Yusufeli

Yusufeli has an oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb).

{{Weather box

|location = Yusufeli

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

|Jan mean C = 0.5

|Feb mean C = 2.0

|Mar mean C = 5.7

|Apr mean C = 11.0

|May mean C = 15.0

|Jun mean C = 18.4

|Jul mean C = 21.6

|Aug mean C = 21.6

|Sep mean C = 18.4

|Oct mean C = 13.3

|Nov mean C = 8.0

|Dec mean C = 3.0

|year mean C = 11.5

|Jan precipitation mm = 80

|Feb precipitation mm = 68

|Mar precipitation mm = 59

|Apr precipitation mm = 63

|May precipitation mm = 65

|Jun precipitation mm = 67

|Jul precipitation mm = 49

|Aug precipitation mm = 54

|Sep precipitation mm = 68

|Oct precipitation mm = 96

|Nov precipitation mm = 94

|Dec precipitation mm = 95

|year precipitation mm =

|source 1 = Climate-Data.org{{cite web|url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/19361/|title = Climate: Yusufeli|access-date = 12 April 2014

|publisher = Climate-Data.org}}

}}

File:Yusufeli.jpg

The history of Yusufeli, formerly Perterek or Pertarek, is traced to 3000 BC, the Bronze Age. The area has since been inhabited by Hurri, Urartu, Persians, Armenians, Ancient Romans, Byzantines and Georgians. In the Turkish era the area has been settled by Seljuks, Saltuks, Ilkhanids, Tamerlan, Akkoyunlu, Safevids and the Ottoman Empire. In the kingdom of Armenia in antiquity it was part of Tayk province, known as the Canton of Arsiats por.{{Cite web |url=http://www.bvahan.com/armenianway/great_armenia/Main_Eng/Maps_Eng/Maps_prov_Eng/Map_Eng.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=2020-03-02 |archive-date=2019-10-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025044508/http://www.bvahan.com/ArmenianWay/Great_Armenia/Main_Eng/Maps_Eng/Maps_prov_Eng/Map_Eng.html |url-status=usurped }}

In 1879 the area was the district of Kiksim in the county of Çıldır. Then following the war between the Ottoman Empire and Russia it became a county of Erzurum. Most of the population is descended from Armenians or Georgians who converted to Islam in the 1700s.{{Cite book|last=Simonian|first=Hovann H.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tjVpAAAAMAAJ|title=The Hemshin: History, Society and Identity in the Highlands of Northeast Turkey|date=2007|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-7007-0656-3|pages=128|language=en}}

Because of the rocky geography it was difficult for people from all villages to reach the city center, so a local district was established centred on Ögdem, but this was still inaccessible so Kılıçkaya (Ersis) became the center of county. Ersis means "a place where no boys live", so-called because so many sons of the district were lost in the Russo-Turkish War of 1878 and First World War. In the year 1912 the county name became Yusuf İli, i.e. "province of Yusuf" so the name Kiskim should not be confused with the name Keskin which was a county of Ankara at that time.

The folk music and culture is typical of the Black Sea region featuring the clarinet type zurna, a drum and bagpipes.

There are a number of historical Georgian churches in the valleys of Yusufeli, including the ruins of the Four Churches (Dört Kilise) in a village off the road to İspir ([https://web.archive.org/web/20071008084622/http://www.yusufeli.gov.tr/mesafeler_e.html Map]).

There are many medieval forts and Georgian churches in the valleys of Yusufeli. Some of them:[http://www.karalahana.com/karadeniz/yusufeli-tarihi-eserler.htm Yusuefli forts and monasteries (Turkish)] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081122053506/http://www.karalahana.com/karadeniz/yusufeli-tarihi-eserler.htm |date=November 22, 2008 }}

• Armashen fortress
• Ersis fortress
• Nihak fortress
• Oshnak fortress
• Ishan monastery
• Ogdem fortress
• Peterek fortress
• Parhal monastery
• Savangin, a pre-historical cave with an inscription written in an undeciphered writing system

• The singer and politician Zülfü Livaneli was born into a family from Yusufeli.
• The former mayor of Istanbul, Kadir Topbaş, was born in Yusufeli.

{{reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20071006135219/http://www.yusufeli.gov.tr/turkcetanitim/video1.html Yusufeli-video]
• [http://www.yusufeli.bel.tr/ The Municipality]
• [http://www.yusufelim.com Local information website with a photo gallery]

{{Yusufeli District}}

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Category:Populated places in Artvin Province

Category:District municipalities in Turkey

Category:Yusufeli District