ARDAHAN
AREA OF ARDAHAN
Ardahan is a 5.661 km² area at the Northeast side of Turkey. It is next to Georgia, standing on the borders that seperate Georgia and Turkey from each other. The geographical structure of Ardahan is quite high and rugged. It has mountains higher than 3.000 meters. The Yalnızçam Mountains are one of these mountains. These mountains lie throughout the borders of Artvin. Likewise, on the Northeast side of Ardahan stands Keld Mountain with 3.033 meters and on the east side stands Akbaba Mountains with 3126 meters. The South side of the city is home to the Allahuekber Mountains and the Kısır Mountain. Kısır Mountain is the highest point of the city with 3.197 meters. Ardahan is also home to a Plateau which occured do to the lava from neogene volcanism avtivities. Ardahan also has some lakes. Çıldır Lake is one of them with the height of 1.959 meters. On the other hand, Aktaş Lake is on the east side of the city with a height of 1.798 meters. However half of Lake Aktaş is in the borders of Georgia.
POPULATİON
Ardahan has a population of 97.319 people. %52,09 of it is male and %47,91 of it is female. With its small population, Ardahan is the smallest city of Turkey. The reason of this small populations lies behind the climate and industry of Ardahan. Ardahan has a very cold and disadvantageous climate. Unemployement and the lack of jobs in the city has led to the migration of the locals to different cities. The people living their currently are generally the locals of Ardahan.
DİSTRİCTS
The city of Ardahan has six different districts. These are The city center of Ardahan, Çıldır, Damal, Göle, Hannak and Posof.
SMALL HİSTORY
There is no certain information about how Ardahan was founded. According to Historian Mroveli, there is a saying that the son of Mtshetos founded the cities Cavahos Tsunda and Ardahan. However during the founding of Ardahan, its name was Kacta Kalaki which means the city of the devil. Later on, in year 628 the Arda Turks took over Ardahan and named it after themselves. İn the year of 1068 Alparslan took over Ardahan and it was now under the rule of the Selçuk Turks. At the year of 1555 Ardahan was a part of the Ottoman Empire thanks to the Amasya agreement. During the years of the Liberty war, Ardahan was saved from occupation by Milli Şura government with the help of Kazım Karabekir and Halit pasha. After all of the things Ardahan went through, it was a part of the city Kars for sixty six years. But finally in 27 May 1992 it won the status of being an independent city.
PLACES TO TRAVEL
Atatürk silhouette
The Atatürk Silhouette is in the district of Damal. Every year between 15 June and 15 July we are able to see a shadow of Atatürk’s face on the slopes of the mountain Karadağ.
Bülbülan Plateau
The Bülbülan plateau on the border of the Eastern Black Sea Region of Ardahan is a plateau that stands out with its natural beauties located between Ardahan, Artvin, Göle and Şavşat.
Yalnızçam Plateau
It is a tourism area with a unique beauty where winter sports can also be performed. İt is 15 km away from Ardahan.
Çıldır Lake- Akçakale İsland
It is located 45 km east of the city center and 1960 meters above sea level. There are 4 islands on the lake and these islands are the breeding points of Karabaş Seagull and Van Lake Seagull. Çıldır Lake is also rich in fish and there are 19 types of fish in the lake. Especially “Sarı Balık” is an important source of income for the local people, and considering these factors, the tourism potential is quite high.
Göle Okçuoğlu Plateau
Situated at the foot of the Köroğlu mountains, this plateau has a natural beauty with its various plant assets and wild animals.
Aktaş Lake
Aktaş Lake is a lake located between Ardahan and the Georgia border, and there are 12 islets in constant motion.
TRANSPORTATİON
Transportation inside Ardahan is provided by bus, minibüs and taxis. The best way to go to Ardahan is by plane. However there isn’t an airport in Ardahan so you have to use the nearest aiport which is 89 kilometers away in Kars.
MANAGEMENT
Ardahan is currently managed by Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi. The mayor is Faruk Demir.