According to DC Comics and their publicists, September 21 is Batman Day!

Why? I have no clue why. Different websites have different Batman Days. Sometimes it’s May 1, sometimes it’s in July, sometimes it’s this month but on a different day.  This is the one on DC’s site and promoted on various news organizations, though, and thus I must bow down to the owners of the IP.

The Bat-Signal will be lit in various cities around the world.  This made me wonder… will a Bat-Signal be lit in Batman, Turkey? (Given the time zone differences… we should probably know the answer by the time this posts.)

This formerly small town had a population of 3,000 in the 1940’s when it gained its name. It is located close to the border of Iraq. As a result, many Kurdish refugees live here. The discovery of oil caused the population to boom and is now a decent sized city with a population of around 400,000 (roughly four times the size of a Green Bay, Wisconsin).  In addition to fossil fuels, Batman produces beverages, processed food, chemicals, furniture, footwear, machinery and transport equipment. 

In short, Batman is a land of contrasts.

A university was established there in 2007, called … wait for it … Batman University. Their website features an animated gif of a Turkish flag waving in the wind. You’d think that such a reputable educational institution would try to distance itself from its pop culture counterpart, but nope… they are ALL IN.

Things to do in Batman are watching the local soccer team play (Batman Petrolspor, which plays in the 5,000-spectator capacity Batman Arena), taking in the sights of ancient ruins (Yelp review: not the best in Turkey), and getting your photo taken among the city signage.

Fun fact: the character of Batman predates the naming of the city.  It had previously been named “Iluh”.  Why did Iluh get the works? 

That’s nobody’s business but the Turks’.