Country Turkey Website www.silvan.bel.tr Province Diyarbakır Province | Post code 21640 Local time Wednesday 12:51 AM | |
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Weather 3°C, Wind NE at 8 km/h, 84% Humidity | ||
Silvan (Turkish: Silvan, Ottoman Turkish: ميا فارقين Meyafarikîn, Arabic: ميافارقين, Meiafarakin or Mayyafariqin; Armenian: Նփրկերտ, Np'rkert; Greek: Mαρτυρόπολις, Martyropolis; Kurdish: Farqîn; Syriac: ܡܝܦܪܩܝܛ, Mayperqiṭ) is a city in the Diyarbakır Province of Turkey. Its population is 41,451.
Contents
- Map of Silvan 21640 Silvan2FDiyarbakC4B1r Turkey
- History
- Roman Era
- Diocese of Martyropolis
- Islamic era
- 21st century
- Notable sites
- References
Map of Silvan, 21640 Silvan%2FDiyarbak%C4%B1r, Turkey
History
Silvan has been identified by several scholars as one of two possible locations (the other being Arzan) of Tigranakert (Tigranocerta), the ancient capital of the Kingdom of Armenia, which was built by King Tigran the Great (ruling 95–55 BCE) and named in his honor.
Roman Era
In 69 BCE, the army of Republican Rome defeated Tigran's troops in the battle of Tigranocerta. The city lost its importance as a thriving center for trade and Hellenistic culture in the following decades. In 387 CE, with the Peace of Acilisene, Tigranakert was made part of the Byzantine Empire.
Diocese of Martyropolis
Around 400 CE, the city's bishop, Marutha (later, saint Maruthas), brought a large number of relics back from Sassanid Persia. These were relics of Christian martyrs persecuted under Sassanid rule. For this reason it was renamed Martyropolis, "city of the martyrs." Following the reforms of Justinian I (rule 527–565), the city was made the capital of the province of Fourth Armenia. The city suffered heavily in the Battle of Martyropolis in 588 CE, but soon prospered again.
Islamic era
It was known by the name of Meiafarakin after the Arabs took over this region in the 7th century. It declined in importance over the centuries and had been reduced to a small settlement by the 12th century. It was part of successively Umayyads, Abbasids, Buyids, Marwanids, Seljuks, Ahlatshahs, Mardin branch of Artukids, Ayyubids, Sultanate of Rum, Ilkhanate, Akkoyunlu, Safavids and Ottomans.
21st century
Silvan was the site of serious clashes between Turkish government forces and Kurdish Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) separatists in August 2015 during the wider Operation Martyr Yalçın.