Palu, Elazığ

Its Greek name was Romanopolis (Ρωμανούπολις). The name "Shebeteria", found in the Urartian inscription at the Palu citadel, may be Palu's ancient name. ==Geography==

Palu is located on the north side of the Murat Su, at the lower end of a treeless plain bisected by a low line of hills. The Palu plain has fertile soil and is today covered in farmland. with very hot, dry summers, and cold winters. {{Weather box | width = auto | collapsed = yes | metric first = yes | single line = yes | location = Palu (1991–2020) | Jan high C = 4.8 | Feb high C = 6.9 | Mar high C = 13.4 | Apr high C = 19.6 | May high C = 25.4 | Jun high C = 32.1 | Jul high C = 36.7 | Aug high C = 36.9 | Sep high C = 31.6 | Oct high C = 23.7 | Nov high C = 13.9 | Dec high C = 6.8 | year high C = 21.0 | Jan mean C = 0.4 | Feb mean C = 1.9 | Mar mean C = 7.5 | Apr mean C = 13.0 | May mean C = 17.9 | Jun mean C = 23.6 | Jul mean C = 27.8 | Aug mean C = 27.7 | Sep mean C = 22.5 | Oct mean C = 15.9 | Nov mean C = 7.7 | Dec mean C = 2.5 | year mean C = 14.1 | Jan low C = -3.1 | Feb low C = -2.3 | Mar low C = 2.3 | Apr low C = 7.0 | May low C = 10.9 | Jun low C = 14.9 | Jul low C = 18.8 | Aug low C = 18.7 | Sep low C = 14.1 | Oct low C = 9.4 | Nov low C = 2.9 | Dec low C = -0.8 | year low C = 7.8 | precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation mm = 62.74 | Feb precipitation mm = 59.7 | Mar precipitation mm = 74.18 | Apr precipitation mm = 77.54 | May precipitation mm = 56.92 | Jun precipitation mm = 13.89 | Jul precipitation mm = 2.52 | Aug precipitation mm = 2.79 | Sep precipitation mm = 8.3 | Oct precipitation mm = 51.84 | Nov precipitation mm = 51.92 | Dec precipitation mm = 56.85 | year precipitation mm = 519.19 | unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm | Jan precipitation days = 7.3 | Feb precipitation days = 7.9 | Mar precipitation days = 8.8 | Apr precipitation days = 8.9 | May precipitation days = 7.4 | Jun precipitation days = 2.7 | Jul precipitation days = 1.5 | Aug precipitation days = 2.1 | Sep precipitation days = 2.1 | Oct precipitation days = 5.7 | Nov precipitation days = 6.3 | Dec precipitation days = 7.9 | year precipitation days = 68.6 | Jan humidity = 68.3 | Feb humidity = 64.0 | Mar humidity = 56.6 | Apr humidity = 54.1 | May humidity = 50.6 | Jun humidity = 36.8 | Jul humidity = 30.5 | Aug humidity = 30.8 | Sep humidity = 36.3 | Oct humidity = 52.0 | Nov humidity = 66.0 | Dec humidity = 71.8 | year humidity = 51.5 | Jan sun = 96.1 | Feb sun = 120.7 | Mar sun = 163.3 | Apr sun = 207.1 | May sun = 265.2 | Jun sun = 308.7 | Jul sun = 336.0 | Aug sun = 342.2 | Sep sun = 291.3 | Oct sun = 218.9 | Nov sun = 145.3 | Dec sun = 81.1 | year sun = 2568.9 | source = NOAA ==History==

The story of Palu begins at the old site now called Eski Palu, just east of the modern town. One important remnant is an inscribed stele describing the Urartian king Menua's conquest of a region called Shebeteria - possibly an ancient name for Palu. Menua established a temple to Ḫaldi at Shebeteria afterwards. He established the Emirate of Palu, which existed from 1495 to 1845. The town had a significant Armenian population until the Armenian genocide in 1915. The citadel at Palu was abandoned sometime in the 17th century, although the town continued. The old site of Eski Palu was eventually abandoned either during the First World War or shortly thereafter, and the town was relocated to its present site. The city was briefly captured on 21 February 1925 by the forces of Sheikh Said during his rebellion. == Demographics ==

At the beginning of the 19th century, the kaza had 100,000 inhabitants: 60–70% Armenians, the rest Kurds and Turks. According to the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, 15,753 Armenians lived in the kaza on the eve of the First World War, with 38 churches, two monasteries and 26 schools. The town of Balu had a mixed population of Armenians, Turks, Kurds, Syriacs, and Greeks with about 6,000 inhabitants in 1830-1850 and 10,000 in 1914. Half of the population was Armenian. ==Monuments==

at Eski Palu The fortress built on top of the castle rock consists of four walled enclosures, each one enclosing a distinct part of the mountain. The outer enclosure occupies the relatively gentle western slope of the castle rock. Above it is the main enclosure. Inside it, at the very highest point of the citadel, is the top enclosure. A fourth enclosure fortifies long rocky outcropping that juts out from the castle rock's west side. The surviving masonry walls and towers all seem to date from the late middle ages. The Urartian inscription of Menua is located on the north side of the outer enclosure, just below a cliff that goes all the way up to the top enclosure. Nearby are a series of rock-cut chambers which, according to local tradition, were the place where Mesrop Mashtots invented the Armenian alphabet. A large Christian church is located on the east side of the main enclosure; it was built in the early 1800s. The Ulu Cami, or congregational mosque, is a simple structure with a long, low profile. The current structure is from the 15th or 16th century, replacing an earlier mosque built under the Artukids. There have since been significant changes to the Ulu Cami since then: for example, its minaret was built in 1660/61, and an outer courtyard was added in the early 20th century. The mihrab is dated to 1750/51, and the original wooden minbar still exists, although the wooden gallery has decayed and partly broken down. The aptly-named Küçük Cami, or "small mosque", is a 10x10 m square with thick walls. Its dome has since collapsed. The large hammam, or bathhouse, dates from 1659/60 and is well-preserved. From west to east, it had a large changing room, a cold room, and then a hot room. The mosque and türbe of Cemşid Bey, said to have been a cavalry officer under Selim I, is located further north and is still in use as a village mosque. The mosque appears to have been built before the türbe, so Cemşid's role in their construction is unclear. Two other old mosques exist in this northern area: the Alacalı Mescit, which was built in either the 16th or early 17th century, and the Merkez Cami, or "central mosque", which was built in 1874. == Notable people ==

• Katherine Magarian • Selahattin Demirtaş • Sheikh Said ==References==