Halfeti
District and municipality
Old Halfeti and the river Euphrates
Old Halfeti and the river Euphrates
Map showing Halfeti District in Şanlıurfa Province
Map showing Halfeti District in Şanlıurfa Province
Halfeti is located in Turkey
Halfeti
Halfeti
Location in Turkey
Halfeti is located in Şanlıurfa
Halfeti
Halfeti
Halfeti (Şanlıurfa)
Coordinates: 37°13′44″N 37°56′45″E / 37.2289°N 37.9457°E / 37.2289; 37.9457
CountryTurkey
ProvinceŞanlıurfa
Government
 • MayorŞeref Albayrak (AKP)
Area
609 km2 (235 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)[1]
41,662
 • Density68/km2 (180/sq mi)
Time zoneTRT (UTC+3)
Area code0414
Websitewww.halfeti.bel.tr

Halfeti (Kurdish: Xelfêtî)[2] is a municipality and district of Şanlıurfa Province, Turkey.[3] Its area is 609 km2,[4] and its population is 41,662 (2022).[1] It is near the east bank of the river Euphrates, 120 km (75 miles) from the city of Şanlıurfa.

Most of the villages were submerged in the 1990s under the waters behind the dam on the Euphrates at Birecik. The town was therefore moved to the village of Karaotlak.

Halfeti was the subject of an internet urban legend wherein the town was the only location on Earth where black roses grew.[5]

Post-dam settlement

As part of the Southeastern Anatolia Project, aka GAP, several dams were constructed in the area and surrounding regions as part of a larger agricultural and economic initiative by the Turkish Government. The town of Halfeti was among those settlements, ancient and contemporary, that would remain under the rising water levels of the local dams and rivers following the execution of the GAP.

Until the area was flooded in 1999, the people lived from fishing in the Euphrates and farming on the riverbank, especially growing pistachios. Some buildings, including the jail, were pulled down and rebuilt in the new town. The old town of Halfeti is only partially submerged and is now a local tourist attraction, especially for ferry trips to visit the ruins of the nearby fortress of Rumkale. The countryside is also attractive, although the green valley of the past is now underwater.

Opposite Halfeti stood the village of Kale Meydanı, which was also submerged, but the large landowners house was taken and reconstructed in the grounds of Harran University.

Composition

There are 49 neighbourhoods in Halfeti District, each headed by a muhtar:[6][7]

Politics

In the 31 March 2019 local elections, the candidate of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), Şeref Albayrak, was elected mayor with 54.92% of the votes. His first rival Peoples' Democratic Party's candidate Abdurrahman Çiftçi obtained 37.56% of votes.[8] The current Kaymakam is Zikrullah Erdoğan.[9]

Notable people

References

  1. ^ a b "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2022, Favorite Reports" (XLS). TÜİK. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  2. ^ Adem Avcıkıran (2009). Kürtçe Anamnez Anamneza bi Kurmancî (PDF) (in Turkish and Kurdish). p. 56. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  3. ^ Büyükşehir İlçe Belediyesi, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  4. ^ "İl ve İlçe Yüz ölçümleri". General Directorate of Mapping. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  5. ^ Evon, Dan. "Black Rose". snopes.com. Snopes. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
  6. ^ Mahalle, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  7. ^ Muhtar Listesi, Halfeti Kaymakamlığı. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  8. ^ "2019 Yerel Seçim Sonuçları NTV'de". secim.ntv.com.tr (in Turkish). Retrieved 2020-03-27.
  9. ^ "Kaymakam Zikrullah Erdoğan". Halfeti Kaymakamlığı. Retrieved 2020-03-28.
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