Erzincan, Regional capital in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey
Erzincan is a provincial capital in Eastern Anatolia in Turkey, located on a wide plain on the northern bank of the Kara River. The city extends over several kilometers with grid-pattern streets and residential districts lined with poplar avenues.
The city changed between Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman rule after 1071, until it became part of the Turkish Republic in the early 20th century. After the destruction of 1939 the settlement was rebuilt a few kilometers west of the old site.
The name derives from the Armenian "Erznka" and the cityscape today shows mainly buildings from the second half of the 20th century with wide streets and low houses. In the markets you see traders offering Tulum cheese and hand-forged copper goods, while in the evening traditional music groups often perform in the teahouses.
The city can be reached by airport, rail connections and highways leading to Ankara and toward the Caucasus. In winter snow and low temperatures can make movement difficult, while summer is dry and warm.
The complete refounding after 1939 makes this city one of the few Turkish centers planned entirely according to modern urban principles. Wide boulevards and open squares shape the streetscape more than in other Anatolian cities of similar size.
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