Looking from outside, Southeastern Anatolia may seem to be inhabited by Kurds only, but when projected closer, you will find a diverse array of religions and ethicities in the region, although not up to the levels once found during the Ottoman period.
Western quarter of the region, west of Euphrates River to be more precisely, are mostly populated by Turks, with villages populated by Kurds here and there. The majority of population east of Euphrates, on the other hand, is Kurdish.
Southernmost parts of the region along the Syrian border, as well as a line in the northeast ranging from Hasankeyf to Siirt are the main centres of local Arab population in Turkey.
Ancient Tur Abdin region in the southeast, centred around Mardin and western half of Şırnak Province, and historically dominated by Orthodox Christian Assyrians, is an altogether different story. Amongst the inhabitants of this region are Yazidis, a Kurdish-speaking people with a fairly unique belief system—which leads to them being derogatorily called "heathens" or "original Satanists" by other locals and non-locals alike. Yazidi belief system combines influences from Sufi Islam and ancient Mesopotamian and Persian religions, in which Melek Taus, symbolized by a peacock and usually compared to the "satan" figure of Abrahamic religions—a comparison that Yazidis find highly offensive—is a highly revered entity, and seen as the source of light and representative of God on Earth. The major rites of Yazidis, in which the participants face the Sun, are conducted on hilltops twice daily, during sunrise and sunset. Nowadays, Yazidis, most of whom emigrated from the region, keep a low profile and live in fairly off the beaten path villages, as a result of centuries of repression as well as religious commands to stay away from non-Yazidis.
There was also a sizable Armenian population in Southeastern Anatolia, but the events of 1915 hit the community hard. Nowadays, there is a handful of mostly elder Armenians in the region, mainly in Diyarbakır.
In addition to these sedentary peoples, there are also nomadic Kurds, who pass the winter in the relatively warmer region and move on to cooler plateaus of Eastern Anatolia with their herds in summer, in search of pasture.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Southeastern Anatolia
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Southeastern Anatolia - updated May 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Southeastern Anatolia hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
Southeastern Anatolia Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
