Kulp, Turkey

Kulp is a municipality and district of Diyarbakır Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,493 km², and its population is 34,357. It is populated by Kurds.

History

The Kulp region gained importance as a center for the Kurdish chiefdoms in Kulp itself and nearby Zeyrek.
In 1993, Kulp was under siege by the Kurdistan Workers' Party. Inhabitants whom the Turkish Government suspected of siding with the PKK were resettled to Diyarbakir.

Politics

In the local elections on the 31 March 2019 Mehmet Fatih Taş of the Peoples' Democratic Party was elected Mayor. But he was dismissed by the Ministry of the Interior due to an investigation relating to a terrorist attack. Kaymakam Mustafa Gözlet acts as a trustee instead.

Demographics

Until the 15th century, the area was inhabited by Armenians only. Then nomadic Kurdish tribes started to settle in the area. On the eve of the First World War, more than 5,000 Armenians lived in the kaza, especially in:

Endzakar : 140 inhabitants,
Gazken : 2,000 houses, 100 Armenians,
Aharonk,
Ehub,
Geghervank,
Shughek,
Pasur : rural town with 40 Armenian and 40 Kurdish houses.

Many Armenians converted to Islam and were linguistically Kurdified. Many of them joined the Kurdish movement.

Culture

Some Armenian cultural features have been preserved such as Armenian dances and Armenian cuisine.

Composition

There are 58 neighbourhoods in Kulp District: