Aydıntepe

Aydıntepe

Aydıntepe is a district of Bayburt province. There are traces of settlement from ancient times to the present day in Aydıntepe and its surroundings. Pottery from the Middle Ages and Modern Ages was found during the surface research carried out in the "Çovrang Plateau Settlement", 5 km northwest of the settlement. The ceramic remains found in the mound located in the southwest of Aydıntepe center, most of which was used as a cemetery, show that there was a settlement here from the Old Bronze Age, Iron Age and Roman Period. Just below the district is the "Aydıntepe Underground City", which was built by carving the tuff bedrock and dates back to the Middle Ages. Between 3000 and 2500 BC, Aydıntepe and its surroundings were under the rule of the Hittites. Afterwards, it remained under the rule of the Urartians, Scythians, Romans, Persians and Byzantines. After the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, it came under the rule of the Turks, and between 1072 and 1202 it remained under the rule of the Saltuks and sometimes of the Danishmends. When the Seljuks put an end to the Saltuk State in 1202, they took over Aydıntepe along with Bayburt and its surroundings. In the following period, it remained under the control of the Ilkhanids, Akkoyunlus and Safavids, and after the Battle of Chaldiran in 1514, it came under the rule of the Ottomans. During the Ottoman period, it became a township of the Bayburt district with the name "Hart". The settlement, which was captured by Russian forces in 1916, was taken back on February 21, 1918. The Sheikh Ashraf uprising, also known as the "Hart Incident", which took place between 26 October and 29 December 1919, took place here. The municipal organization was established on December 21, 1956 and was named "Aydıntepe". Aydıntepe, which became a district in 1987, was first connected to Gümüşhane province, and in 1989 it was connected to Bayburt, which became a province.