Kiğı

History

Historically this area was ruled by different Armenian, Byzantine, Kurdish and Turkic dynasties. During the Middle Ages, Kiğı had been a mint town of the Ilkhanids The town became a part of the Ottoman Empire was a sanjak of the Erzurum Eyalet. Historically a nearby iron mine was used but mining stopped in 17th century. The main sights in the town are the citadel, the mosque built in 1401/02 and commissioned by Pir Ali son of the Aq Qoyunlu Kutlu. The medieval Muslim tomb and bathhouse of Yazıcızadeler and the ruins of a church. There were battles in this area between the Russians and Ottomans during World War I. The current location of the town was moved here after a Safavid raid in the 16th century, the old site was near the citadel. But the present structure is largely a restoration from later times.