Sason is a town in the Batman Province of Turkey. It is the seat of the Sason District.[ İlçe Belediyesi , Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 30 January 2023.] Its population is 12,696 (2021).
Toponymy
Sason derives from the name of the historical region Sasun.
In the Armenian tradition, the name of Sasun (from earlier
Sanasunk) is traditionally associated with Sanasar (i.e., biblical Sharezer), the son of the Assyrian king
Sennacherib who fled to Armenia after murdering his father․ Sanasar is said to have settled in the area around Mount Sim, which was called
Sanasunk (as if meaning "Sanasar's progeny") after him and his descendants who populated the region.
The former name of the settlement, Kabilcevz, comes from the Arabic word jawz 'walnut' (Turkish ceviz), in reference to the abundance of walnut trees in the area.
History
During the
Ottoman Empire period, Sason, then known as Kabilcevz, was located in the
Nahiyah of Hazzo-Kabilcevz in the
kaza (district) of Sasun within the
Bitlis vilayet. Sometimes, it fell under the
kaza of Kulp instead. Until 1915, it was a mixed Armenian-Kurdish village, reportedly with 105 Kurdish households and 45 Armenian households. Most of the village's
Armenians were deported and died during the Armenian genocide.
The settlement became the center of the
Sason District in 1925.
Demographics
As of 2021, the population of the town was 12,696 (2021).
Government
In the local elections of March 2019, Muzaffer Arslan was elected Mayor.
He was replaced by Mehmet Şafi Yavuz in February 2021.
[ Sason’un yeni Belediye Başkanı Mehmet Şafi Yavuz oldu, ilkha.com]
Culture
There are numerous ruins in the area, and also some historical water fountains, such as Sevek Çeşmesi, Nabuhan Çeşmesi, Hapyenk Çeşmesi, and Ağde Çeşmesi. There is also a
türbe—a burial site of a holy man—called Şehan, which is the site of celebrations every July. The town had an Armenian church called Surp Stepanos.
Notes
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