AGIRÎ – As part of the assimilation policies systematically implemented since the early years of the Republic, 379 of Agirî’s (Ağrı) 576 villages have had their original names changed.
The geography of Kurdistan has hosted numerous civilizations throughout history, with each place name carrying traces of historical and cultural memory. These names often reveal details about local events, geography, peoples, and ancient societies.
However, after the founding of the Turkish Republic, the state launched an extensive campaign to alter these names under the nationalist slogan of “one state, one flag, one nation.”
While a few name changes began in the 1920s, the policy became official with a 1940 circular issued by the Ministry of Interior, mandating the replacement of all Kurdish, Armenian, and Greek place names with Turkish ones. In 1957, the government formed the Special Commission for Name Changes (Ad Değiştirme İhtisas Kurulu), which by 1978 had renamed approximately 28,000 towns, districts, and villages across Turkey.
Publications such as “Son Teşkilat-ı Mülkiyede Köylerimizin Adları” (1928) and subsequent editions of “Köylerimiz” (1933, 1968, 1981) reveal the extent of these changes in official records.
66 PERCENT OF AGIRÎ’S VILLAGES RENAMED
According to official Ministry of Interior data, 379 out of 576 villages in Agirî had their names changed — a rate of 66 percent. District names were also altered. One of the most notable examples is Zêtkan, renamed Eleşkirt in 1925. Of its 55 villages, 46 had their names changed between 1928 and 1981.
FROM ‘KÜRT ALİ’ TO ‘TÜRKELİ’
In the district of Zêtkan, historically home to Kurds and Armenians under the rule of the Urartian and Median empires, traces of these communities were gradually erased. The state also settled small groups of Turkmens after the Republic’s founding.
One striking example is the village once known as Kürt Ali, located 17 kilometers from the district center. The name was first changed to Dikendere in 1968, and later, in 1981, to Türkeli — meaning “of the Turks.” Today, the village’s entire population remains Kurdish.
Other examples include Arapkomu, renamed Öztoprak, and Çerkes, renamed Kayayolu.
Resident Fetullah Bayram (49) described the renaming of his village as deeply insulting: “Our village was named after a man known as Kürt Ali. Everyone knew it by that name. Changing it to Türkeli, feels like an insult to us. Our village should take back its original name, Kürt Ali.”
MA / Omer Akin