| Sep mean C = 15.2

| Oct mean C = 9.9

| Nov mean C = 2.7

| Dec mean C = -3.0

| year mean C = 7.5

| Jan low C = -9.7

| Feb low C = -8.8

| Mar low C = -3.5

| Apr low C = 1.7

| May low C = 5.8

| Jun low C = 8.6

| Jul low C = 11.4

| Aug low C = 11.6

| Sep low C = 7.7

| Oct low C = 4.0

| Nov low C = -2.0

| Dec low C = -6.9

| year low C = 1.7

| Jan record low C = -31.3

| Feb record low C = -27.6

| Mar record low C = -28.3

| Apr record low C = -12.7

| May record low C = -4.4

| Jun record low C = -1.6

| Jul record low C = 0.2

| Aug record low C = 2.4

| Sep record low C = -2.1

| Oct record low C = -10.6

| Nov record low C = -23.6

| Dec record low C = -29.0

| year record low C = -31.3

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm = 29.3

| Feb precipitation mm = 32.1

| Mar precipitation mm = 47.3

| Apr precipitation mm = 67.5

| May precipitation mm = 78.5

| Jun precipitation mm = 47.0

| Jul precipitation mm = 25.9

| Aug precipitation mm = 16.8

| Sep precipitation mm = 23.0

| Oct precipitation mm = 47.1

| Nov precipitation mm = 31.0

| Dec precipitation mm = 30.1

| year precipitation mm = 475.6

| Jan precipitation days = 10.7

| Feb precipitation days = 11.77

| Mar precipitation days = 13.6

| Apr precipitation days = 14.77

| May precipitation days = 16.37

| Jun precipitation days = 10.57

| Jul precipitation days = 5.7

| Aug precipitation days = 4.6

| Sep precipitation days = 5.57

| Oct precipitation days = 9.33

| Nov precipitation days = 8.53

| Dec precipitation days = 11.27

| year precipitation days = 122.8

| humidity colour =

| time day =

| daily =

| Jan humidity =69.4

| Feb humidity =67.3

| Mar humidity =60.9

| Apr humidity =56.5

| May humidity =56

| Jun humidity =53.3

| Jul humidity =49.2

| Aug humidity =48.6

| Sep humidity =49.7

| Oct humidity =57.3

| Nov humidity =63.6

| Dec humidity =70.1

| year humidity =

| source 1 = Turkish State Meteorological Service

{{cite web

| url = https://www.mgm.gov.tr/veridegerlendirme/il-ve-ilceler-istatistik.aspx?k=H&m=BAYBURT

| title = Resmi İstatistikler: İllerimize Ait Mevism Normalleri (1991–2020)

| publisher = Turkish State Meteorological Service

| language = tr

| access-date = 27 June 2021}}

|source 2 = NOAA(humidity){{Cite web |url=https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/2.2/data/0-data/Region-6-WMO-Normals-9120/Turkiye/CSV/Bayburt_17089.csv |title=World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020: Bayburt |access-date= |website=ncei.noaa.gov |publisher=National Centers for Environmental Information |no-pp=y |format=CSV |quote=WMO station number: 17089}}

|date= March 2011

}}

File:Bayburt, 69000 Bayburt Merkez-Bayburt, Turkey - panoramio (5).jpg

Bayburt has several parks and open spaces like Aslan dağı Ormanı (Lion Mount Forest ) "Gençlik Parkı" (Youth Park), "Şehit Nusret Bahçesi" (Martyr Nusret Gardens), and "Yenişehir Parkı" meaning "New City Park". The city has {{cvt|535.780|m2}} of nursery areas, where young plants are raised for the forests of Bayburt. Also there are two caves that visitors can see the interesting natural shapes of the stones. These caves are, "[https://www.kulturportali.gov.tr/turkiye/bayburt/gezilecekyer/cimagil-magarasi Çimağıl Cave]" and "[https://www.kulturportali.gov.tr/turkiye/bayburt/gezilecekyer/helva-koyu-buz-magarasi Helva Village Ice Cave]".

Image:BayburtKalesi.jpg

Bayburt Castle stands on the steep rocks north of Bayburt. It was held by the Bagratuni dynasty in the 9th, 10th, and 11th centuries. It was completely rebuilt by the Saltukid ruler Mugis-al-Din Tugrul Sah between 1200 and 1230, as attested by an inscription in the walls of the castle. The massive size of its walls and the quality of its masonry place it amongst the finest of all the castles in Anatolia but for its destruction by the Russians during the early nineteenth century.David Winfield, [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3642522 "A Note on the South-Eastern Borders of the Empire of Trebizond in the Thirteenth Century"], Anatolian Studies, 12 (1962), p. 166 Rebuilding was done during the Ottoman period. The castle was inhabited till the destruction of 1829.{{sfnp|EB|1911}}

Located {{cvt|45|km}} from Bayburt, the Aydıntepe underground City consists of rock-cut galleries, vaulted rooms and wider spaces excavated out of natural rock, without using any building material within {{convert|2|-|2.5|m||sigfig=1}} from the surface in the tuff. Vaulted galleries about one meter wide and 2 to 2.5 meters tall are expanding on both sides.{{Cite web|url=http://www.aydintepeyeraltisehri.com/aydintepe_yeralti_sehri.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140825013032/http://aydintepeyeraltisehri.com/aydintepe_yeralti_sehri.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=August 25, 2014|title=Aydıntepe Yeraltı Şehri|website=www.aydintepeyeraltisehri.com|access-date=2016-12-06}}

The Dome of Dede Korkut is approximately {{convert|30|km}} away from Bayburt, and is located in Masat village.{{Cite web|title=DEDEKORKUT|url=http://www.bayburt.gov.tr/dedekorkut|access-date=2020-07-01|website=www.bayburt.gov.tr}} It is located in the middle of village's graveyard, has been hosting plenty of people from many countries including Turkic countries because of Dede Korkut Culture and Art Festival since 1995, and it is held every July. The dome, also known as Ali Baba and Korkut Ata, was restored in 1994, and it was released to the public. It has gained importance after has been included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO in November 2018.{{Cite web|date=2018-11-28|title=Intangible Heritage: Nine elements inscribed on Representative List|url=https://en.unesco.org/news/intangible-heritage-nine-elements-inscribed-representative-list|access-date=2020-07-01|website=UNESCO|language=en}}

File:Baksimuseum.jpg.]]

The Baksı Museum stands near the Black Sea, {{cvt|45|km}} from Bayburt on a hilltop overlooking the Çoruh Valley. Rising in what used to be called Baksı and is now the village of Bayraktar, this unusual museum offers contemporary art and traditional handicrafts side by side under one roof.{{Cite web|url=http://en.baksi.org/about-baksi/what-kind-of-museum.aspx?lvl1=1|title=Baksı Müzesi|website=en.baksi.org|access-date=2016-12-06}}

There is a professional football stadium in the city and many private astroturfed sites. The local football club in Bayburt is Bayburt Özel İdarespor, which currently competes in the TFF Second League.{{Cite web|url=http://www.tff.org/Default.aspx?pageId=535&kulupID=153|title=AN ZENTRUM BAYBURT ÖZEL İDARE SPOR - Club Details TFF}} Şalcilarspor played in the Third League between 1986 and 1988.

There are many indoor swimming pools in Bayburt, among them the semi-olympic swimming pool is the most notable one. It is located in the city center opposite of the Yenişehir Park. The pool water is kept at the same temperature in summer and winter so that the users can enjoy the pool in the best possible way.

The city also hosts winter sport activities, such as skiing. Ski resorts are located away from the city center.

Bayburt University is located roughly one kilometer away from the center of the city, the university has several faculties such as Engineering, Arts and Sciences, and Administrative Sciences. The university also contains a guest house (Turkish: konukevi). There are several vocational schools.

Bayburt Bus Terminal, located in the south of the city, is the main transportation hub of Bayburt.

• Bayburtlu Kara Ibrahim Pasha Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, 1683 to 1685.
• Hovhannes XI (Çamaşırciyan), Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople between 1800 and 1801
• İrşadi Baba (1879-1958), folk poet.{{Cite web|last=Sözlüğü|first=Türk Edebiyatı İsimler|title=AĞLAR BABA/BAKİ/BAKİ BABA/AĞLAR/AĞLAR GÜLMEZ/İRŞÂDÎ, İrşâdî|url=http://teis.yesevi.edu.tr/madde-detay/aglar-baba-baki-baki-baba-aglar|access-date=2020-07-01|website=teis.yesevi.edu.tr}}
• Krikor Amirian (1888–1964), an Armenian Revolutionary
• Namık Kemal Zeybek (born 1944), a Turkish politician
• Vasip Şahin (born 1964), a Turkish civil servant, the Governor of Ankara Province.
• Naci Ağbal (born 1968), a Turkish politician
• Suat Türker (1976–2023), a Turkish-German footballer
• Serdar Orçin (born 1976), a Turkish actor
• Hakan Çalhanoğlu (born 1994), a Turkish footballer

{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Turkey}}

{{Unreferenced|section|date=June 2024}}

Bayburt is twinned with:

{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|

• {{flagicon|Djibouti}} Ali Sabieh, Djibouti
• {{flagicon|Ethiopia}} Domo, Ethiopia
• {{flagicon|Ethiopia}} Mekele, Ethiopia
• {{flagicon|Morocco}} Safi, Morocco
• {{flagicon|Morocco}} Mohammedia, Morocco
• {{flagicon|Germany}} Magdeburg, Germany
• {{flagicon|Belgium}} Roeselare, Belgium
• {{flagicon|Liechtenstein}} Schaan, Liechtenstein
• {{flagicon|Ireland}} Limerick, Ireland
• {{flagicon|Spain}} Zaragoza, Spain
• {{flagicon|Malaysia}} Ipoh, Malaysia
• {{flagicon|Bulgaria}} Varna, Bulgaria
• {{flagicon|California}} Los Angeles, California }}

• Arpalı

{{reflist|30em}}

{{commons}}

• {{cite EB9 |mode=cs2 |wstitle=Baiburt |volume=3 |ref={{harvid|EB|1878}} |page=240 }}
• {{cite EB1911 |mode=cs2 |last=Maunsell |first=Francis Richard |author-link=Francis Richard Maunsell |wstitle=Baiburt |volume=3 |ref={{harvid|EB|1911}} |pages=214 }}

{{Bayburt District}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Populated places in Bayburt Province

Category:Ancient cities of the Middle East

Category:Provincial municipalities in Turkey

Category:Bayburt District