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{{Redirect|Bilis|tropical cyclones of this name|List of storms named Bilis}}
{{Infobox Turkey place
| type                 = municipality
| name                 = Bitlis
| other_name           = Baghesh • Բաղեշ
| image_skyline        = Bitlis Montage.jpg
| image_caption        = From top left:<div style="background:#fee8ab;"> Ihasiye Serafhan [[Madrasa|Medrese]]&nbsp;• Bitlis Castle<br /> Tourist office&nbsp;• Şerefiye Mosque&nbsp;• Sokak [[Caravanserai|Han]] <br />Bitlis skyline&nbsp;• Pasha [[Hammam]]</div>
| image_shield         = 
| coordinates          = {{coord|38|24|00|N|42|06|30|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| province             = Bitlis
| district             = Bitlis
| leader_party         = [[AK Party]]
| leader_name          = Nesrullah Tanğlay
| area_footnotes       = 
| area_total_km2       = 
| elevation_m          = 1545
| population_footnotes = <ref name=tuik/>
| population_total     = 53023
| population_as_of     = 2021
| postal_code          = 13000
| area_code            = 
| website             = {{URL|https://bitlis.bel.tr/}}
}}

'''Bitlis''' ({{langx|hy|Բաղեշ|translit=Baghesh}} or {{transliteration|hy|Paghesh}};<ref>{{cite book |last=Hakobyan |first=Tadevos |url=http://armenianhouse.org/hakobyan-t/armenian-cities.html |title=Patmakan Hayastani kʻaghakʻnerě |publisher="Hayastan" Publishing |year=1987 |location=Yerevan |page=98 |language=hy |script-title=hy:Պատմական Հայաստանի քաղաքները |trans-title=The cities of historic Armenia |author-link=Tadevos Hakobyan}}</ref> {{langx|ku-Latn|Bidlîs}}<ref>{{cite book |author1=Adem |first=Avcıkıran |url= |title=Kürtçe Anamnez Anamneza bi Kurmancî |date=2009 |page=55 |language=tr, ku |access-date=}}</ref>) is a city in southeastern [[Turkey]]. It is the seat of [[Bitlis District]] and [[Bitlis Province]].<ref name=il>[https://www.e-icisleri.gov.tr/Anasayfa/MulkiIdariBolumleri.aspx İl Belediyesi], Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 30 January 2023.</ref> Its population is 53,023 (2021).<ref name=tuik>{{Cite web |title=Address-based population registration system (ADNKS) results dated 31 December 2021|url=https://www.tuik.gov.tr/indir/duyuru/favori_raporlar.xlsx |access-date=30 January 2023|publisher=[[TÜİK]]|language=tr |format=XLS}}</ref> The city is located at an elevation of 1,545 metres, 15&nbsp;km from [[Lake Van]], in the steep-sided valley of the Bitlis River, a tributary of the [[Tigris River|Tigris]]. The local economy is mainly based on agricultural products which include fruits, grain and tobacco. Industry is fairly limited, and deals mainly with leatherworking, manufacture of tobacco products as well as weaving and dyeing of coarse cloth. Bitlis is connected to other urban centres by road, including [[Tatvan]] on Lake Van, 25&nbsp;km to the northeast, and the cities of [[Muş]] (Mush), 100&nbsp;km northwest, and [[Diyarbakır]], 200&nbsp;km to the west. The climate of Bitlis can be harsh, with long winters and heavy snowfalls. Since the local [[2019 Turkish local elections|elections of March 2019]], the Mayor of Bitlis is Nesrullah Tanğlay.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sabah.com.tr/secim/31-mart-2019-yerel-secim-sonuclari/bitlis/ili-yerel-secim-sonuclari|title=Bitlis Seçim Sonuçları - 31 Mart 2019 Yerel Seçimleri|website=www.sabah.com.tr|access-date=2020-04-09}}</ref>

== History ==

===Ancient Bitlis===
[[File:Anatolian_Civilizations_Museum_1490.jpg|thumb| Two winged gods standing on lions are facing each other. The figures are identified as Teişeba, the Storm God. 7th century BC. from Bitlis now in [[Museum of Anatolian Civilizations]]]]

The origin of the name Bitlis is not known. A popular folk etymology explanation, without historical basis, is that it is derived from "Lis/Batlis", the name of a general said to have built Bitlis castle by the order of [[Alexander the Great]].<ref name="SAE">{{in lang|hy}} s.v. "Baghesh," [[Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia]], vol. 2, pp. 254-256.</ref> To [[Armenians]], it was known as Balalesa or Baghaghesh, and later Baghesh.<ref>[[Robert Hewsen|Hewsen, Robert H]]. "The Historical Geography of Baghesh/Bitlis and Taron/Mush" in ''Armenian Baghesh/Bitlis and Taron/Mush''. [[Richard G. Hovannisian]] (ed.) UCLA Armenian History and Culture Series: Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces, 2. Costa Mesa, California: Mazda Publishers, 2001, p. 52.</ref> According to one popular Armenian folk story, on a cold, wintry day a donkey escaped from its stable and wandered down to the Jlifat valley below. The donkey became trapped in the snow and froze to death. It was only discovered a week later, once the snow had melted; thus, it received the name {{Transliteration|hy|Pagh Esh}}, or "Cold Donkey."<ref>{{cite book|last=Ghanalanian|first=Aram|title=Avandapatum [Traditional Tales]|publisher=Haykakan SSH GA Hratarakutyun|location=Yerevan|language=hy|year=1969|page=160}}</ref>

Baghesh was one of the most important cities of the [[Kingdom of Armenia (Antiquity)|Kingdom of Armenia]]'s province of [[Aghdznik|Aghdznik']], and it served as the primary fortress of the province's canton of Salnodzor.<ref name="SAE"/> Some medieval Armenian writers, such as [[Anania Shirakatsi]] and [[Vardan Areveltsi]], later mention it as a part of the canton of [[Bznuniq|Bznunik']].<ref name="SAE"/> The fortress guarded the Baghesh Pass, which linked the southern reaches of the [[Armenian plateau]] to northern Mesopotamia.

===Medieval Bitlis===
Under the [[Byzantine Empire]], the town was known as '''Balaleison'''.<ref>{{citation |url=https://ia600303.us.archive.org/21/items/TheOriginOfTheNaxararSystem/adontz_nax.pdf |page=175 |title=Armenia in the Period of Justinian: The Political Conditions Based on the ''Naxarar'' System |last=Adontz |first=Nicholas |translator-last=Garsoïan |translator-first=Nina G. |date=1970 |location=Lisbon |publisher=Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation }}.</ref> The [[Arabs]] conquered Baghesh at the end of the seventh century and it eventually became the capital of the [[Zurarid dynasty|Zurārid]] [[emirate|emirs]] of [[Arzen|Arzan]]. Because it was on an important trade route, it prospered greatly.

The next two centuries, however, marked a turbulent period in the town's history. After [[Bugha al-Kabir]]'s destructive 852-855 campaign in Armenia, the Shaybanid emirs wrested control of Baghesh from the Zurārids;<ref>{{cite book|last=Ter-Ghevondyan|first=Aram N.|author-link=Aram Ter-Ghevondyan|title=Arabakan amirayutyunnere Bagratunyats Hayastanum [The Arab Emirates in Bagratuni Armenia]|publisher=Armenian Academy of Sciences|location= Yerevan|year=1965|page=104|language=hy}}</ref> thereafter, in the first quarter of the tenth century, it was taken by the [[Kaysite]] emirs of [[Manzikert]]. In his 929-30 campaign against the Kaysites, the [[Byzantine]] general [[John Curcuas]] was able to capture and annex Baghesh.<ref name="SAE"/> Following the devastation of the Arab emirs in the second half of the tenth century, a great number of [[Kurds]] settled in Baghesh and at the end of the tenth century, the city fell into the hands of the Kurdish [[Marwanid]] dynasty after breaking from [[Buyid]] rule.<ref name="SAE"/> At the end of the eleventh century, with the collapse of Byzantine power after the [[Battle of Manzikert]], Bitlis fell under the control of [[Togan Arslan]], a subject of the Shah Arman (Also called Ahlatshah) dynasty based in [[Akhlat|Akhlat']] after brief [[Beylik of Dilmaç|Dilmachoglu]] rule. It was also ruled by [[Ayyubid]] (1207–1231), [[Khwarezm Shahs]] (shortly rule in 1230), [[Sultanate of Rûm]] (1231–1243) and [[Ilkhanate]] (1243–1335).

===Emirate===
{{Main article|Principality of Bitlis}}
[[File:Bitlis_1417.jpg|thumb|right|Bitlis Castle]]
Bitlis was a Kurdish emirate from the 13th to the 19th century. Though often subordinate to a succession of larger powers that ruled the Van region, it always maintained a measure of independence. In the 14th century its emirs, the Kurdish Rusaki family, were vassals of the [[Karakoyunlu]] and the emirate's territory also consisted of several smaller emirates: [[Ahlat]], Mush, and Hinis. The emir of Bitlis submitted to [[Timur]] in 1394, but later helped the re-establishment of Karakoyunlu control in the region. After the collapse of the Karakoyunlu state, the Bitlis emirate disintegrated. However, in the 1470s it took the [[Aq Qoyunlu|Aq Qoyunlu (White Sheep Turkomans)]] three successive sieges to capture Bitlis and in 1494/95 the [[Motikan]] recaptured the town.<ref name="SAE"/> Armenians formed a large part of the city's population. A number of monasteries were permitted to be built by the Kurdish emirs and during the fifteenth century, Biltis flourished as a center for Armenian manuscript production.

Bitlis was forced to accept a [[Persians|Persian]] governor during the invasion of the [[Safavid]] [[Shah]] [[Ismail I|Ismail]], but sided with the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] forces as they approached the region. Its emir, Sheref, later changed his allegiance to the Persians. An Ottoman army besieged Bitlis for three months in 1531/32, but was forced to retire. Sheref was killed in battle in 1533 and his son and successor submitted to the [[Ottoman Empire]]. Mush and Hınıs were removed from the Bitlis emirate, becoming separate [[sanjak]]s but still with Ruzaki [[bey]]s. A [[Jesuit]] mission was established in Bitlis in 1685. The Ruzakid Kurdish dynasty in Bitlis lasted until 1849, when an Ottoman governor evicted its last emir, Sheref Bey, who was taken to [[Istanbul|Constantinople]] as a prisoner. After this, Bitlis was governed by an Ottoman [[pasha]] and formed the capital of a ''[[vilayet]]'' bearing its name.<ref>{{cite book  | last = Sinclair  | first = Thomas A  | title = Eastern Turkey: An Architectural and Archaeological Survey, Volume 1  | publisher =Pindar Press  | location= London  | year = 1987  | pages=330–336  | isbn =0-907132-32-4}}</ref>

For centuries, Bitlis and nearby [[Kurdish emirates|Kurdish principalities]] were deeply influenced by [[Persian language]] and culture through their ties with Persian-centered empires. Persian was the language of administration, used by [[Sufism|Sufis]], poets, merchants, and scholars. Bitlis’s elites adopted Persian to align with the broader [[Persianate society|Persianate]] world. From the 14th century, Persian literary activity thrived in Bitlis, with notable works by [[Idris Bitlisi|Idris-i Bidlisi]] and [[Sharaf al-Din Bitlisi|Sharaf Khan]]. Persian was predominant in palace education, ''[[madrasa]]s'', personal correspondence, and literary and historical writings. Although Ottoman bureaucracy shifted to Turkish in the 16th century, Persian remained in use for communications with [[Safavid Iran|Safavid]] [[shahs]] and on inscriptions. Persian manuscripts filled the palace library, and its influence persisted in Bitlis’s cultural and daily life into the 19th century.<ref name="Vural">{{cite journal |last1=Genç |first1=Vural |title=The Cultural Impact of the Persian Language in and around Bidlis |journal=Iranian Studies |date=2024 |volume=57 |issue=1 |pages=27–45 |doi=10.1017/irn.2023.61|doi-access=free }}</ref>

[[File:Betlis in Asirien - Peeters Jacob - 1690.jpg|thumb|left|Bitlis in 1690]]

===Modern===
[[File:Bitlis_Ihasiye_Serafhan_Medresesi_1454.jpg|thumb|right|Ihasiye Serafhan Medrese]]
In 1814 the population of Bitlis town was said to be 12,000 people - one half Muslim, the other half was constituted by Christian Armenians. By 1838 its population was said to be between 15,000 and 18,000 - two thirds Muslim, one third Armenian, and a small minority of [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]]. In 1898 Lynch considered the population to be close to 30,000, comprising 10,000 Armenians, 300 Assyrians, and the rest Muslim Kurds (both [[Alevi]]s and [[Sunni]]s included).<ref>{{cite book
  | last = Lynch
  | first =  H.F.B.
  | author-link =H. F. B. Lynch
  | title = Armenia, Travels and Studies, Volume 2
  | url = https://archive.org/details/armeniatravelsst02lync_0
  | publisher =Longmans
  | location= London
  | year = 1901
  | page=[https://archive.org/details/armeniatravelsst02lync_0/page/151 151]}}</ref> The Armenians had five schools for boys and three for girls.<ref name="SAE"/> According to [[Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition]] from 1911, the town had 35 thousand people with 12 thousand Armenians, the rest being Kurdish.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Bitlis|volume=4|last=Maunsell|first=Francis Richard|author-link=Francis Richard Maunsell|page=13}}</ref> One third of the population of Bitlis was ethnic [[Armenians|Armenian]] prior to World War I (1914, whereas the majority of the population was Kurdish Muslim (Alevi as well as Sunni). Before the forced relocations (Tehcir) by Ottoman government, the Christian population of Bitlis was mainly made up of Armenians and Assyrians however during the [[Armenian genocide]], both the Armenian and Assyrian population were exterminated coinciding with the [[Assyrian genocide]] also.<ref>[[Christopher J. Walker|Walker, Christopher J.]] "The End of Armenian Taron and Baghesh, 1914-1916" in ''Armenian Baghesh/Bitlis and Taron/Mush'', pp. 191-206.</ref>

In February 1916, as part of the [[Caucasus Campaign]], [[Russian Empire|Imperial Russian]] forces launched an offensive to capture [[Muş|Mush]] and Bitlis. Mush fell on February 16. At Bitlis, the Turkish positions were in a strong location on the outskirts of the town and could not be outflanked because of the narrowness of the valley. On the night of March 2–3, during a blizzard, the Russian 8th Caucasian Rifles advanced silently and, after several hours of hand-to-hand fighting, took the Turkish positions with 1,000 prisoners. The Turks then abandoned Bitlis, retreating towards Siirt. The Russian forces and intelligence officers found evidence of the massacres of Christians by the [[Kurds]] and [[Turkish people|Turks]] in 1915.

In August 1916 the Turkish Second Army started an offensive against the Russian front in eastern Turkey. On August 2, the Ottoman 16th Corps, together with strong Kurdish irregulars' support, attacked Bitlis and Mush.<ref name="Cambridge">William Edward David Allen, Paul Muratoff, ''Caucasian Battlefields: A History of the Wars on the Turco-Caucasian Border 1828-1921'', (Cambridge University Press, 2010), 421-422.</ref> Fearing encirclement [[Tovmas Nazarbekian|General Nazarbekov]], the Russian commander, abandoned Bitlis on August 5.<ref name="Cambridge" /> When Mush also fell, he decided to abandon [[Tatvan]] and the whole Mush valley and retreat to Ahlat.<ref name="Cambridge" /> Around 18 August, the Russians having been reinforced, were able to counter-attack.<ref name="Erickson">Edward J. Erickson, ''Ordered to Die:A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War'', (Greenwood Press, 2001), 133.</ref> By September the Turkish offensive was stalled and then turned. Nazarbekov advanced as the Turkish forces withdrew from Tatvan and Mush,<ref name="Erickson" /> but he did not have the available forces to hold Bitlis as winter approached. The [[February Revolution|Russian February Revolution]] in the spring of 1917 prevented any further Russian gains.<ref>{{cite book
  | last = Allen
  | first = William E.D.
  |author2=Paul Muratoff
  | title = Caucasian Battlefields
  | publisher =Cambridge University Press
  | location= Cambridge
  | year = 1953
  | pages=438–439
  }}</ref>

== Tourism ==
The main places with tourism potential in Bitlis are [[Lake Nemrut]], [[The Tombstones of Ahlat the Urartian and Ottoman citadel|Ahlat Seljuk Cemetery]], Ahlat Museum, [[Mount Süphan]], Güroymak Hot Springs and [[Lake Nazik]].

==Description==
[[File: Ancient tombstones in the historical cemetery of Selcuk Turks from 12th century, in the town of Ahlat, Turkey.jpg |thumb|Tombstones of Ahlat in Bitlis province]]

Bitlis preserves more medieval and traditional architecture than any other town in eastern Turkey. They are of a high quality and are mostly constructed from locally quarried light-brown stone, sometimes called Ahlat stone.

The town contains a large number of late-medieval Islamic buildings in the form of mosques, [[madrassa]]s, and tombs. Also commercial buildings such as "Han's [[Caravanserai]]s. Commissioned mostly by its local Kurdish rulers, the architectural style of these buildings is very conservative and similar to much earlier [[Seljuq Sultanate of Rûm|Seljuq]]-period structures. Important monuments include the 12th-century Ulu Mosque with its 15th-century minaret, and the Gokmeydani Medresesi and Sherefiye Mosque from the sixteenth century. Until 1915 there were five Armenian monasteries and several churches in Bitlis – only a 19th-century Armenian church survives, now used as a warehouse.<ref>Sinclair. ''Eastern Turkey'', pp. 297-308.</ref>

Bitlis is also notable for its many old houses. These are built of cut stone and are often large and impressive structures. Most have two stories, but three stories are also found. Ground floors were generally intended for storage and stables, with the residential quarters on the upper floors. Ground floor rooms have few windows, upper floors are well lit. Roofs are flat and covered with beaten clay.  Unlike traditional houses in nearby [[Erzurum]] or [[Van, Turkey|Van]], Bitlis houses do not have bay windows and balconies.<ref>{{in lang|tr}} Sayin, Y. ''Bitlis Evleri'' (The Homes in Bitlis). Ankara, 2001, pp. 43-44.</ref>

== Demographics ==
On the eve of the First World War, the town had about 30,000 inhabitants: two-thirds Kurds and one-third Armenians. All Armenians were massacred by the Turkish regular army led by [[Djevdet Bey]] as part of the [[Armenian genocide]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kaza Bitlis / Բաղեշ - Baghesh / ܒܝܬ ܕܠܝܣ Beṯ Dlis |url=https://virtual-genocide-memorial.de/region/the-six-provinces/bitlis-vilayet/sancak-bitlis/kaza-bitlis/ |access-date=2023-09-17 |website=Virtual Genocide Memorial |language=en-US}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Mother tongue, [[Bitlis District]], [[1927 Turkish census]]<ref name=1927census>{{Cite journal |last=Sertel |first=Savaş |date=2019-10-17 |title=1927 Genel Nüfus Sayımı Sonuçlarına Göre Bitlis'in Nüfus Fonksiyonları |url=https://turkishstudies.net/?mod=makale_tr_ozet&makale_id=17525 |journal=Journal of Turkish Studies |language=tr |volume=9|issue=4 |pages=1015–1034 |doi=10.7827/TurkishStudies.6687|doi-access=free }}</ref>
! [[Turkish language|Turkish]] !! [[Arabic]] !! [[Kurdish languages|Kurdish]] !! [[Circassian languages|Circassian]] !! [[Armenian language|Armenian]] !! Unknown or other languages
|-
| 9,350 || 55 || 10,344 || 2 || 3 || 1
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Religion, [[Bitlis District]], [[1927 Turkish census]]<ref name=1927census/>
! [[Islam in Turkey|Muslim]] !! [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian]] !! [[History of the Jews in Turkey|Jewish]] !! [[Christianity in Turkey|Other Christian]]
|-
| 19,752 || 2 || 1 || –
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Bêdlis.jpg|Bitlis
File:Bitlis 3766 10092012.jpg|Bitlis Castle (Bitlis Kalesi)
File:Bitlis 3827 10092012.jpg|Ulu Cami text
File:Bitlis Şerefiye Mosque 3735 Panorama.jpg|Bitlis Şerefiye Mosque
File:Bitlis Ihasiye Serafhan Medresesi 1453.jpg|Ihasiye Şerafhan Medresesi view of türbes
File:Bitlis view.jpg|Bitlis view
</gallery>

==Climate==
Bitlis has a Mediterranean-influenced [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]]: ''Dsa'', [[Trewartha climate classification|Trewartha]]: ''Dca''). Bitlis has hot, dry summers and cold, very snowy winters. Highest snow depth recorded in Bitlis is 343&nbsp;cm (135 inches).

{{Weather box |metric first= Yes |single line= Yes |location= Bitlis (1991–2020, extremes 1959–2023)
|Jan record high C = 10.1
|Feb record high C = 21.9
|Mar record high C = 16.7
|Apr record high C = 22.3
|May record high C = 27.4
|Jun record high C = 31.5
|Jul record high C = 34.6
|Aug record high C = 34.3
|Sep record high C = 34.0
|Oct record high C = 26.4
|Nov record high C = 21.7
|Dec record high C = 13.3
|year record high C =
|Jan high C = -0.9
|Feb high C = 0.9
|Mar high C = 5.1
|Apr high C = 11.9
|May high C = 17.7
|Jun high C = 24.1
|Jul high C = 28.9
|Aug high C = 29.4
|Sep high C = 25.0
|Oct high C = 16.8
|Nov high C = 8.9
|Dec high C = 1.9
|year high C = 14.1
|Jan mean C = -4.8
|Feb mean C = -3.4
|Mar mean C = 1.1
|Apr mean C = 6.9
|May mean C = 12.5
|Jun mean C = 18.1
|Jul mean C = 22.7
|Aug mean C = 22.8
|Sep mean C = 18.4
|Oct mean C = 11.4
|Nov mean C = 4.5
|Dec mean C = -1.7
|year mean C = 9.0  
|Jan low C = -8.6
|Feb low C = -7.5
|Mar low C = -2.6
|Apr low C = 2.5
|May low C = 7.3
|Jun low C = 11.5
|Jul low C = 15.5
|Aug low C = 15.9
|Sep low C = 11.6
|Oct low C = 6.5
|Nov low C = 0.8
|Dec low C = -5.0
|year low C = 4.0
|Jan record low C = -24.1
|Feb record low C = -21.3
|Mar record low C = -20.3
|Apr record low C = -10.0
|May record low C = 0.1
|Jun record low C = 5.2
|Jul record low C = 8.1
|Aug record low C = 9.9
|Sep record low C = 0.0
|Oct record low C = -0.6
|Nov record low C = -10.0
|Dec record low C = -20.8
|year record low C = -24.1
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 169.3
|Feb precipitation mm = 111.0
|Mar precipitation mm = 170.4
|Apr precipitation mm = 117.6
|May precipitation mm = 103.2
|Jun precipitation mm = 15.5
|Jul precipitation mm = 9.8
|Aug precipitation mm = 6.8
|Sep precipitation mm = 22.8
|Oct precipitation mm = 90.6
|Nov precipitation mm = 87.9
|Dec precipitation mm = 141.9
|year precipitation mm = 1046.8 
|Jan precipitation days = 15.44
|Feb precipitation days = 12.78
|Mar precipitation days = 16.56
|Apr precipitation days = 14.78
|May precipitation days = 14.89
|Jun precipitation days = 5.67
|Jul precipitation days = 2.78
|Aug precipitation days = 1.44
|Sep precipitation days = 2.11
|Oct precipitation days = 9.89
|Nov precipitation days = 10.33
|Dec precipitation days = 13.67
|year precipitation days = 120.3
| Jan snow days  =16.13
| Feb snow days  =11.13
| Mar snow days  =13.88
| Apr snow days  =3.25
| May snow days  =0.25
| Jun snow days  =0
| Jul snow days  =0
| Aug snow days  =0
| Sep snow days  =0
| Oct snow days  =0.38
| Nov snow days  =2.75
| Dec snow days  =9.25
| year snow days =
|Jan sun = 74.4
|Feb sun = 96.1 
|Mar sun = 158.1 
|Apr sun = 177.0
|May sun = 229.4
|Jun sun = 279.0 
|Jul sun = 303.8 
|Aug sun = 300.7 
|Sep sun = 276.0
|Oct sun = 167.4 
|Nov sun = 87.0 
|Dec sun = 62.0
|year sun = 
|Jand sun = 2.4
|Febd sun = 3.4
|Mard sun = 5.1
|Aprd sun = 5.9
|Mayd sun = 7.4
|Jund sun = 9.3
|Juld sun = 9.8
|Augd sun = 9.7
|Sepd sun = 9.2
|Octd sun = 5.4
|Novd sun = 2.9
|Decd sun = 2.0
|yeard sun = 6.0
|source 1 = [[Turkish State Meteorological Service]]<ref name=eather1>
{{cite web
| url = https://www.mgm.gov.tr/veridegerlendirme/il-ve-ilceler-istatistik.aspx?k=H&m=BITLIS
| title = Resmi İstatistikler: İllerimize Ait Mevism Normalleri (1991–2020)
| publisher = Turkish State Meteorological Service
| language = tr
| access-date = 2 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = https://www.mgm.gov.tr/veridegerlendirme/il-ve-ilceler-istatistik.aspx?k=A&m=BITLIS
| title = Resmi İstatistikler: İllerimize Ait Genel İstatistik Verileri
| publisher = Turkish State Meteorological Service
| language = tr
| access-date = 2 May 2021}}</ref>
|source 2 = Meteomanz (snowy days 2017-2024)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bitlis - Weather data by months |url= http://www.meteomanz.com/sy3?l=1&cou=6290&ind=17208&m1=02&y1=2000&m2=12&y2=2024 |access-date=4 February 2025 |website=meteomanz}}</ref>
|date= March 2011
}}

==Economy==
Historically, Bitlis produced wheat, which the British, in 1920, described as being "particularly excellent." However, poor trade routes in the area during the early 20th century meant that the wheat was mainly produced and used by locals. During this time, the British stated that the people of Bitlis were unable to use all of the wheat they produced, and most was "left to rot in the underground storehouses."<ref name=Prothero60>{{cite book|last=Prothero|first=W.G.|title=Armenia and Kurdistan|year=1920|publisher=H.M. Stationery Office|location=London|page=60|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/11768/view/1/60/}}</ref>

== Notable individuals ==
*[[Badh ibn Dustak]] (died 991), Kurdish tribal leader
*[[Hosam al-Din Ali Bitlisi]] was a Kurdish [[Sufism|Sufi]] author. He was the father of the noted historian [[Idris Bitlisi]].
*[[Said Nursi]] (1878-1960), notable [[Kurds in Turkey|Kurdish]] [[Sunni Muslim]] [[Nur movement]] [[tariqa]] [[sheikh]]. Writer of the [[Risale-i Nur]] [[book]]s [[Collection (publishing)|collection]] used.
*[[Fuat Sezgin]] (1924-2018), a prominent Historian of Science, Orientalist was born in Bitlis. He is the author and editor of numerous publications. His 13-volume work Geschichte des Arabischen Schrifttums (1967–2000) is the cornerstone reference on the history of science and technology in the Islamic world. The 5-volume Natural Sciences of Islam documents the items in the Frankfurt museum. Since 1984 he has edited the Journal for the History of Arabic-Islamic Science.
*[[Kâmran İnan]] (Hizan, Bitlis, 1929), a well known Turkish politician, diplomat, and scholar was from Bitlis.  He has written about the history of Bitlis.
*[[Salih Mirzabeyoğlu]], (1950-2018), the [[Kurds in Turkey|Kurdish]] [[poet]] and the [[leader]] of [[Islamic fundamentalism]] group of [[İBDA-C]]
*[[:tr:Onur Akın|Onur Akın]], (born 1967), the most popular [[protest music]] and [[Turkish folk music]] [[artist]].

== Mayors of Bitlis ==
* [[1977 Turkish local elections|1977]]-[[1980 Turkish coup d'état|1980]] and [[1984 Turkish local elections|1984]]-[[1994 Turkish local elections|1994]] Ahmet Muzaffer Geylani [[Republican People's Party|CHP]], [[Social Democracy Party (Turkey)|SODEP]], [[Social Democratic Populist Party (Turkey)|SHP]], [[Motherland Party (Turkey)|ANAP]]
* [[1994 Turkish local elections|1994]]-[[2004 Turkish local elections|2004]] Yaşar Burhan [[Refah Party]], [[Virtue Party|FP]], [[Saadet Party]]
* [[2004 Turkish local elections|2004]]-[[2009 Turkish local elections|2009]] Cevdet Özdemir [[AK Party]]
* [[2009 Turkish local elections|2009]]-[[2014 Turkish local elections|2014]] Fehmi Alaydın [[AK Party]]
* [[2014 Turkish local elections|2014]]-[[Purges in Turkey following the 2016 Turkish coup attempt|2016]] [[Hüseyin Olan]] [[Peace and Democracy Party|BDP]], [[Democratic Regions Party|DBP]]
* [[Purges in Turkey following the 2016 Turkish coup attempt|2016]]-[[2017 Turkish constitutional referendum|2017]] [[:tr:Ahmet Çınar|Ahmet Çınar]] [[Independent politician|Independent]]
* [[2017 Turkish constitutional referendum|2017]]-[[2019 Turkish local elections|2019]] [[:tr:Oktay Çağatay|Oktay Çağatay]] [[Independent politician|Independent]]
* [[2019 Turkish local elections|2019]]-[[present]] Nesrullah Tanğlay [[AK Party]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
*[[Richard G. Hovannisian|Hovannisian, Richard G.]] (ed.) ''Armenian Baghesh/Bitlis and Taron/Mush''. UCLA Armenian History and Culture Series: Historic Armenian Cities and Provinces, 2. Costa Mesa, California: Mazda Publishers, 2001.
* [https://www.academia.edu/73769274/_Who_were_the_Assyrians_of_Bitlis_ Nicholas Al-Jeloo, 2019, "Who were the Assyrians of Bitlis?"]

==External links==
{{commons category|Bitlis}}
* {{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Bitlis |short=x}}
* [http://www.bitlishaber13.com BitlisHaber13]
* [http://www.bitlishaber.net Governor's Office]
* [http://www.bitlis13.com Bitlis Haber]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080914144150/http://www.bitlisnews.com/ BitlisNews]
* [http://www.armeniapedia.org/index.php?title=Bitlis Bitlis Article] on Armeniapedia.org. Bitlis' Armenian history, map and information.

{{Bitlis District}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Bitlis| ]]
[[Category:Provincial municipalities in Turkey]]
[[Category:Populated places in Bitlis Province]]
[[Category:Kurdish settlements in Bitlis Province]]
[[Category:Former Armenian communities in Bitlis Province]]