Hakkâri Province (, ; ), is a province in the southeast of Turkey. The administrative centre is the city of Hakkâri. Its area is 7,095 km2, and its population is 275,333 (2022). The current Governor is Ali Çelik. The province encompasses 8 municipalities, 140 villages and 313 hamlets.
The province is a stronghold for Kurdish nationalism and a hotspot in the Kurdish–Turkish conflict.
Districts
Hakkâri province is divided into five districts (capital district in bold): Çukurca District Derecik District (since 2018) Hakkâri District Şemdinli District Yüksekova District
Demographics
Hakkari Province is located in Turkish Kurdistan and has an overwhelmingly Kurdish population. The province is tribal and most of the Kurds adhere to the Shafiʽi school with the Naqshbandi order having a strong presence around Şemdinli. The Kurdish tribes in the province include the Doski, Ertuşi, Gerdi, Herki, Jirki and Pinyaniş. The area had a significant Christian Assyrian population from various tribes before the Assyrian genocide in 1915. The Assyrian tribes in the region were Jilu, Dez, Baz, Tkhuma, Tal and Tyari. Relations between Assyrians and Kurds have been described as a 'tense coexistence' due to the ability to coexist despite the recurring disputes over land and life stock, and robbery of each other and of travelers. Assyrian resentment in the region was more directed towards the Ottomans than the Kurds, due to the Ottoman hostility towards the Christian minority, viewing them as a disloyal non-Muslim component.
Hakkari Sanjak, part of Van vilayet, had a population of 5,896 in 1881-1882 of which was Muslim and Christian.
In the 1945 census, of the population was Muslim, while Jews constituted the largest religious minority with . Only one Christian was enumerated in 1945, from the Protestant denomination. In the same census, Kurdish and Turkish were the first language for and of the population. The Jewish population left for Israel shortly after 1948. In the 1950 census, of the population spoke Kurdish as first language, while the second largest first language was Turkish at . In the subsequent census of 1955, Kurdish constituted the first language for of the population and Turkish for . The same census found of the population to be Muslim. Kurdish and Turkish remained the two largest first languages in the 1960 census for and of the population, respectively. As with the previous census, Muslims constituted of the population. In the last census conducted in Turkey in 1965, Kurdish remained the largest first language with , while Turkish remained the second largest first language at . of the population was Muslim and was Christian in 1965.
In 1980, the only language spoken in rural parts was Kurdish while both Kurdish and Turkish were spoken in urban areas, due to the presence of military and civil officials from other parts of Turkey.
History
In the 14th century, Timur devastated the urban centers of Mesopotamia. His conquest of Baghdad and especially the destruction of Tikrit affected the Syrian Orthodox Church, which sheltered near Nineveh at Mar Mattai Monastery. Following the destruction of Christians in the region, the Ismailis and Sunni and Shi'a Muslims was attacked indiscriminately by Timur during the second part of the 14th century. The few survivors sought refuge among the Assyrians of Hakkari and the surrounding region. This region also produced many bishops and patriarchs as hereditary succession was used to prevent a full ecclesiastical collapse of the church. By the 16th century, the Assyrians disappeared from many cities where they previously thrived, such as in Tabriz and Nisibis. The head of the Church of the East moved from Baghdad to Maragheh by 1553.
Ottoman control
Although the region was nominally under Ottoman control since the 16th century, it was administered as Emirate of Hakkâri by its Kurdish and Assyrian inhabitants. Kurds also settled Armenian farmers in the region. The situation changed after the Badr Khan rule and the Tanzimat reforms as the Ottomans were now able to extend their full control unopposed. The region was part of Van Vilayet during the Ottoman era as Hakkari sanjak with Başkale serving as capital, except from 1880 to 1888 where it was elevated to vilayet status. As of 1920, Hakkari was producing lead. The lead, which came from a government owned mine, was used to make bullets.