town, eastern Turkey, at an elevation of 6,000 feet (1,800 metres) and situated about 10 miles (16 km) from Turkey's border with Iran. Lying near the ancient trade route from Trabzon (ancient Trebizond) to northwestern Iran, Doğubayazıt was once an important trading town, but its importance declined with the reduction of trade along this route and was destroyed during the Russo-Turkish wars of the 19th century and World War I, when the town was occupied by Russian troops. On a spur above the town are cuneiform inscriptions dating from the 1st millennium BC. Now a transit station on the main Europe-Iran highway, Doğubayazıt is the trading centre for animal products of the region. Pop. (2000) 56,261.