Tunceli

{{Main|Tunceli Province#Name}}

During Ottoman times, the settlement was called Kalan or Mameki.{{Cite web |title=Tunceli |url=https://nisanyanmap.com/?yer=36508&haritasi=tunceli |access-date=1 February 2023 |website=nisanyanmap.com |language=tr}} Tunceli, which is a modern name, literally means "bronze fist" in Turkish (tunç meaning "bronze" and eli, in this context, meaning "fist"). It shares the name with the military operation under which the Dersim massacre was conducted.{{Cite web |title=The Massacre in Dersim Still Haunts Kurds in Turkey |url=https://jacobin.com/2021/01/massacre-dersim-turkey-kurds-erdogan |access-date=2022-11-09 |website=jacobin.com |language=en-US}} The province of Dersim (or Dêrsim) was renamed Tunceli in 1935, as was the settlement of Kalan, which became the province's administrative center in 1938. Dersim is popularly understood to be composed of the Kurdish/Zazaki words der ("door") and sim ("silver"), thus meaning "silver door." Whether the town should be called Dersim or Tunceli has been a cause of political quarrels. In May 2019, the local authorities decided to call it Dersim, while the governor said it was against the law to call it Dersim.{{Cite web|url=https://ahvalnews.com/turkification/short-history-turkification-dersim-tunceli|title=A short history of Turkification: From Dersim to Tunceli|website=Ahval|language=en|access-date=2020-01-20}}

During the time of the Ottoman Empire, Tunceli (then known as Kalan) was a part of the region named Dersim. In 1847, Dersim was declared a sanjak (a historical administrative unit smaller than the province). The capital of the sanjak was Hozat. During the Republican period, Tunceli Province was established in 1935. In 1946, the former town of Kalan was renamed as Tunceli and it was declared as the capital city of the province.[http://www.tunceli.gov.tr/page.asp?id=49 Tunceli governor's page on history] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928174549/http://www.tunceli.gov.tr/page.asp?id=49 |date=2013-09-28 }} {{in lang|tr}}

As a result of the Turkish campaign of "Turkification" Tunceli became a main target of Turkish officials after the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1923. Tunceli played a role in the Dersim rebellion by the Kurds.İsmail Besikçi, Tunceli Kanunu (1935) ve Dersim Jenosidi, Belge Yayınları, 1990.{{page needed|date=May 2024}}

Tunceli is famous for excellent rankings in National Education statistics.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnnturk.com/turkiye/egitim-siralamasinda-tunceli-birinci|title = Eğitim sıralamasında Tunceli birinci}}

In the Municipal Elections which took place on 31st of March 2019, Fatih Mehmet Maçoğlu was elected Mayor.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sozcu.com.tr/secim2019/tunceli|title=Tunceli Seçim Sonuçları: 31 Mart 2019 Tunceli Yerel Seçim Sonuçları|website=Sözcü|language=tr|access-date=2020-01-20}} He is the first mayor of Tunceli from the Communist Party of Turkey.

In 2018, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated that if "those involved with terrorism" (referring to the HDP party{{Cite web|title=Turkey: HDP official accused of aiding PKK terrorist|url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/turkey/turkey-hdp-official-accused-of-aiding-pkk-terrorist/1670891|access-date=2021-08-29|website=www.aa.com.tr}}) were to win the elections, that his government would "appoint trustees without delay".{{Cite web|last=SCF|date=2018-10-08|title=Turkey's Erdoğan vows re-seizure of municipalities should pro-Kurdish HDP win local elections|url=https://stockholmcf.org/turkeys-erdogan-vows-re-seizure-of-municipalities-should-hdp-win-local-elections/|access-date=2021-08-29|website=Stockholm Center for Freedom|language=en-US}}

In May 2019 the Municipal Council decided to use the city's historic name Dersim and also to offer municipal services in Zazaki and Kurmanji. 4 Members of the newly elected municipal council had their certificates revoked in May 2019 for having been dismissed from public office in the past.{{Cite web|url=https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/6e69dc09-4437-42b6-8899-815c8c9083a6|title=Kurdish city returns to original name 'Dersim,' attracts Turkish ire|last=Barwari |first=Rawa |date=2019 |website=Kurdistan24|language=en|access-date=2025-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523215612/https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/6e69dc09-4437-42b6-8899-815c8c9083a6 |archive-date=23 May 2019 |url-status=dead}}

The main economic activity is animal breeding. Wheat is the only notable agricultural product. There are chromium, salt and marble deposits, but only salt is produced. There are a few factories based on agriculture.{{cite web|url=http://www.cografya.gen.tr/tr/tunceli/ekonomi.html|title=TUNCELİ - Ekonomik Faaliyetler|website=www.cografya.gen.tr}}

Tunceli has a continental climate (Köppen: Dsa, Trewartha: Dc) with very hot, dry summers and cold, snowy winters.

{{Weather box

|metric first= Yes

|single line= Yes

|location= Tunceli (1991–2020, extremes 1960–2020)

| Jan record high C = 14.2

| Feb record high C = 19.4

| Mar record high C = 26.0

| Apr record high C = 32.2

| May record high C = 36.6

| Jun record high C = 39.0

| Jul record high C = 43.5

| Aug record high C = 43.5

| Sep record high C = 40.3

| Oct record high C = 35.6

| Nov record high C = 27.0

| Dec record high C = 21.7

| year record high C = 43.5

| Jan high C = 3.8

| Feb high C = 5.8

| Mar high C = 12.1

| Apr high C = 18.5

| May high C = 24.3

| Jun high C = 30.7

| Jul high C = 35.5

| Aug high C = 36.0

| Sep high C = 30.8

| Oct high C = 23.2

| Nov high C = 13.9

| Dec high C = 6.0

| year high C = 20.1

| Jan mean C = -1.0

| Feb mean C = 0.6

| Mar mean C = 6.4

| Apr mean C = 12.1

| May mean C = 17.0

| Jun mean C = 22.8

| Jul mean C = 27.3

| Aug mean C = 27.4

| Sep mean C = 21.9

| Oct mean C = 15.2

| Nov mean C = 7.0

| Dec mean C = 1.3

| year mean C = 13.2

| Jan low C = -4.6

| Feb low C = -3.4

| Mar low C = 1.5

| Apr low C = 6.3

| May low C = 10.2

| Jun low C = 14.7

| Jul low C = 19.1

| Aug low C = 19.0

| Sep low C = 13.5

| Oct low C = 8.6

| Nov low C = 1.9

| Dec low C = -2.1

| year low C = 7.1

| Jan record low C = -30.3

| Feb record low C = -29.0

| Mar record low C = -24.7

| Apr record low C = -7.1

| May record low C = -0.1

| Jun record low C = 1.0

| Jul record low C = 9.2

| Aug record low C = 7.7

| Sep record low C = 2.6

| Oct record low C = -4.0

| Nov record low C = -16.4

| Dec record low C = -25.6

| year record low C = -30.3

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm = 121.0

| Feb precipitation mm = 103.7

| Mar precipitation mm = 110.1

| Apr precipitation mm = 100.1

| May precipitation mm = 73.8

| Jun precipitation mm = 16.6

| Jul precipitation mm = 5.0

| Aug precipitation mm = 5.0

| Sep precipitation mm = 23.5

| Oct precipitation mm = 60.4

| Nov precipitation mm = 86.5

| Dec precipitation mm = 120.9

| year precipitation mm = 826.6

| Jan precipitation days = 11.50

| Feb precipitation days = 10.83

| Mar precipitation days = 14.07

| Apr precipitation days = 15.10

| May precipitation days = 13.60

| Jun precipitation days = 5.27

| Jul precipitation days = 2.40

| Aug precipitation days = 1.77

| Sep precipitation days = 3.83

| Oct precipitation days = 9.03

| Nov precipitation days = 8.83

| Dec precipitation days = 11.50

| year precipitation days = 107.7

| Jan snow days =7.7

| Feb snow days =3.7

| Mar snow days =1.9

| Apr snow days =0.2

| May snow days =0

| Jun snow days =0

| Jul snow days =0

| Aug snow days =0

| Sep snow days =0

| Oct snow days =0

| Nov snow days =0.5

| Dec snow days =3.5

| year snow days =

| Jan humidity = 74.7

| Feb humidity = 71.3

| Mar humidity = 63.2

| Apr humidity = 59.7

| May humidity = 58.6

| Jun humidity = 46.9

| Jul humidity = 38.6

| Aug humidity = 36.3

| Sep humidity = 42.4

| Oct humidity = 58.7

| Nov humidity = 69.4

| Dec humidity = 75.9

| year humidity = 57.9

| Jan sun = 102.3

| Feb sun = 118.7

| Mar sun = 164.3

| Apr sun = 195.0

| May sun = 257.3

| Jun sun = 324.0

| Jul sun = 356.5

| Aug sun = 331.7

| Sep sun = 276.0

| Oct sun = 207.7

| Nov sun = 153.0

| Dec sun = 96.1

| year sun =

| Jand sun = 3.3

| Febd sun = 4.2

| Mard sun = 5.3

| Aprd sun = 6.5

| Mayd sun = 8.3

| Jund sun = 10.8

| Juld sun = 11.5

| Augd sun = 10.7

| Sepd sun = 9.2

| Octd sun = 6.7

| Novd sun = 5.1

| Decd sun = 3.1

| yeard sun = 7.1

|source 1 = Turkish State Meteorological Service{{cite web

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

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

| publisher = Turkish State Meteorological Service

| language = tr

| access-date = 7 August 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/Tunceli_17165.csv

|title = World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Tunceli

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = January 17, 2024}} Meteomanz(snowy days 2014-2023){{cite web | url = http://www.meteomanz.com/sy3?l=1&cou=6290&ind=17165&m1=01&y1=2000&m2=12&y2=2023

| title = Tunceli - Weather data by months |website=Meteomanz | access-date =12 July 2024}}

}}

{{Portal|Geography|Kurdistan|Turkey}}

• Munzur Valley National Park
• Seyid Riza
• Sophene

• {{TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi|url=https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/tunceli|title=TUNCELİ}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Tunceli District}}

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Category:Tunceli

Category:Provincial municipalities in Turkey

Category:Turkish Kurdistan

Category:Populated places in Tunceli Province

Category:Kurdish settlements in Tunceli Province