Kilis
| Kilis | |
|---|---|
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| Country |  Turkey |
| Region | Southeastern Anatolia |
| Province | Kilis |
| Elevation | 663 m (2,175 ft) |
| Population (2009) | |
| • Urban | 80,542 |
| Time zone | EET (UTC+2) |
| • Summer (DST) | EEST (UTC+3) |
| Postal code | 79 |
| Area code(s) | (0)348 |
| Licence plate | 79 |
Kilis is a city in south-central Turkey near the border with Syria and capital of Kilis Province.
Contents |
[edit] History and Population
Kilis was part of the vilayet of Aleppo of the Ottoman Empire until the First World War After which it passed to the Republic of Turkey. There is also Jewish community.[1]
The population of the town was 20,000 in 1927, 45,000 in 1970, 60,000 in 1980 and 85,000 in 1990. It then fell in the 1990s to 70,000 by 2000. (The population is 82,109 as of 2010)
Being a border town, Kilis has long had a reputation for smuggling and drug trafficking and although this has apparently been reduced, even today cigarettes, spirits and cheap electrical items can be bought for cash at low prices.
The local kebab known as Kilis Kebabi is renowned, and also the breads, baklava and stuffed vegetables.
Natives of Kilis speak a dialect of Turkish called Inkilisce, which has a distinct lisping quality and a large number of English cognates; the first ever comprehensive language documentation project on the dialect was begun in late 2009, led by noted linguist M.A. Erdoğmuş.
[edit] Geography
The Öncüpınar Syrian border crossing is 5 km (3 mi) to the south and the large city of Gaziantep is 60 km (37 mi) to the north. Indeed until 1996 Kilis was a district of Gaziantep, being made into a province by Tansu Çiller following an open vote-winning gambit in the 1995 general election.
[edit] Climate
Kilis has a semi-arid climate with very hot, dry and long summers and cool and rainy winters.
| Climate data for Kilis | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 20.9 (69.6) |
22.5 (72.5) |
28.8 (83.8) |
35.4 (95.7) |
40.2 (104.4) |
41.0 (105.8) |
44.2 (111.6) |
45.0 (113.0) |
41.4 (106.5) |
36.4 (97.5) |
29.6 (85.3) |
25.7 (78.3) |
45 (113.0) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 9.7 (49.5) |
11.4 (52.5) |
15.9 (60.6) |
21.2 (70.2) |
27.3 (81.1) |
32.6 (90.7) |
36.0 (96.8) |
36.0 (96.8) |
32.6 (90.7) |
26.3 (79.3) |
17.8 (64.0) |
11.4 (52.5) |
23.18 (73.73) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 2.2 (36.0) |
3.1 (37.6) |
6.0 (42.8) |
10.0 (50.0) |
14.4 (57.9) |
18.4 (65.1) |
21.2 (70.2) |
21.2 (70.2) |
18.6 (65.5) |
14.3 (57.7) |
8.2 (46.8) |
3.8 (38.8) |
11.78 (53.21) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −11 (12.2) |
−8.4 (16.9) |
−6.8 (19.8) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
5.4 (41.7) |
10.0 (50.0) |
14.6 (58.3) |
13.2 (55.8) |
10.2 (50.4) |
1.5 (34.7) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−8 (17.6) |
−11 (12.2) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 76.8 (3.024) |
71.0 (2.795) |
67.2 (2.646) |
48.8 (1.921) |
24.7 (0.972) |
9.3 (0.366) |
2.9 (0.114) |
9.6 (0.378) |
6.6 (0.26) |
33.6 (1.323) |
60.0 (2.362) |
81.7 (3.217) |
492.2 (19.378) |
| % humidity | 71 | 69 | 63 | 60 | 52 | 40 | 34 | 35 | 43 | 54 | 64 | 70 | 54.6 |
| Avg. rainy days | 12 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 78 |
| Sunshine hours | 130.2 | 140.0 | 195.3 | 231.0 | 288.3 | 339.0 | 359.6 | 344.1 | 300.0 | 235.6 | 168.0 | 120.9 | 2,852 |
| Source no. 1: Devlet Meteoroloji İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü [1] | |||||||||||||
| Source no. 2: Weather2 [2] | |||||||||||||
[edit] Places of interest
Sights in the town include a number of Ottoman Empire period mosques and stone houses with courtyards and elaborate carved wooden fittings.
[edit] See also
- See Kilis Province for more information about the area.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 36°42′58″N 37°06′54″E / 36.7161°N 37.1150°E
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