Back  on  the  main  road,  you   soon reach the former region capital of Aparan, till 1935 Bash Aparan, site of an important battle against the Turkish army in 1918. Just N of town, on a hill left of the road, is an impressive monument to the battle. In June  2000,   the   remains   of  General Dro, the great war leader, were transferred here from  Massachusetts.

   From Aparan, a road angles back SE to Mulki (formerly Melkum-Kendi).

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Behind the monument toward the Kasakh gorge is a large Bronze Age settlement site, with tomb fields and caves. Aparan’s population, mixed Armenians and Kurds, is the butt of various jokes.  As Kasakh, Aparan was listed by the geographer Ptolemy in the 2nd century. About 100 m E of the highway toward the N end of town is the impressive and architecturally important 5th c. Kasakh Basilica, restored and operating again as a church.