Çayırhan is a town in Ankara Province, Turkey

Çayırhan
Town
Çayırhan Location in Turkey
Coordinates: 40°06′N 31°41′E
Country	Turkey
Province	Ankara Province
District	Nallıhan
Elevation	500 m (1,640 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	9,039
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)
Postal code	06922
Area code(s)	0312
Licence plate	06

Geography

Çayırhan is in Nallıhan district of Ankara Province. It is situated to the north of Sarıyar Dam reservoir and on Turkish state highway D.140 at 40°06′N 31°41′E. The distance to Nallıhan is 35 kilometres (22 mi) and to Ankara is 126 kilometres (78 mi). The population of the town is 9039 as of 2011.[1]

History

The earliest document about the origin of the town is dated in early 1600s. While Nasuh Pasha (later grandvizier) of the Ottoman Empire was travelling from Aleppo (now in Syria) to İstanbul he commissioned three hans (inn, a type of caravanserai) . The settlements around these hans were named after the hans; namely Nallıhan, Çayırhan and Uluhan. The town flourished after 1954, when lignite fields were found around the town. On the other hand, during the construction of Sarıyer Dam the settlement was moved 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to east.[2] In 1976 it was declared a seat of township.

Economy

Cattle production and agriculture were the traditional economic activities of the town.[2] But nowadays lignite mining and the 3.6 billion kw-hr Çayırhan power station are the main revenue sources.

References