Çermik

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Çermik is a district and town in Diyarbakır Province, Turkey. It covers 948 square kilometers and has about 49,600 residents (2022). The mayor is Şehmus Karamehmetoğlu (AKP), and the district governor (kaymakam) is Vahit Yılmaz.

The name comes from the area’s hot springs. Çermik was named Diyarbakir Thermal Tourism Center in October 1993 because of its spa baths.

Historically, Çermik was part of the Ottoman Diyarbekir Eyalet. In 1925 it briefly came under Sheikh Said’s rebellion. Before World War I, about 12,400 Armenians lived in the Çermik area (in the town and nearby Çüngüş); they were killed in the Armenian genocide. The Jewish community left in 1948 after the founding of Israel. The district has 81 neighborhoods.

Çermik has a Mediterranean climate with very hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. The baths attract visitors from around Turkey. Main sights include Haburman Bridge, Çeteci Abdullah Pasha Madrasa, Ulu Cami (Grand Mosque), Bandeler Fountain, and Gelincik Mountain. There is an old synagogue dating to 1416, but it is not in use.