ERZINGAN or ERZINJAN (Arsinga of the middle ages), the chief town of a vilayet of the same name in Asiatic Turkey. Pop. (1927) 51,789. It is a place of some military im portance, with large barracks and military factories. It is situated at an altitude of 3,90o ft., near the western end of a rich well watered plain through which runs the Kara Su or western Euphrates. It is surrounded by orchards and gardens, and is about a mile from the right bank of the river, which here runs in two wide channels crossed by bridges. One wide street traverses the town from east to west, but the others are narrow, unpaved and dirty, except near the Government buildings and the large modern mosque of Hajji Izzet Pasha to the north. The principal barracks, military hospital and clothing factory are at Karateluk on the plain and along the foot-hills to the north 3 m. off. The principal industries are the manufacture of silk and cotton and of copper dishes and utensils. The plain, almost surrounded by lofty moun tains, is highly productive with many villages on it and the border hills. Wheat, fruit, vines and cotton are largely grown, and cattle and sheep are bred. Water is everywhere abundant, and there are iron and hot sulphur springs. The battle in which the sultan of Rum (1243) was defeated by the Mongols took place on the plain, and the celebrated Armenian monastery of St. Gregory, "the Illuminator," lies on the hills II m. S.W. of the town.
Erzingan occupies the site of an early town in which was a temple of Anaitis. It was an important place in the 4th century when St. Gregory lived in it. The district passed from the Byzan tines to the Seljuks after the defeat of Romanus, Io71, and from the latter to the Mongols in 1243. After having been held by Mongols, Tatars and Turkomans, it was added to the Osmanli empire by Mohammed II. in 1473. In 1784 the town was almost destroyed by an earthquake.
Assyrian king, son of Sennacherib; be fore his accession to the throne he had also borne another name, Assur-etil-ilani-yukin-abla. At the time of his father's murder (the 2oth of Tebet, 681 B.C.) he was commanding the Assyrian army in a war against Ararat. Esar-Haddon returned to Nineveh, and on the 8th of Sivan was crowned king. A good general, Esar haddon was also an able and conciliatory administrator. His first act was to crush a rebellion among the Chaldaeans in the south of Babylonia and then to restore Babylon, the sacred city of the West, which had been destroyed by his father. The walls and temple of Bel were rebuilt, its gods brought back, and after his right to rule had been solemnly acknowledged by the Babylonian priesthood Esar-haddon made Babylon his second capital. A year or two later Media was invaded and Median chiefs came to Nineveh to offer homage to their conqueror. He now turned to Palestine, where the rebellion of Abdi-milkutti of Zidon was suppressed, its leader beheaded, and a new Zidon built out of the ruins of the older city (676-675 B.C.). All Palestine now sub mitted to Assyria, and 12 Syrian and io Cyprian princes (includ ing Manasseh of Judah) came to pay him homage and supply him with materials for his palace at Nineveh.
But a more formidable enemy had appeared on the Assyrian frontier (676 B.c.) . The Cimmerii (see SCYTHIA) under Teuspa poured into Asia Minor; they were, however, overthrown in Cilicia, and the Cilician mountaineers who had joined them were severely punished. It was next necessary to secure the southern frontier of the empire. Esar-haddon accordingly marched into the heart of Arabia, to a distance of about goo m., across a burning and waterless desert, and struck terror into the Arabian tribes. At last he was free to invade Egypt, and led the main body of the Assyrian troops into Egypt on the 5th of Adar, 673 B.C. The desert was crossed with the help of the Arabian sheikh. Egypt seems to have submitted to the invader and was divided into 20 satrapies. Another campaign, however, was needed before it could be finally subdued. In 67o B.C. Esar-haddon drove the Egyptian forces before him in 15 days (from the 3rd to the i8th of Tammuz) all the way from the frontier to Memphis, thrice defeating them with heavy loss and wounding Tirhaka himself. In 668 B.C. Egypt again revolted, and while on the march to reduce it Esar-haddon fell ill and died on the loth of Marchesvan.