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KARS

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Originally appearing in Volume V15, Page 683 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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KARS , a fortified See also:

town of See also:Russian See also:Transcaucasia, in the See also:province of Kars, formerly at the See also:head of a sanjak in the See also:Turkish vilayet of See also:Erzerum. It is situated in 4o° 37' N. and 430 6' E., 185 m. by See also:rail S.W. of See also:Tiflis, on a dark See also:basalt See also:spur of the Soghanlidagh, above the deep See also:ravine of the Kars-chai, a sub-tributary of the See also:Aras. Pop. (1878), 8672; (1897), 20,891. There are three considerable suburbs—See also:Orta-kapi to the S., See also:Bairam See also:Pasha to the E., and Timur Pasha on the western See also:side of the See also:river. At the N.W. corner of the town, overhanging the river, is the See also:ancient citadel, in earlier times a strong military See also:post, but completely commanded by the surrounding eminences. The See also:place is, however, still defended by a fort and batteries. There is a loth See also:century See also:cathedral, Kars being the see of a See also:bishop of the Orthodox See also:Greek See also:Church. Coarse woollens, carpets and See also:felt are manufactured. During the 9th and loth centuries the seat of an See also:independent Armenian principality, Kars was captured and destroyed by the Seljuk See also:Turks in the rrth century, by the See also:Mongols in the 13th, and by Timur (Tamerlane) in 1387. The citadel, it would appear, was built by See also:Sultan See also:Murad III. during the See also:war with See also:Persia, at the See also:close of the 16th century. It was strong enough to with-stand a See also:siege by See also:Nadir Shah of Persia, in 1731, and in 1807 it successfully resisted the Russians.

After a brave See also:

defence it surrendered on the. 23rd of See also:June 1828 to the Russian See also:general See also:Count I. F. See also:Paskevich, rr,000 men becoming prisoners of war. During the See also:Crimean War the Turkish See also:garrison, guided by General See also:Williams (See also:Sir W. See also:Fenwick Williams of Kars) and other See also:foreign See also:officers, kept the Russians at See also:bay during a protracted siege; but, after the garrison had been devastated by See also:cholera, and See also:food had utterly failed, nothing was See also:left but to capitulate (Nov. 1855). The fortress was again stormed by the Russians in the war of 1877–78, and on its conclusion was transferred to See also:Russia. See Kmety, The Defence of Kars (1856), translated from the See also:German; H. A. See also:Lake, Kars and our Captivity in Russia (See also:London, '856); and Narrative of the Defence of Kars (London, 1857) ; Dr Sandwith, Narrative of the Siege of Kars (London, I856); C. B.

See also:

Norman, See also:Armenia and the See also:Campaign of 1877 (London, 1878); See also:Greene, Russian See also:Army and its See also:Campaigns in See also:Turkey (1879).

End of Article: KARS

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