Historic Town of Kemaliye Kemaliye, also referred to as Eğin, is a town located in the Upper Euphrates area of the southwestern part of Erzincan province, in the northwest section of the Eastern Anatolian Region. It is encircled by mountains on every side, while the Karasu River, the longest river in Southwest Asia, runs along the town’s eastern border. The area is nourished by numerous streams that feed into a cluster of lakes known as Lake Kadi. Throughout its history, Kemaliye has been governed by a variety of empires and dynasties, including the Ottoman Empire, Seljuks, Ilkhanids, Akkoyunlu Dynasty, Romans, Byzantines, Sassanids, Persians, and Serderges. Historically, Kemaliye was known as Teucila, an important stronghold inhabited by the Armenian people after becoming part of the eastern Byzantine Empire following the fall of the western Roman Empire. During the rule of Byzantine Emperor Philippikos, Armenians were settled in the area. The town was under the control of Islamic Arab rulers for nearly two hundred years until the 11th century, when it was incorporated into the Seljuk Empire. Sultan Alparslan seized Kemaliye after his triumph at the Battle of Manzikert. The roots of Turkish culture in the region are evidenced through petroglyphs, carvings, photometric surveys, and ethnographic studies. Kemaliye rose as a vital commercial hub after its integration into the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Mehmed I, the empire's fifth sultan, between 1413 and 1421. Situated along the Silk Road and key caravan routes, Kemaliye (also known as Eğin) held a strategic position that led to frequent changes in control due to invasions and shifting powers. The town lies at the crossroads of the Baghdad-Basra and Iran-Georgia trade routes, making it a crucial junction for commerce running north-south and east-west. Historically, Kemaliye was a multicultural city where Muslim Turks, Armenians, Orthodox Christians, and Rums coexisted, sharing many social and cultural traditions across the town and surrounding villages. The houses in Kemaliye are mainly built using the traditional "hımış" technique, which starts with a foundation made of wooden beams combined with rubble stone, upon which the structure rises. From the main floor to the roof, a wooden framework filled with mud-brick is constructed. The masonry wall facing the street is left without plaster, whereas the interior walls are coated. A gypsum plaster finishing layer is applied over the scratch coat and polished with a cloth on the inside surfaces of the wooden walls filled with stone and mud-brick. The outer side of the wooden frame is reinforced with 15-30 pine beams known as alignment woods. Today, metal sheets often replace timber due to the challenges involved in maintaining wood. Kemaliye is situated within the Munzur Mountains, a range stretching north to south between Elazig and Erzincan, reaching elevations of up to 3000 meters above sea level. The Karasu River, the longest river in Southwest Asia, has carved several valleys through these mountains, including the notable Kemaliye Strait. The Karanlik Canyon, extending from the villages of Bağıştaş to Dutluca in Kemaliye, is considered a dramatic and awe-inspiring section of the strait. This canyon stretches for 25 kilometers, plunges to a depth of 1000 meters, has a slope of 90%, and features a valley floor as narrow as 10-15 meters in places. Its steep cliffs make it an excellent spot for rock climbing and canyoning, attracting many mountaineering enthus The local community built the Taş Yol (The Stone Road) across the Karanlik Canyon using traditional methods in 1870 to connect caravan routes to the Giresun Port through Central Anatolia. This road was finally completed in 2002, stretching over 7 kilometers and containing 38 tunnels with elevations between 400 and 500 meters. The Taş Yol is considered one of the most dangerous roads worldwide. The Karanlik Canyon, ranked among the largest canyons on the planet, took centuries to form its unique geological features. Its importance extends beyond geology, highlighted by the impressive Taş Yol, which was carved directly through solid rock. The Historic Town of Kemaliye was placed on UNESCO's Tentative List in 2021. The town is known for its diverse cultural heritage, where Muslim Turks, Armenians, Orthodox Christians, and Rums have lived together harmoniously. Traditional Kemaliye houses were constructed using the "hımış" technique, primarily utilizing stone, wood, and mud-brick. These homes feature a wooden frame filled with mud-brick, with the street-facing masonry wall left unplastered, while the interior wood walls are finished with a polished coat applied over the scratch layer. The exterior of the wooden framework was reinforced with alignment woods, which are vertical supports made from 15-30 pine beams, though today these have been replaced by metal sheets. If you have any questions or would like more information about the Historic Town of Kemaliye, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] or simply send us a message on Whatsapp, and we will reply as quickly as possible.