Akçakiraz
| Akçakiraz | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
  Akçakiraz Location in Turkey | |
| Coordinates: 38°37′N 39°16′E / 38.617°N 39.267°ECoordinates: 38°37′N 39°16′E / 38.617°N 39.267°E | |
| Country |
 Turkey |
| Province | Elazığ Province |
| District | Elazığ central district |
| Elevation | 920 m (3,020 ft) |
| Population (2013) | |
| • Total | 6,508 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
| Postal code | 23180 |
| Area code(s) | 0424 |
| Licence plate | 23 |
| Climate | Csa |
Akçakiraz (former Perçenç, from the original Armenian Parchanj [Armenian: Բարջանճ])[1] is a belde (town) in the central district (Elazığ) of Elazığ Province, Turkey. Situated 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) south of Elazığ and near the junction of two Turkish state highways 
and 
which connect Elazığ to Bingöl and Diyarbakır respectively . The population of Akçakiraz stood at 6,506 in 2013.[2] Agriculture, cattle rising and light textile industry are among the economic activities of the town.
According to the official municipality page the town was founded in 1670 by a certain İsmail Bey who was probably a member of Karakoyunlu dynasty (which had founded a short lived Turkmen empire in the 14th and 15th centuries).[3] Local Armenian tradition held that the town was founded by the Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew, patron saints of the Armenian Church. While the author of a study on the village finds this story to be apocryphal, he believes Armenians were the original founders of the village.[4] All the Armenians were expelled or massacred during the course of the Armenian Genocide of 1915.[5]
References
- ↑ Dzeron, Manoog B. Village of Parchanj: General History, 1600-1937. Fresno: Panorama West Books, 1984, p. 21.
- ↑ "Turkstat". Turkish Statistical Institute. Retrieved 2011.
- ↑ Mayor's page (Turkish)
- ↑ Dzeron. Village of Parchanj, pp. 18, 28-90.
- ↑ Dzeron. Village of Parchanj, pp. 213-19.