Altun Kupri

Altun Kupri (Arabic: التون كوبري,^[3] Turkish: Altınköprü, lit. 'Golden Bridge',^[4] Kurdish: پردێ, romanized: Pirdê^[5][6]) is a town in Kirkuk Governorate, Iraq. Its inhabitants are predominantly Turkmen, with a minority of Arabs and Kurds.^[7][8][9] It is located on the shores of the Little Zab and on the Erbil–Kirkuk road.^[10][11] The town is described as having an 'intrinsic strategic significance' and is disputed.^[12][13]

A map of Turkmeneli on a monument in Altun Kupri.

Local resident wearing traditional Turkmen clothes in Altun Kupri.

Altun Kupri
Town
Altun Kupri Location in Iraq
Coordinates: 35°45′12″N 44°08′37″E
Country	Iraq
Governorate	Kirkuk Governorate
District	Dibis
Elevation [1]	284 m (935 ft)
Population  (2013)[2]
• Total	9,275

Etymology

Altun Kupri is the Anglicized version of the Iraqi Turkmen word for "altın köprü" in standard Turkish language, which is literally 'Golden Bridge' in English.^[4]

There are different theories for the town's name. Some believe that 'Golden Bridge' refers to a Turkish or Kurdish woman of that name, while others believe it refers to the colorful caravans that passed the town and its bridge on their way between Mosul and Baghdad.^[14]

History

Ottoman Sultan Murad IV built two bridges in the town which made it gain importance. It was visited by many European travellers and known for its scenery.^[14]

Altun Kupri had approximately 400 to 500 households by the end of the 18th century. Mirza Abu Taleb Khan visited the town in 1799, describing it as a big village with a mixed Kurdish and Turkmen population busy with farming. Moreover, it was a trading center between Kurdistan and Baghdad for figs, grapes and other agricultural products. Under the reign of Muhammad Pasha of Soran (1813-1836) he was able to extend his influence to this town and force the Ottoman governor of Baghdad to recognize his control.^[15] In 1906, the town had 4,000 inhabitants.^[16] The Ottomans destroyed the town's famous stone-built bridges in 1918 and replaced it with modern steel constructions.^[14]

In 1925, the town's population was predominantly Turkmen.^[17]

The town experienced Arabization during the Saddam era and an increased militarization to counter uprisings in the north from spreading towards Kirkuk.^[18]

More than a hundred Turkmen civilians were killed in the 1991 Altun Köpru massacre during the Gulf War by the Iraqi Army.^[19]

Demographics

In the 1947 census Kurds constituted 70% of the population but decreased to 50% in 1957. In the census of 1965, the percentage of Kurds fell further to 25.7% but increased again to 75.6% in 1977.^[20] In the 2005 elections, the DPAK received 80% of the vote in the sub-district of Altun Kupri.^[21]

References

1. "Maps, Weather, and Airports for Altun Kubri, Iraq". Fallingrain.com. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
2. "World Gazetteer # Altun kupri". Archived from the original on 2013-02-09. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
3. "تركمان العراق يحييون الذكرى الـ28 لمجزرة "ألتون كوبري"". Anadolu Agency. 28 March 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
4. Blackie, Christina (1887-01-01). Geographical Etymology: A Dictionary of Place-names Giving Their Derivations. John Murray.
5. "ناحیەی پردێ جارێكی دیكە ئاگر لە دەغڵودانی جوتیاران بەربوو". Xelk.org (in Kurdish). Archived from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
6. "Pêşmerge: Li Pirdê pêşmergeyan êrîşên dagirkeran têk şikandin". Rupelanu.com (in Kurdish). 20 October 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
7. "Clashes between Kurdish and Iraqi forces near Erbil". The National News. 20 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
8. "Iraq after ISIL: Kirkuk". Retrieved 26 October 2020.
9. "Report : Iraq: Security situation and internally displaced people in Kirkuk province" (PDF). Landinfo.no. June 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
10. "Altun Kupri town, dated July 1919 / Catalog Record Only". Library of Congress. 1919. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
11. "Kirkuk – Erbil road re-opens days after bridge maintenance". Kurdistan24. 8 April 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
12. "Report: Altun Kupri town seized from Kurdish Peshmerga". Al Jazeera. 20 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
13. Knights, Michael (2010). "Kirkuk in Transition Confidence Building in Northern Iraq" (PDF). Policy Focus. p. xi. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
14. Longrigg, S.H. (24 April 2012). "Alti̊̊n (Altūn) Köprü". Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. doi:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_0568.
15. Ghalib, Sabah Abdullah (2011-10-13). "The Emergence of Kurdism with Special Reference to the Three Kurdish Emirates within the Ottoman Empire 1800-1850". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
16. Rasoul, Rasoul Muhammed (2017). "History of Kirkuk from the Beginning of the Nineteenth Century until Becoming Part of the Iraqi Monarchy in 1925" (PDF). University of Erfurt: 6–7. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
17. Question of the Frontier between Turkey and Iraq - League of Nations. 1925. p. 38.
18. Knights, Michael (2010). "Kirkuk in Transition Confidence Building in Northern Iraq". Policy Focus. p. 9. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
19. "28 years on, Iraq's Kirkuk remembers Turkmen massacre". Anadolu Agency. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
20. Ihsan, Mohammad, Administrative Changes in Kirkuk and Disputed Areas in Iraq 1968-2003, pp. 24–25
21. Kane, Sean (2011). "Iraq's Disputed Territories" (PDF). p. 28. Retrieved 24 October 2020.