Divriği

Divriği
Divriği
Municipality
	Divriği Location in Turkey Divriği Divriği (Turkey Central Anatolia)
	Coordinates: 39°22′N 38°07′E / 39.367°N 38.117°E
Country	Turkey
Province	Sivas
District	Divriği
Government
• Mayor	Cihan Deniz Akbaş (CHP)
Population (2022)	10,800
Time zone	UTC+3 (TRT)
Postal code	58300
Area code	0346
Website	www.divrigi.bel.tr

Divriği, historically Tephrike (Greek: Τεφρική), is a town in Sivas Province of Turkey. It is the seat of Divriği District.^[2] Its population is 10,800 (2022).^[1] The town lies on gentle slope on the south bank of the Çaltısuyu river, a tributary of the Karasu river. The Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği, along with the adjoining hospital (Darüşşifa), are on UNESCO's World Heritage List by virtue of the exquisite carvings and architecture of both buildings.^[3] Cihan Deniz Akbaş is the current mayor.^[4]

History

Middle Ages

Tephrike was recaptured by the Byzantine Empire during the reign of Emperor Basil I and was temporarily named Leontokome (after Emperor Leo VI) and made into a thema.^[5] It had been founded ca. 850 by Karbeas, the leader of the Paulicians, a heretical Armenian sect that adhered to a dualistic cosmology. The Paulicians fortified it and used it as refuge and the capital of their state during the ninth century.^[5] In the early eleventh century, the town was part of the territory given to the Armenian king Seneqerim-Hovhannes of Vaspurakan in exchange for his lands in Vaspurakan.^[5]

After the battle of Manzikert (present day Malazgirt), Divriği came under the control of the Sultanate of Rûm.^[6] A medieval castle, with remains mostly from the thirteenth century, is situated on top of a steep hill overlooking the town.

Climate

Divriği has a dry-summer continental climate (Köppen: Dsa), bordering a semi-arid climate (Köppen: BSk),^[7] with hot, dry summers, and cold, snowy winters.^[8]

Climate data for Divriği (1991–2020)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	2.6 (36.7)	4.6 (40.3)	11.0 (51.8)	17.3 (63.1)	22.5 (72.5)	28.1 (82.6)	32.7 (90.9)	33.2 (91.8)	28.2 (82.8)	21.0 (69.8)	11.9 (53.4)	4.9 (40.8)	18.2 (64.8)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−1.6 (29.1)	−0.1 (31.8)	5.5 (41.9)	11.1 (52.0)	15.6 (60.1)	20.4 (68.7)	24.5 (76.1)	24.8 (76.6)	20.1 (68.2)	13.9 (57.0)	6.2 (43.2)	0.7 (33.3)	11.8 (53.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−5.0 (23.0)	−4.0 (24.8)	0.7 (33.3)	5.4 (41.7)	9.3 (48.7)	13.1 (55.6)	16.5 (61.7)	16.8 (62.2)	12.5 (54.5)	7.8 (46.0)	1.5 (34.7)	−2.5 (27.5)	6.1 (43.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	33.74 (1.33)	34.26 (1.35)	43.84 (1.73)	69.0 (2.72)	51.4 (2.02)	22.64 (0.89)	8.7 (0.34)	4.86 (0.19)	13.95 (0.55)	34.87 (1.37)	29.55 (1.16)	33.02 (1.30)	379.83 (14.95)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	6.1	6.4	7.4	9.1	9.2	4.5	1.8	1.7	2.5	5.6	5.0	7.1	66.4
Average relative humidity (%)	73.0	69.7	61.1	56.3	56.9	49.6	42.3	41.7	43.0	54.8	65.0	73.3	57.2
Source: NOAA^[9]

Demographics

About 103 of the 109 villages are populated by Alevis. The majority of the Alevi population is Turkish, with a significant Kurdish Alevi minority.^[10] Evliya Çelebi included that Divriği was made up of Greeks and Turkomans as well as Armenians and Kurds in his seyahatname.^[11]

Notable people

References

^ ^a ^b "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2022, Favorite Reports" (XLS). TÜİK. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
^ İlçe Belediyesi, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
^ "Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
^ Şafak, Yeni (2019-05-11). "Sivas Divriği Seçim Sonuçları – Divriği Yerel Seçim Sonuçları". Yeni Şafak (in Turkish). Retrieved 2019-11-05.
^ ^a ^b ^c Foss, Clive. "Tephrike". Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. vol. 3. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 2025.
^ Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture: Three-Volume Set. Oxford University Press.
^ "Table 1 Overview of the Köppen-Geiger climate classes including the defining criteria". Nature: Scientific Data.
^ "Kar Örtülü Gün Sayısı" (PDF). MGM.
^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Divriği". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
^ "Divriği hakkında tarihi bilgiler ve Divriği Alevi Köyleri". Alevi Haber (in Turkish). 24 June 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
^ Evliyâ Çelebi Seyahatnâmesi: III. p. 223. Retrieved 17 October 2022.

Sources

(Book cover) Oktay Aslanapa (1991). Anadolu'da ilk Türk mimarisi: Başlangıcı ve gelişmesi (Early Turkish architecture in Anatolia: Beginnings and development) (in Turkish). AKM Publications, Ankara. ISBN 978-975-16-0264-0.