Batman, a province in southeastern Turkey, is named after the river that flows through it. The Batman River splits into two, with one branch flowing towards Diyarbakir to the west and the other towards Tigris (Dicle) to the east, before reuniting with Tigris later on. Due to the natural resources in this region, it has become a significant oil production center in Turkey, with its Batman refinery being the first established in the country.
The oldest known records in the area indicate the existence of martial settlements as early as 2000 BC, and the province has been home to various empires throughout history. Arabs invaded the region around 700 AD, and it was attacked by Seljuks in the 11th century after being governed by Mongols for some time. The region was under Akkoyunlu and Safavid rule at various times in the 1500s, before finally becoming part of the Ottoman Empire in 1514.
Batman's modernization in the early 1950s was driven by its oil reserves. The construction of a refinery and pipeline between Iskenderun and Batman was a key part of this modernization effort.