Altınözü (, el-Kusayr) is a municipality and district of Hatay Province, Turkey. Its area is 392 km2, and its population is 60,344 (2022). It is in the south-east of Hatay Province, on the border between Turkey and Syria. The mayor is Rıfat Sarı (AKP).

History

The region which was known as al-Quṣayr, was part of the Principality of Antioch during the Crusader era. In 1180, patriarch Aimery of Limoges fled to the region, after he had excommunicated Bohemond III in Antioch. The latter besieged the region, but nobleman Rainald II Masoir supported the patriarch, until King Baldwin IV sent a delegation to settle the dispute. Altınözü was heavily damaged by powerful earthquakes in February 2023 and subsequent aftershocks.

Geography

Altınözü stands on the fertile Kuseyr plateau, and several crops such as olives (the largest olive growing area is in this part of Turkey), tobacco, grains and other crops are grown here. The district gets its water from the Yarseli reservoir.

Composition

There are 48 neighbourhoods in Altınözü District:

Demographics

The district has a population of 60,344 (2022). There is also a refugee camp called the Altinozu Camp that houses 1,350 Syrian Sunnis who have fled the Syrian civil war. The population of the district is mostly Muslim with an Antiochian Greek Orthodox (also known as Rûm Orthodox) Christian community encompassing two churches in the capital of the district and the entirely Christian village of Tokaçlı.

Sources