History & Memory
The story of the region, past to present
Stories from Across Time
The past of Babik and its villages holds a rich memory of people, migrations and lived experience.
- 1800
First settlement records
- 1923
The Republican era
- 1950
Migration
- 2000
A new era
History of the Region
Malatya and its surroundings have been settled for thousands of years. From the Arslantepe mound through the Byzantine and Seljuk periods to the Ottoman era and the Republic, this long history forms the backdrop of our villages.
History of the Settlements
How and when our villages were founded, which families settled here and how the settlements changed over time will be explored here through documents and accounts.
Old Village Names
Belen was formerly known as Mehrap and Örnek as Şimil. Information on the older names of the other villages and their origins is being collected.
Historic Buildings & Traces
Mosques, caravanserais, fountains, bridges and old stone houses carry the history of the region into the present. The Silahtar Mustafa Paşa Caravanserai and the Great Mosque in Battalgazi are among the best-known historic buildings of the area.
Old Photographs
Old photographs kept in family albums are windows onto the past of our villages. You can share yours with us to add them to the digital archive.
Documents & Archive
Land registers, civil records, school documents, letters and official correspondence are the sources that document the history of our villages.
Oral History Recordings
What our elders tell us holds much that is found in no written source. Our oral history work records these accounts.
Migration & Change
Migration from the second half of the 20th century deeply changed the population and life of our villages. Stories of those who left and those who stayed will appear here.
Bibliography
The sources behind the information on this page will be listed here.