Sason (Sasûn): A Mountain District of Many Memories
- Dala Sarkis
- Jun 6
- 3 min read
Introduction
Sason (Kurdish: Sasûn) is a rugged mountain district in Batman Province in south-eastern Turkey, a land of steep forested heights and remote villages. Today it is a Kurdish highland, but its name carries echoes of a long and layered past: Sason was once a famous stronghold of the Armenians, the setting of legend and of tragedy, and the mountains still hold the memory of the many peoples who have called them home.
Few districts pack so much history into so wild a landscape. This profile looks at Sason’s mountains, its peoples, and its memories.
Key Takeaways
• Sason (Kurdish: Sasûn) is a mountainous Kurdish district in Batman Province, south-eastern Turkey.
• It is a land of steep, forested highlands and scattered villages.
• Historically Sason was a famous Armenian stronghold, rich in legend.
• Its past includes the violence of the late Ottoman period.
• Today it is a Kurdish highland that still preserves a layered heritage.
Quick Facts
Name (Kurdish): Sasûn
Name (Turkish): Sason
Country / Region: Turkey (Bakur)
Province: Batman
Terrain: Steep, forested mountains
Historic Heritage: A famous Armenian stronghold
Today: A Kurdish highland district
Character: Remote and layered with memory
Contents
Where Is Sason?
Sason lies in the north of Batman Province, in the tangle of mountains where the provinces of Batman, Bitlis, and Siirt meet. This is high, broken country, far from the plains, where forested ridges and deep valleys make travel slow and settlement scattered. The remoteness of these mountains is the key to Sason’s history: terrain this difficult has always sheltered those who lived in it.
A Land of Mountains
Sason is, above all, a place of mountains. Its steep slopes, woods, and springs support a life of small villages, herding, beekeeping, and the famous honey of the highlands, with farming wherever the land allows. The rugged setting has kept the district isolated and traditional, and has given it a reputation as a refuge — a corner of the highlands where communities could hold out against the powers of the plains below.
The Memory of Sasun
In earlier centuries Sason — as Sasun — was renowned as a stronghold of the Armenians, celebrated in their epic traditions and known for the fierce independence of its mountain people. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries this Armenian world was shattered by waves of violence, including the massacres of the 1890s and the catastrophe of 1915, after which the Armenian presence in the mountains was largely destroyed. It is a painful chapter, and the memory of that lost world still lingers in the valleys of Sason.
A Layered Heritage
Out of this history Sason emerged as a predominantly Kurdish district, its villages home to Kurdish communities, with pockets of distinct identity and faith among them. Yet the older layers were never wholly erased: the region is known for families of hidden or Islamized Armenian descent, and the mountains still bear the traces of the peoples who lived there before. Sason is thus a place of layered heritage, where Kurdish life today rests upon a deep and complicated past.
Sason Today
Today Sason is a quiet Kurdish mountain district, its scattered villages living by herding, honey, and farming amid some of the most rugged scenery in the region. Roads have eased its isolation, but it remains remote and traditional. Sason carries its many memories — of legend, of loss, and of survival — into the present, a highland of great beauty and great depth of history.
Timeline
earlier centuries — Sason (Sasun) is a famous Armenian mountain stronghold.
1890s — Massacres strike the Armenian communities of the Sasun mountains.
1915 — The Armenian presence in the region is largely destroyed.
20th century — Sason becomes a predominantly Kurdish highland district.
today — Sason remains a remote Kurdish district with a layered heritage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Sason’s Kurdish name?
In Kurdish the district is known as Sasûn.
Where is Sason?
Sason is a mountainous district in the north of Batman Province in south-eastern Turkey, in the highlands where Batman, Bitlis, and Siirt meet.
Why is Sason historically famous?
Sason was historically a celebrated Armenian mountain stronghold, rich in legend, before the violence of the late Ottoman period; it later became a predominantly Kurdish district.
What is Sason like today?
Today Sason is a remote Kurdish highland district of forested mountains and scattered villages, known for herding, honey, and a deep, layered heritage.
Related People, Places, and Topics
The Sasun mountains · Armenian and Kurdish heritage · the highland refuges · Batman · Bitlis · Siirt.
References and Further Reading
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