Tunceli

Tunceli (, ) is a majority Kurdish city in Turkey. It is the capital of Tunceli Province, located in the middle of Eastern Anatolia Region. The city was the site of the infamous Dersim massacre.
Etymology.
Tunceli means the land (el) of bronze (tunç) in Turkish, while the old name for the province, “Dersim” (or Dêsim), means silver (sim) door (der) in Kurdish. Whether the name of the town is Tunceli or Dersim has been a reason for political quarrels. The local authority decided to call it Dersim in May 2019, while the Governor said it was against the law to call it Dersim.
Demographics.
Tunceli's language distribution is 69.5% Kurdish, 29.8% Turkish and 0.74% Armenian. Kurmanji Kurdish is the main dialect around Pertek, while Zaza is spoken in Hozat, Pülümür, Ovacık and Nazımiye. Both Kurmanji and Zaza is spoken in Tunceli and Mazgirt.
Geography.
Tunceli at is situated just to the north of the intersection point of two rivers, Munzur and Pülümür, both flowing to south. The city is founded in the valley of Munzur which is known for its picturesque appearance. It is surrounded by high mountains called Munzur mountains. The city has a limited means of transport to other cities. The population of the city is 32815 as of 2011. It is one of the least populated province centers of Turkey.
History.
During the Ottoman Empire, Tunceli (then known as Kalan) was a part of the region named "Dersim". In 1847 Dersim was declared a sanjak (a historical administrative unit smaller than the province). The capital of the sanjak was Hozat. During the Republican period Tunceli Province was established in 1935. In 1946 the former town of Kalan was renamed as Tunceli and it was declared as the capital city of the province.
As a result of the Turkish campaign of "Turkification" Tunceli became a main target of Turkish officials after the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1923. Tunceli played a role in the Dersim rebellion.
Tunceli is famous for excellent rankings in National Education statistics.
Politics.
In the Municipal Elections of March 2019, Fatih Mehmet Maçoğlu was elected Mayor. He is the first mayor of Tunceli from the Communist Party of Turkey.
In May 2019 the Municipal Council decided to use the city's historic name Dersim and also to offer municipal services in Zazaki and Kurmanji. 4 Members of the newly elected municipal council had their certificates revoked in May 2019 for having been dismissed from public office in the past.
Economy.
The main economic activity is animal breeding. Wheat is the only notable agricultural product. There are chromium salt and marble deposits. But only salt is produced. There are a few factories based on agriculture.
Climate.
Tunceli has a dry-summer continental climate (Köppen climate classification: "Dsa") with very hot, dry summers and freezing cold, snowy winters.
See also.
Munzur Valley National Park