Gerger

For other places with the same name, see Gerger (disambiguation).

Gerger (Armenian: Գարգար, romanized: Gargar, lit. 'mound'; Kurdish: Aldûş)^[3] is a town of Adıyaman Province of Turkey. It is the seat of Gerger District.^[4] It is mainly populated by Kurds of different tribal backgrounds and had a population of 2,753 in 2021.^[2][5] The mayor is Erkan Aksoy (AKP).^[1]

Gerger
Municipality
Gerger
Gerger Location in Turkey
Coordinates: 38°01′44″N 39°01′56″E
Country	Turkey
Province	Adıyaman
District	Gerger
Government
• Mayor	Erkan Aksoy[1] (AKP)
Population  (2021)[2]	2,753
Time zone	UTC+3 (TRT)
Postal code	02700
Website	www.gerger.bel.tr

History

Medieval History

In the 11th century the town formed a defensive outpost for the Byzantine Empire together with the city of Edessa, Samosata, Ḥiṣn Manṣūr and Chasanara and seems to have had a considerable garrison.^[6] After the Byzantines rule over the region faded, the region around the Mor Bar Sauma monastery and Gerger became a base of power for local chiefs of Syrian and Armenian origin, and the town was under control of Constantine of Gerger.^[7]

Modern History

According to The Geographical Journal in 1896, Gerger had 750 inhabitants with most being Kurds, with the exception of few Ottoman officials and Armenians.^[8]

Archaeology

In 2018, archaeologists discovered a cave which used during religious ceremonies by Christians during the Byzantine period. Cross figures found inside the cave.^[9]