Hakkâri (city)

Hakkâri, formerly known as Julamerk, (Çölemerik, Colemêrg ) is a city and the seat of Hakkâri District in the Hakkâri Province of Turkey. The city is populated by Kurds and had a population of 58,470 in 2023.

It is located about 40 kilometres from the Iraq–Turkey border, but the distance to the nearest Iraqi border crossing (Ibrahim Khalil Border Crossing) by road is about 270 km.

Etymology
Ibn Khallikan wrote in the 13th century that the word Hakkari meant 'belonging to Hakkar', a Kurdish tribe.

The name Hakkari is derived from the Akkadian word Ikkari or Aramaic Akkare, meaning farmers.

Neighborhoods
The city is divided into the neighborhoods of Bağlar, Berçelan, Biçer, Bulak, Dağgöl, Gazi, Halife Derviş, Karşıyaka, Keklikpınar, Kıran, Medrese, Merzan, Pehlivan, Sümbül and Yeni.

Hubushkia
Hubushkia was an Iron Age kingdom located between the Urartian and Assyrian sphere of influence. The exact location of Hubushkia is unknown, but scholars suggests that the kingdom of Hubushkia was centred on the headwaters of the Great Zap River, in what is now Hakkâri Province in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey.

Hakkari kurgan stelae
Thirteen Kurgan stelae, never before seen in Anatolia or the Near East, were found in 1998 in their original location at the centre of Hakkari. The stelae were carved on upright flagstone-like slabs measuring between 0.7 m to 3.10 m in height. The stones contain only one cut surface, upon which human figures are chiseled. The theme of each stele reveals the foreview of an upper human body. The legs are not represented. Eleven of the stelae depict naked warriors with daggers, spears, and axes—masculine symbols of war. They always hold a drinking vessel made of skin in both hands. Two stelae contain female figures without arms. The stelae may have been carved by different craftsmen using different techniques. Stylistic differences shift from bas relief to a more systematic linearity. The earliest stelae are in the style of bas relief while the latest ones are in a linear style. They were made during a period from the fifteenth century BC to the eleventh century BC in Hakkari. Stelae with this type of relief are not common in the ancient Near East however there are many close parallels between these and those produced by a variety of peoples from the Eurasian steppes between the third millennium BC and the eleventh century AD. They are now on display in the Van Museum.

Sport
The women's football club Hakkarigücü Spor was promoted to the Women's First League to take part in the 2018–19 season after finishing the 2017–18 Second League season as runners-up.

Notable people

 * Evdilsemedê Babek (972–1019), Kurdish poet
 * Ali Hariri (1009–1079/80), Kurdish poet
 * Isa al-Hakkari (12th century), Ayyubid Kurdish commander
 * Izz al-Din Shir (1384–1453) Famous founder of the Emirate of Hakkâri
 * Çelik Gülersoy (1930–2006), Turkish lawyer of Kurdish descent
 * Hacı Karay (1950–1994), Kurdish Human rights Activist
 * Savaş Buldan (1961–1994), Kurdish Businessperson
 * Yılmaz Erdoğan (born 1967), film actor, activist, poet
 * Pervin Buldan (born 1967), Turkish politician of Kurdish origin
 * Abdullah Zeydan (born 1972), Kurdish politician

Population
Population history of the municipality from 1997 to 2023:

Climate
Hakkâri has a warm-summer, Mediterranean-influenced humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification: Dsa, Trewartha climate classification: Dca). Hakkari city is at an elevation of around 1720 meters (5640 feet) and is surrounded by higher elevations nearby. The winters are cold and snowy with an average of −4 °C (23 °F). Summers are warm and dry with an average of 25 °C (76 °F).