Adilcevaz
Adilcevaz is the smallest district of Bitlis in terms of population, located on the shore of Lake Van. In the Turkish Encyclopedia's Adilcevaz article, the former name of the region is Arcige. In some documents belonging to the General Directorate of Foundations, the region is referred to as Zatu'l-Cevaz in Arabic, which means Valley of Walnuts. The district of Adilcevaz was called Ardzgue by the Armenians living in the region. In the north of the district, there is a castle belonging to the Urartians, today known as Kef Castle. The history of Adilcevaz dates back to ancient times. The history of the region dates back to the Chalcotic age. First of all, Assyrians dominated the region. Later on, Urartians settled in and around Lake Van. Persians and Macedonians dominated here. Arab raids reached here in 700 AD, and in the following years, the region was the scene of constant wars between the Arabs and the Byzantines and changed hands from time to time between both communities. After the Battle of Manzikert, the Turks began to dominate the region. After the Battle of Çaldıran by Yavuz Sultan Selim, it joined the Ottoman lands. Although the Armenians tried to dominate this region during the Russian occupation and after the First World War, with the Gyumri Treaty signed between the GNAT Government and Armenia. Turkish dominance in the region became clear. With the proclamation of the republic on October 29, 1923, a new administrative structure was experienced in the Republic of Turkey, when Ahlat was connected to Van in 1929, Adilcevaz became a subordinate of Van, in 1953 it was transformed into a district and connected to the province of Bitlis.
