Horasan (District)

Horasan District is located in the east of Erzurum Province, Türkiye. The district lies along the Kars-Erzurum highway and railway route, on the banks of the Aras River. Historically dating back to the 4th millennium BCE, Horasan is situated on the historic Silk Road connecting the East and the West, at a key intersection of trade routes. Due to its role as a home to various civilizations, it is a multi-layered settlement culturally and historically.

^{Horasan (Source:} horasan kaymakamlığı⁾

Horasan and its surroundings have long lain along the migration routes of various communities. The region has been under the rule of numerous states including the Assyrians, Persians, Romans, Seljuks and Ottomans. 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 Common Era, it came under Sassanian, Arab and Byzantine administration.

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

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

Following the withdrawal of Russian forces after the 1917 Russian Revolution, Armenian units took control of the area. In response, the Turkish army under the command of Kazım Karabekir Paşa 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.

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. Its area is 1,662 km² and its elevation is 1,650 meters. The topography of the district consists of broad plains along the Aras River and gently sloping ridges. The Zars Stream and Serküllü Stream also flow within the district boundaries. Its geopolitical position makes it a transit point connecting Erzurum with Kars, Ağrı and Ardahan.

The district has a continental climate. Winters are long and harsh while summers are short. Rainfall is relatively high in some areas during spring months.

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.

Horasan’s economy is primarily based on agriculture and animal husbandry. The irrigation potential of the Aras River plays an important role in agricultural activities. Various agricultural products are cultivated, with wheat being the main crop. Animal husbandry is more common in rural settlements.

Horasan is associated with the 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 that have survived from antiquity to the present.

^{Hızırilyas Thermal Springs (Source:} horasan kaymakamlığı⁾

• Sites 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: A stele near Yazılıtaş village describing the campaign of Urartian King Menua
• Rivers: Aras River, Zars Stream, Serküllü Stream
• Hızırilyas Thermal Springs

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

^{Cağ kebabı (Source:} kültür ve turizim bakanlığı⁾