Kelkit

Municipality in Gümüşhane, Turkey

40°07′43″N 39°26′18″E / 40.12861°N 39.43833°E / 40.12861; 39.43833CountryTurkeyProvinceGümüşhaneDistrictKelkitGovernment

• MayorAziz Nas (AKP)Elevation

1,375 m (4,511 ft)Population

(2022)^[1]

21,316Time zoneUTC+3 (TRT)Postal code

29600

Area code0456Climate DsbWebsitewww.kelkit.bel.tr

Kelkit is a town in Gümüşhane Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is the seat of Kelkit District.^[2] Its population is 21,316 (2022).^[1] The town lies at an elevation of 1,375 m (4,511 ft).^[3]

The name "Kelkit" comes from the Kelkit River, a major tributary of the Yeşil River, which flows into the Black Sea. People are either farmers or small business owners.

Archaeology

In November 2017, archaeologists announced the discovery of a 1400 year-old Byzantine sarcophagus in the antique village of Satala (current Sadak). According to researchers, there were Greek inscriptions on the cover saying "Blessed Kandes sleeps here". According to Gümüşhane Museum Director Gamze Demir, the broken part of the sarcophagus, which is considered to be 2.5 meters long is believed to be under the ground.^[4]^[5]^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b "Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2022, Favorite Reports" (XLS). TÜİK. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
^ İlçe Belediyesi, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc. "Geographical information on Kelkit, Turkey". Retrieved 29 March 2023.
^ sabah, daily (2017-11-03). "Construction workers find ancient sarcophagus cover in Turkey's Gümüşhane". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
^ "Trafoyu Yenilerken Bin 600 Yıllık Lahit Buldular". Haberler.com (in Turkish). 2017-11-02. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
^ "Experts in Turkey find the slab of a mysterious 1,400-year-old sarcophagus". Ancient Code. 2017-11-06. Retrieved 2021-03-05.