ERZERUM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11755, 20 July 1916, Page 1

ERZERUM.

A short time ago, the third in. eighty-seven years, lvzerum, the great Turkish stronghold, fell before tho advancing Russians.. It first passed.into Russian hands ■syhen General Paskievieh stormed it in tho war of 1829. Ifirzerurn remained in more or less obscurity thenceforth .until the war of .18/7-78,- when it sprang into a position of importance. Alter the- Turkish defeat at the great battle of Aladja dagh, on October 15, 1878, the remnants of Mukhtar's army retreated on Erzerum. Part of. the Russian army stayed to besiege Ears, -and part pressed .on in. pursuit. Erzerum fell on November 9, and two days later came the fall of Ivars. .By the treaty of Berlin, however, Erzerum was restored to Turkey, as it had been previously, by the treaty of Adrianople, after the' Russian occupation in 1529. Situated-at the eastern end cf an open, bare plain some thirty miles long and twelve miles wide, and peculiarly well supplied with water, from the many streams, little and big, which flow into the valley from the Palanduken range, Erzerum makes an ideal base for an advancing army, and has always been so regarded. It is a town of great antiquity, and has been identified with the Armenian Garin Kslakh and tho Byzantine Theodcsiopolis cf the fifth century, at which time it was on-3 cf the frontier fortresses' of th« empire. As far back, as 1201 Erzerum was a city of considerable importance; and; in the year mentioned it was taken by the S-eljuks. Finally the city canio into ihe possession of Turkey in 1517,, and lias since remained a Turkish possession. Recently it was said to have a population of about 43,000, mostly' Armenians . and Persians., For the most part the town is built of: gray volcanic stone, and its streets are narrow and crooked.