Çüngüş

Çüngüş

Çüngüş is a district of Diyarbakır province.

During the Ottoman Empire, Armenians lived intensively in the district. In 1915, during the Armenian Genocide, thousands of Armenians living in the region were allegedly rounded up in Çüngüş and killed by throwing them off a cliff. In 2006, a movie called 100 Years Later was made about the event. Although the event marked the end of the Armenian population in Çüngüş, the town still retains some traces of Armenians. What remains of the Armenians in the district are two ruined churches.

For political reasons, the district was taken from Elazığ and annexed to Diyarbakır. Çüngüş, which once had a geopolitical importance due to its location on the Silk Road, showed a rapid development; however, after the Silk Road was changed, it rapidly lost its former vitality and still emigrates for various reasons, especially economic.

It is thought that Çüngüş means "the bird that deceives the shepherd (Çınkuş)". Çüngüş is also mentioned as "Çınkuş" in Armenian records. In addition, Armenians from Çüngüş who migrated to Armenia usually live in Nubaraşen and one of the streets of this city is called "Çınkuş".