Erzincan

 city, capital city of state/province/region

• Belediye / Municipality:
www.erzincan.bel.tr
• Valilik / Governorate:
www.erzincan.gov.tr

Erzincan (Armenian: Երզնկա {Romanized: Yerznka}, Kurdish: Erzîngan, Greek: Ακιλισηνή {Romanized: Acilisene}) is the capital of Erzincan Province in northeastern Turkey.
Founded in Araratian (Urartian) Kingdom's era, 12 km southeast to present-day city as fortress named Alzini (today's Altintepe). In 6th century B.C. in Yervanduni Armenia at Erzincan's current place was a city named Yerez wich later transformed to Yerznka. Since the 321 B.C. up to 428 A.D. was center of Greater Armenia's province named "Bardzr Hayk" (Armenian: Բարձր Հայք, literally: Upper Armenia) or Chorrord Hayk (Armenian: Չորրորդ Հայք, literally: Fourth Armenia), in one of 10 districts (Gavar-s) of it named "Yekeghyats" (Armenian: Եկեղյաց). In the settlement of Erez, at a yet unidentified site, there was a pre-Christian shrine dedicated to the Armenian goddess Anahit. A text of Agathangelos reports that during the first year of his reign, King Trdat of Armenia went to Erez and visited Anahit's temple to offer sacrifice. He ordered Gregory the Illuminator, who was secretly a Christian, to make an offering at its altar. When Gregory refused, he was taken captive and tortured, starting the events that would end with Trdat's conversion to Christianity some 14 years later. After that conversion, during the Christianisation of Armenia, the temple at Erez was destroyed and its property and lands were given to Gregory. It later became known for its extensive monasteries. In 1271 Marco Polo, who wrote about his visit to Yerznka, said that the "people of the country are Armenians" and that city was the "noblest of cities" which contained the See of an Archbishop. However the city lais in the seismic active zone were meets Anatolian and Arabian tectonic plates and rest of Eurasian Plate, so devastative earthquakes destroyed Yerznka to foundation at least 25 times in history: 1045, 1165, 1236, 1251, 1254, 1268, 1281, 1458, 1462, 1682, 1784, 1939, 1966 and so on... In 1243 it was destroyed in fighting between the Seljuks and the Mongols. In 1254 despite the 1251 earthquake that killed 10.000 people, the city reached a level of semi-independence under the rule of Armenian princes. The Battle of Erzincan took place 12 July 1916 during the Caucasus Campaign between Turkish Third Army commanded by Kerim Pasha and the Russian Caucasus Army commanded by General Nikolai Yudenich, as a result Russia kept the city and surroudness up to February 1918. First in 1894–1897 and then in 1915-1923 Turkish authorities (Abdul Hamid and Young Turks) performed Armenian Genocide that took more than 2 million lives, as a result Yerznka/Erzincan and surrounding region deprived of its native (Armenian) population, and because of cultural genocide ongoing up to 21th century, and absolute indifference of international structures (for example, UNESCO) the large cultural layer (monasteries, churches, schools, bridges, khachkars, springs, etc.) Armenians left for millennia ceased to exist. Today Erzincan is a center of Erzincan province of Turkey.
Nearby cities include Erzurum, Sivas, Tunceli, Bingöl, Elâzığ, Malatya, Gümüşhane, Bayburt, and Giresun. Located at an altitude of 1,185 meters above sea level, the city's climate produces snowy winters and warm summers.

The city is notable for handcrafted copper goods and a special cheese called "tulum peyniri" in Turkish. It is a significant road and rail junction and was once noted for its silverware. Current industries include sugar refining and textile industries.

The city is home to the headquarters of the Turkish Third Army.