Murgul is a district of Artvin Province in northeastern Türkiye. The district center is located 48 km away on the Artvin-Yusufeli highway, in the foothills of the Çoruh Valley . The province borders Artvin to the east, Arhavi to the west, Borçka to the north, and Yusufeli to the south. Its 406 km² area consists of 50% forest , 45% pasture and rocky land, and 5% agricultural land. It consists of two municipalities , the center and Damar town , and 10 villages.

^{Murgul (Source: Murgul Municipality )}

History

Murgul's known history as a settlement dates back to the 11th century, forming part of the historical and cultural heritage of the Eastern Black Sea region. During this period, the region first came under the influence of the Georgian Kingdom and later Byzantine. From the 1070s onward, it came under Turkish rule through Great Seljuk raids. In the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire conquered the lands of the Samtskhe-Saatabago principality and incorporated the Murgul Valley into the Çıldır Province.

Following the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878, the region came under Russian rule. During this period , population movements were high, with many villages emptied by migration, but some of the former inhabitants returned in the following years. Although village names appear in the 1886 Russian census, no settlement named "Murgul" has yet been identified.

After World War I , between 1918 and 1921, Murgul briefly lay within the borders of independent Georgia before being officially ceded to Türkiye by the 1921 Treaty of Moscow. With the proclamation of the Republic , Murgul initially became a sub-district of Borcka, a status that was later maintained by being incorporated into the center of Artvin. The sub-district center at that time was the village known today as Damar. With the development of mining operations, Murgul was restructured as a village.

The name Murgul was first encountered in the book "Our Villages" dated 1933. In 1964, the name "Murgul" was changed to "Göktaş" on the grounds that it was of foreign origin, but this change did not last long , and in 1987, it gained district status under the name "Murgul".

Geography and Climate

Murgul's geography encompasses the rising foothills of the Çoruh Valley and steep mountain ranges. The land is largely covered by forests and plateaus, occasionally forming steep slopes. The district experiences a typical Black Sea climate , characterized by humid, mild summers and rainy winters.

Population‑Demography

According to the 2024 Address-Based Population Registration System (ABPRS) results, Murgul's total population is 6,331; 4,935 of this population live in the center and 1,396 in the villages. The district has two municipalities, the center and Damar, and 10 villages.

Economy

Murgul's economy is based on mining activities, particularly the copper processing plant in Damar township, as well as agriculture, animal husbandry, and forestry. The limited availability of agricultural land has led the district's population to turn to mining and forestry.

Tourism – Culture – Cuisine

Major tourism areas and activities include:

• Murgul Esenköy Mosque : This Ottoman-era mosque in Esenköy is an example of stonemasonry unique to the region.
• Bird Watching : The high plateaus within the district borders are migratory bird passage points between March and November and offer the opportunity to watch them.
• Plateau and Nature Hiking : The forest and meadow areas of the district are suitable for plateau tourism and nature hiking.

The lifestyle of the Murgul people, shaped by mining, agriculture, animal husbandry and forestry, forms the basis of the district's culture.

Culinary products specific to the Artvin region are also common in Murgul:

• Milk and dairy products : cheese pudding, clotted cream pudding
• Mountain herbs and vegetables : mountain beet, mallow, wild purslane; cabbage and vine leaf wraps
• Pastries : Laz pastry, katmer, noodles, hınkal
• Meat and grain dishes : kavurma, shish kebab, keşkek, herisa
• Desserts and soups : hasuta, honey lokum, püşürük soup.

Murgul is one of the rare districts with both industrial and ecotourism potential, hosting mining facilities and forested areas rising from the foothills of the Çoruh Valley.