Townapedia
Tunceli
Tunceli · CanTuncelili at Dutch Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Ram Shaped Tombstones in Tunceli
Ram Shaped Tombstones in Tunceli · Ahmetrustem, CC BY-SA 4.0
Tunceli, 62000 Tunceli Merkez-Tunceli, Turkey - panoramio
Tunceli, 62000 Tunceli Merkez-Tunceli, Turkey - panoramio · Selehattin Sezeroglu, CC BY 3.0
Tunceli, 62000 Tunceli Merkez-Tunceli, Turkey - panoramio (1)
Tunceli, 62000 Tunceli Merkez-Tunceli, Turkey - panoramio (1) · Selehattin Sezeroglu, CC BY 3.0
Atatürk, 62000 Tunceli Merkez-Tunceli, Turkey - panoramio
Atatürk, 62000 Tunceli Merkez-Tunceli, Turkey - panoramio · Selehattin Sezeroglu, CC BY 3.0
Taht-Tunceli Merkez-Tunceli, Turkey - panoramio
Taht-Tunceli Merkez-Tunceli, Turkey - panoramio · Selehattin Sezeroglu, CC BY 3.0

Tunceli, Turkey

Tunceli is a regional capital of 35,161 people in Tunceli, Turkey, founded in December 25, 1935.

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Population35,161 GeoNames
RegionTunceli
Elevation958 m 3,143 ft
FoundedDecember 25, 1935
Time zoneEurope/Istanbul
Land area1,128.0 km²
Nearest airportElazığ Airport (EZS) 60 km

Why visit Tunceli

Townapedia lists 3 museums and landmarks, 5 parks and trails, 21 places to eat, 7 places to stay and 4 attractions in and around town.

Highlights include Kırmızı Dağ, Mazgirt Castle and Tunceli Müzesi.

About Tunceli

Tunceli (Armenian: Մամիկի, romanized: Mamiki; Kurdish: Kalan; Zazaki: Mamekiye) is a municipality (belde) in Tunceli District and capital of Tunceli Province, Turkey. The city has a Kurdish majority. The population is predominantly Kurdish Alevi, a distinct ethno-religious community whose identity has been shaped by the region's history of autonomy and resistance to central state authority. It had a population of 35,161 in 2021.

From the Wikipedia article Tunceli (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Travel tips from other travellers: Tunceli on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Things to do4

Kırmızı Dağ

Scenic view · 9.0 km

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Dalalı Tepesi

Scenic view · 10.0 km

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Kırklar Dağı

Scenic view · 9.7 km

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Oymacıtaşı Tepesi

Scenic view · 11.5 km

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Museums and landmarks3

Mazgirt Castle

Monument and historic site · 9.8 km

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Tunceli Müzesi

Museum · 0.7 km

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Mağara

Monument and historic site · 14.6 km

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Parks, trails and playgrounds5

Asme Parkı

Park · 0.7 km

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Celal Doğan Parkı

Park · 0.7 km

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Flamingo Su Parkı

Sports field and stadium

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Gola Çeto Parkı

Park · 1.0 km

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Seyid Rıza Parkı

Park · 0.7 km

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Restaurants and cafes21

Dikilitaş Restaurant

Restaurant · Regional · 1.3 km

17, Tunceli

Mo-Su 08:00-01:00

Open in Google Maps · +90 428 212 11 33

Sinan Play Köy Lokantası

Restaurant · Regional, Kebab · 7.1 km

Sinan Mezrası, Tunceli

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Lale

Restaurant · Regional · 0.9 km

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Celal Doğan Restaurant

Restaurant · 0.6 km

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Flamingo Cafe

Cafe

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Flamingo Restaurant

Restaurant

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Helvacı Ali

Cafe · 2.5 km

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Loqma

Restaurant · 0.9 km

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Ma bella

Restaurant · 0.8 km

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Macbear

Cafe · 2.5 km

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Mojen

Restaurant · 0.7 km

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Munzur Baba Restaurant

Restaurant · 0.6 km

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9 more on the map.

History

During the time of the Ottoman Empire, Tunceli (then known as Kalan) was a part of the region named Dersim. In 1847, Dersim was declared a sanjak (a historical administrative unit smaller than the province). The capital of the sanjak was Hozat. During the Republican period, Tunceli Province was established in 1935. In 1946, the former town of Kalan was renamed as Tunceli and it was declared as the capital city of the province.

Tunceli played a role in the Dersim rebellion by the Kurds. The Dersim massacre of 1937–38, carried out by Turkish military forces following the passage of the Tunceli Law (Law No. 2884) of 1935, resulted in the deaths of thousands of Kurdish Alevi inhabitants of the Dersim region and the forced displacement of tens of thousands more. The events have been characterised by scholars as a pivotal episode in the Kurdish experience in Turkey, and the region's Kurdish Alevi population has maintained a strong collective memory of the massacre as a formative element of local identity. In 2011, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan publicly apologised for the Dersim massacre, describing it as "one of the most tragic events of our recent history."

Tunceli is famous for excellent rankings in National Education statistics.

From the History section of Tunceli on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where to stay7

Churches and places of worship6

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Shopping10

Gas and EV charging4

Schools, colleges and libraries6

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Healthcare13

Map of Tunceli

79 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Getting there and nearby towns

Elazığ Airport (EZS) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 60 km away.

  • Mazgirt 10 km southeast, about 10 min by car
  • Burmageçit 15 km south, about 15 min by car
  • Nazimiye 26 km east, about 26 min by car
  • Hozat 29 km west, about 29 min by car
  • Pertek 32 km southwest, about 32 min by car
  • Ovacık 40 km northwest, about 40 min by car
  • Karakoçan 45 km east, about 45 min by car
  • Elazığ 55 km southwest, about 55 min by car
  • Erzincan 71 km north, about 1 h 15 min by car
  • Bingöl 86 km east, about 1 h 30 min by car

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

Reviews, tips and questions

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Sources and licences

Photo credits

Page built November 8, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.