Elazığ (Xarpêt): The City of Harput

Mehmet Özdemir
16 hours ago
4 min read

The historic citadel and old town of Harput (Xarpêt), above the city of Elazığ in eastern Turkey

Introduction

Elazığ — known to Kurds as Xarpêt, after the ancient town of Harput — is a city of eastern Turkey set in a region with deep roots in Kurdish, Zaza, Armenian, and Turkish history. The modern city below is young, but the old citadel town of Harput on the hill above it has watched over these lands for thousands of years.

The wider province, with Kurdish and Zaza districts such as Palu, also holds a major place in Kurdish history as part of the country of the great 1925 uprising. This profile looks at Harput and Elazığ, their mixed heritage, and the region’s role in the Kurdish story.

Key Takeaways

• Elazığ (Kurdish: Xarpêt) is a city in eastern Turkey, below the ancient hilltop town of Harput.

• Harput is an old citadel town with Urartian, Armenian, and Ottoman layers of history.

• The modern city of Elazığ was founded in the nineteenth century at the foot of Harput.

• The province has significant Kurdish and Zaza communities, especially in districts like Palu.

• Palu was the home base of Sheikh Said, leader of the great 1925 Kurdish rebellion.

Quick Facts

Name (Kurdish): Xarpêt

Country / Region: Turkey (Bakur / Northern Kurdistan)

Province: Elazığ

Historic Core: Harput, the old citadel town

Peoples: Kurdish, Zaza, Turkish; once Armenian

Founded (modern city): 19th century

Kurdish History: Palu and the 1925 Sheikh Said rebellion

Setting: The eastern Anatolian highlands

Frequently Asked Questions

Related People, Places, and Topics

References and Further Reading

Where Is Elazığ?

Elazığ lies in eastern Turkey, in the highlands west of Bingöl and north of Diyarbakır, near the upper Euphrates and the great reservoir of Lake Keban. The modern city sits on a plain, while the old town of Harput crowns a hill just above it. The province borders the Zaza and Alevi country of Dersim, and includes Kurdish and Zaza districts to its east and south.

This is a meeting zone of peoples and landscapes — a place where the Turkish, Kurdish, Zaza, and once Armenian worlds of eastern Anatolia have long overlapped.

Ancient Harput

The heart of the region’s history is Harput, the citadel town on the hill. Fortified since antiquity — with roots going back to the Urartians and beyond — Harput was for centuries the main settlement here, a walled town of castles, mosques, churches, and old mansions. Over time, as life moved down to the plain, the modern city of Elazığ grew at its foot, but Harput remains the historic and spiritual core, its ruined citadel and ancient monuments still crowning the heights.

A Mixed Heritage

Harput and its region were long home to a rich mix of peoples — Turks, Kurds, Zazas, and a large Armenian community whose churches and schools once flourished here, until the catastrophe of 1915 emptied the area of its Armenians. Today Elazığ is a mixed city, with a Turkish majority in the centre and substantial Kurdish and Zaza populations across the province. That layered heritage is part of what makes the Xarpêt region historically significant in the wider story of the Kurdish lands.

Palu and Sheikh Said

The province holds a major place in modern Kurdish history through the district of Palu. It was here that Sheikh Said, a Naqshbandi Zaza-Kurdish religious leader, had his base — and in 1925 he led the first great Kurdish uprising against the new Turkish Republic. Rebel forces spread across the region and briefly seized Elazığ itself before the revolt was crushed and Sheikh Said was executed in Diyarbakır. The Sheikh Said rebellion remains one of the landmark events of Kurdish history, and it is rooted in this very province.

Elazığ Today

Today Elazığ is a sizeable provincial city of eastern Turkey, known for its university, its lake, and the historic draw of Harput above it. For Kurds and Zazas it is Xarpêt — a city and region whose ancient citadel, mixed past, and links to the Sheikh Said rebellion give it a meaningful, if complicated, place in the long history of the Kurdish lands.

Timeline

antiquity — Harput is fortified, with roots reaching back to the Urartians.

medieval era — Harput flourishes as a walled citadel town under successive dynasties.

19th century — The modern city of Elazığ is founded at the foot of Harput.

1915 — The region’s Armenian community is destroyed in the genocide.

1925 — Rebels of the Sheikh Said uprising briefly seize Elazığ before being crushed.

today — Elazığ is a mixed provincial city; Harput remains its historic heart.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Elazığ’s Kurdish name?

Kurds know Elazığ as Xarpêt, a name taken from the ancient town of Harput on the hill above the modern city.

What is Harput?

Harput is the ancient citadel town just above Elazığ, fortified since antiquity and long the main settlement of the region, with castles, mosques, churches, and old mansions.

Is Elazığ a Kurdish city?

Elazığ is a mixed city with a Turkish majority in the centre, but its province has significant Kurdish and Zaza communities and deep roots in Kurdish history.

How is Elazığ linked to Sheikh Said?

The district of Palu in Elazığ province was the base of Sheikh Said, who led the 1925 Kurdish rebellion; rebel forces briefly captured Elazığ during the uprising.