Bingol
A Kurdish highland named for 'thousand lakes' has been destroyed by major earthquakes in 1971, 2003, and 2020; each rebuilding preserves cultural patterns.
The name Bingöl—'thousand lakes' in Turkish—refers to mountain tarns dotting a landscape shaped more by geology than hydrology. Sitting atop the East Anatolian Fault, this Kurdish-majority province has been periodically devastated and rebuilt in cycles of seismic destruction. The 1971 earthquake killed 755 people and destroyed 90% of buildings. The 2003 earthquake killed 177, including 84 children when a school dormitory collapsed. The 2020 quake measured 5.8 magnitude. Each catastrophe resets urban infrastructure while cultural patterns persist.
Before 1945, the territory was known as Çapakçur and shuffled between Elazığ and Muş provinces. The 1945 census recorded Kurdish as the first language for 55.7% of residents; by 1950, this had risen to 76.5%. Today, 90.4% speak Turkish while 64.1% also speak Zaza and 40.1% speak Kurmanji—a linguistic refugia where Kurdish cultural transmission continues beneath official monolingualism. The town of Genç witnessed the 1925 Sheikh Said rebellion's origin, imprinting political memory onto the landscape.
Modern Bingöl combines agricultural tradition with infrastructure investment. The Kiğı Dam, under construction since 1998, will eventually deliver 180 MW of hydroelectric power. Bingöl University opened in 2007, and Bingöl Airport (2013) now handles 500,000 passengers annually. Yet with a population of approximately 133,000, the province remains one of Turkey's least developed, dependent on wheat, barley, and fruit cultivation.
For 2026, the question is whether infrastructure investment can transform a seismically vulnerable, ethnically distinct highland into an integrated regional economy—or whether periodic earthquakes will continue to reset development gains while cultural identity remains the most durable local resource.