Erzurum’s history is nothing short of spectacularly eventful. The city’s lineage dates back to 4000 B.C. This city has been the seat of many a glorious civilization and has been ruled by great leaders like Tamerlene and Alexander the Great. It has been felled by many nations like Hurries, Urartus, Cimmerians, Scythes, Medes, Persians, Parthes, Romans, Byzantines, Sassanides, Arabs, Seljuks, Mongols, Ilhanides, Safawides and Turks.
The Ottomans captured the city in 1514. During their rule, the Russians stormed and took over the city as many as three times in the 19th century. In these times, Erzurum served a military base for the Ottomans. Throughout history, the city, by dint of its economic and military importance, has been the bone of contention for various tribes and nations.
Erzurum eventually became a part of the Turkish Republic with the victory of the Turks led by the valiant Mustafa Kemal Ataturk over the Russians in the Turkish War of Independence in 1923.
