MUS

city, eastern Turkey, lying at the mouth of a gorge on the slopes of Kurtik Mountain, at the south side of a wide plain in the Murat River valley. The surrounding hills are covered with vineyards and oak scrub. The castle (now in ruins) and the town were reputedly founded by the Armenian king Mushel I Mamikonian in the 6th century. Later called Tarun by the Arabs, the town came under Ottoman domination in 1515. The major part of Mus was destroyed by an earthquake in 1966. The city lies on the Elzig-Tatvan railway and is linked by road to Erzurum (85 miles north), Bitlis (east-southeast), and Bingl (northwest). The surrounding region is rugged, with small basins of scarce arable land. It has a large Kurdish population. Pop. (1985) 42,159.