Historical and cultural heritage of Ercis during Karakoyunlu Period

The tribes such as Barani and Baranlu who lived in Turkestan and migrated to Anatoliaas a result of Mongol invasions came together under the leadership of Bayram Hodja and established Karakoyunlu State in the second half of the XIV th century. After they established dominance around Van Lake and especially in Ercis, they continued their historical process by dominating Eastern Anatolia, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Iran. They are known for the historica levents such as the conflicts with their relatives Akkoyunlu State, to be cause of the Ankara War between Ottomans and Timur State in 1402 and the cutthroat struggles they made against Mongols. For the Karakoyunlu State who took place on the stage of the history for more than acentury and played an important role for the geography to remain as Turkish homeland, Ercis had a great importance. Karakoyunlu State gave importance to the reconstruction and development of Ercis by intesifying their political activities here and making it their first Capital city. Today, the artifacts, which are located in many parts of the district andwhich are facing extinction, shed light on the history of the period, while on the otherhand, the point where the nations came in their artistic level, also provide importantin formation about the interaction and development stages of cultural heritage. Architectural works belonging to Karakoyunlu period have an important place in Ercis and it's historical and cultural heritage. In this study, the activities of Karakoyunlu in Ercis with historical and cultural heritage of this period were examined, and the places and importance of the works in Medieval Anatolian and Turkish-Islamic art were tried to be revealed. The works that did not reach today are evaluated in the light of historical documents.