Erciş

 town, district center

• Belediye / Municipality:
www.ercis.bel.tr
• Kaymakamlık / District-Governorate:
www.ercis.gov.tr

Arjesh (arm. Արճեշ) or Erjish (tur. Erciş) - is a town at northern shores of lake Van in Historic Armenia but now belonging to Turkey.
The town has a population of 81,212, mostly turkish people, settled ijn the region after the Armenian Genocide.
Historically Arjesh consisted of three parts:

1. Araratian (Urartian) period fortress of Arzashkun.

2. Akants (Old Arjesh) - almost completely absorbed by the arriving waters of lake Van (at least in 1905 above the water level, two domes of drowning Armenian churches could be seen)

3. Arjesh city itself - Armenian city whose population was massacred by Turks during the Armenian Genocide (1915-23) and consequently renamed to Erjish.

Throughout most of history, this was Armenian city called Arzashkun, Zarishat, Akants and Arjesh. Since the crash of Araratian kingdom aka Urartu (590 BC) up to fall of Bagratid Armenia (1040) the city was a center of Aghiovit district (arm. Աղիովիտ), at noth of Vaspourakan province of Historical Armenia.

The city-fortress of Arzashkun (upper one) were founded by king Argishti II of Araratian Kingdom (Urartu). Heyday for Arjesh city stretches at X-XIII centuries A.D, when it was one of the key trade centers of Pan-Armenian importance when at Lake Van an active trade ship was carried out. There were remarkable architectural masterpieces of the Armenian architecture like shool-monasteries of Metsopavank and Artsvaber where many prominent figures of the era was studied. But soon dark times coming for Armenia that repeatedly losing independence and Arjesh was handed to Byzantines, Arabs, Mongols, Seljuks and eventually to Ottomans. By the 1890s, Arjesh was a small Armenian town.

During the WW 1 in 1914 Arjesh was liberated by Russian troops, but they soon left the city (April 1, 1918). Neglecting of numerous facts testifying on constant massacres and harassments to Ottoman Armenians, Turks accused them in collaboration with Russians, and using "death to traitor Armenians" slogan attempted to erase Armenians from face of Earth. Arjesh's population shared fate of rest of Western Armenians (slaughter, death marches, alieniation).

After the Armenians were exterminated Turks start to destroy or convert to mosques countless Armenian churches. Besides the places of worship, cloisters served to Armenians as schools and universities, so Turks were hunting primarily on properties of Armenian churches (firstly on ancient and medieval books and manuscripts) - to erase the color of Armenian nation, in order to say in future "Armenians never lived there". In July 1930 Erjish district become one of the venues Zilanskoy massacre, in which thousands of Kurds, including women and children, were killed by the Turkish army during the suppression of the Kurds Ararat rebellion.

The Turkish press reported that the areas concerned were "cleaned". After the Armenian genocide Arjesh was renamed to Erjish and settled mostly by Turks, despte this region lays in mostly Kurdish populated areas of Turkey. Modern Erjish is a district center of province of Van Province of modern Turkey. The city occupies a large area, divided by 143 administrative units, including 3 municipalities, 14 residential communities, 85 villages and 36 hamlets. Before the 2011 earthquake this was one of the most economically developed regions of Eastern Turkey.