Horasan (District)

Horasan District is located in the eastern part of Erzurum Province in Türkiye. The district is situated along the Kars-Erzurum highway and railway route, on the banks of the Aras River. It lies on the historic Silk Road, which connected Horasan with East and West, and dates back to the 4th millennium BCE. Due to its position at the intersection of major trade routes, Horasan has been home to multiple civilizations and is culturally layered.

Horasan (Source: Horasan Subprovince)

History

Horasan and its surroundings have historically been located along major migration and trade routes. Region; the Assyrians, Persians, Romans, Seljuks and Ottomans have all exercised control over the region. Settlement in the area dates back to the 4th millennium BCE, and it suffered invasions from the Roman, Assyrian, Urartian, Med and Persian states. During the early centuries CE, it came under Sassanian, Arab and Byzantine rule.

Following the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, the Seljuk Sultanate’s superiority over the Byzantine, Georgian and Armenian kingdoms marked the beginning of Turkish presence in Eastern Anatolia. During this period, Turkic groups from the Horasan region of Iran settled in the area then known as Üskühat and gave it the name Horasan.

After the 1514 Chaldiran Campaign, the Ottoman Empire established control over Erzurum and its surroundings, and Horasan became a neighborhood within the Pasinler Subdistrict of the Erzurum Sanjak. During the 1877–1878 Russo-Turkish War, although the Ottoman army achieved some successes, the Horasan-Köprüköy-Pasinler line fell under Russian occupation, after which Ottoman forces withdrew to Erzurum.

Following the withdrawal of Russian forces after the 1917 Russian Revolution, Armenian units took control of the area. The Turkish army, under the command of Kazım Karabekir, recaptured Erzurum on 12 March 1918 and Horasan on 25 March 1918. During the Republican period, Horasan was a village within the Zanzak (Akçataş) neighborhood of Pasinler. It became a neighborhood center in 1940 and attained district status in 1953.

Horasan is also notable as one of the settlements where Sufi traditions, continuing the teachings of Ahmed Yesevi, were influential. It is known that many Sufis who spread throughout Anatolia lived in this region.

Geography

Horasan is located in the east of Erzurum, at the junction of the Kars-Ağrı highway. It borders Sarıkamış to the east, Eleşkirt to the southeast, Karayazı to the south, Köprüköy to the west, and Narman to the north. The district covers an area of 1,662 km² and has an elevation of 1,650 meters. Its topography consists of broad plains along the Aras River and gently sloping ridges. The Zars Creek and Serküllü Creek also flow within the district boundaries. Its geopolitical position makes it a transit point connecting Erzurum with Kars, Ağrı and Ardahan.

Climate

The district has a continental climate. Winters are cold and severe, while the summer season is short. Rainfall is high in some areas during the spring months.

Population – Demographics

According to 2024 TÜİK data, the population of Horasan District is 35,642. Of this population, 50.91% are male (18,145 people) and 49.09% are female (17,497 people). The district’s population, which was 39,467 in 2017, has declined as of 2024.

Economy

The economy of Horasan is primarily based on agriculture and animal husbandry. The irrigation potential of the Aras River plays a key role in agricultural activities. Various agricultural products, including Wheat, are cultivated. Animal husbandry is more common in rural settlements.

Tourism – Culture – Cuisine

Horasan is a settlement associated with Erenler culture and reflects the cultural structure of Eastern Anatolia. Although some structures were damaged in the 1983 earthquake, the region contains numerous historical sites dating from antiquity to the present day.

Hızırilyas Thermal Springs (Source: Horasan Subgovernorship)

Historical and Natural Sites

• Places of Interest: Güreşken Baba, Hasan Dede, Horasan Baba, Huykesen Baba, Karaşeyh, Kuzuçam Baba, Eskici Baba, Sanamer-Hacı Ahmet Baba, Veli Baba, Postlu Baba, Şeyh Ocağı, Kubbeli
• Urartian Inscription: Near Yazılıtaş Village, a rock inscription detailing the military campaign of King Menua of Urartu
• Rivers: Aras River, Zars Creek, Serküllü Creek
• Hızırilyas Thermal Springs

Cuisine

Horasan cuisine reflects the general culinary traditions of the Erzurum region. Dishes such as cağ kebabı, water böreği, ayran aşı and lor dolması are commonly consumed in the district.

Cağ kebabı (Source: Ministry of Culture and Tourism)