Eastern Turkey - Mt Ararat (5137m) 17 - 24 Aug 2010   All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2010. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission.

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Contents

Map

Introduction

Itinerary

Istanbul

Muradiye Waterfalls

Doğubayazit

Mt Ararat - Climb to Camp 1 (3370m)

Mt Ararat - Climb to Camp 2 (4200m)

Mt Ararat - Climb to Summit (5137m)

Kurdish Hospitality

Ishak Pasha Palace

Akdamar Adasi

 

Map of Eastern Turkey. Starting from Van we travelled by vehicle to Doğubayazit and from there we started our Mt Ararat climb.

Introduction

Mt Ararat (5137m) is an extinct volcano in far eastern Turkey, near the borders with Iran and Armenia. It is the highest mountain in Turkey and of great religious and historic significance to many cultures.

In August 2010 I joined a group from Anatolian Adventures to climb Mt Ararat. Starting and ending in the dusty city of Van in eastern Turkey, this expedition took 5 days. The attractions of this trip were far more than simply the trekking itself and reaching the summit of Mt Ararat. Eastern Turkey is culturally fascinating, and this was my first visit to this part of the world. The region is predominantly inhabited by Kurdish people, who regard this area and adjacent regions of Iran and Iraq as their own cultural entity, "Kurdistan". These people identify with their own culture and region rather than with Turkey or Iran or Iraq, within whose borders the Kurdish people live.

From Van we drove to the frontier town of Doğubayazit, only 30km from the Iranian border. Here I experienced authentic Kurdish culture and food, as you will see from the photos! From Doğubayazit we travelled to the lower slopes of Mt Ararat where we commenced our climb.

After the climb of Mt Ararat we returned to Doğubayazit and visited the Ishak Pasha Palace. See the Widipedia page on the Ishak Pasha Palace for more information. Then we drove back to Van and I had a day free to visit the island of Akdamar Adasi in Lake Van, the site of a very old Christan church. See the Wikipedia page on Akdamar Adasi for more information about this fascinating island.

It was a fascinating corner of the world to visit on my 2010 trip to Europe. I hope you enjoy the photos.

Itinerary

Here is the itinerary of the trip.

Istanbul

On 17 Aug 2010 I flew from Vienna to Istanbul and had an afternoon to explore this amazing city. Istanbul is truly an amazing city. Unfortunately one afternoon is nowhere near enough time to enjoy all that Istanbul has to offer. I stayed in Sultanahmet on the historic peninsula, and the photos below are of the historic sites in Sultanahmet.

Muradiye Waterfalls

On the way from Van to Doğubayazit we stopped by these waterfalls, called Muradiye falls. The surrounding country and the air was so dry - semi desert - that it was amazing to see so much flowing water in this harsh environment! I would guess that this river is one of the main sources of water for Lake Van.

Doğubayazit

Doğubayazit is a frontier town within sight of Mt Ararat. It is close to the Iranian border and its population is primarily Kurdish. For more information about Doğubayazit see the Wikipedia page on Doğubayazit.

I arrived in Doğubayazit on 18 August 2010 and with my companians Selim and Sinan from Anatolian Adventures, we went out to lunch and dinner in this fascinating town. My visit was during Ramadan and many of the local people were fasting, but nevertheless we still found places to eat the most amazing Turkish food!

	The dusty highway into Doğubayazit as seen from the roof of our hotel.
	The main shopping street of Doğubayazit in the daytime. Being Ramadan, few restaurants are open.
	After sunset the fasting of Ramadan ends and the street is full of people (all men incidentally), enjoying tea and dinner on a wam summer's evening.
	For lunch earlier in the day we found a restaurant that was open and Selim, being from Istanbul, ordered his favourite drink, this frothy yoghurt.
	That looks interesting, I want one!
	It is a liquid yoghurt, slightly salted, and aerated to produce this froth. It's probably the closest thing you'll get to a beer in eastern Turkey during Ramadan.
	Then for dessert we had this sweet cake (which tasted a bit like coconut) along with the obligatory tea served in these tulip shaped glasses.
	View of Mt Ararat from the roof of my hotel at sunset.

Mt Ararat - Climb to Camp 1 (3370m)

On 19 August we left Doğubayazit and drove a short distance to the slopes of Mt Ararat. Then we set off for Camp 1 (3370m). It was very warm and dry, extremely dehydrating conditions. I certainly found the need to carry plenty of water until acclimatized to this dry environment. One of the most enjoyable parts of this walk was meeting young Kurdish children on the way.

	This photo was taken on the drive to the start of the walk, soon after leaving Doğubayazit. As you can see the country side is dry and semi-arid, with lots of dead thistle.
	Once we had set off on our walk to Camp 1, these Kurdish children found us (or more likely, found the chocolate bars that we were carrying).
	After we arrived at Camp 1, Sinan and I did a short acclimatization hike up as high as the first snowdrift on the route to Camp 2. That there was any snow at all in this dry semi-desert was amazing in itself.
	Sunset from Camp 1.

Mt Ararat - Climb to Camp 2 (4200m)

On 20 August I wasn't feelin very well, something wrong with the food. But the food was so nice! We climbed to Camp 2, reaching it by about 11:30am and feeling quite lethargic due to the effects of altitude. Later, horses arrived at the camp with our luggage. Most of the afternoon was spent resting, and this was followed by a short acclimatization walk. Then it was dinner and early to bed - our summit bid would start at 2am the following morning.

	Here are some tents at Camp 2.
	Most of the day was spent eating and resting and acclimatizing at Camp 2. From left to right: Selim, one of the 2 other clients and Mustafa, our guide.
	Another group climbing to Camp 2. This photo is taken from Camp 2 looking down. In the background you can see lava flows from ancient volcanic eruptions.
	The tents of Camp 2 in the evening light.
	The tents of Camp 2.
	The peak of "Little Ararat"

Mt Ararat - Climb to Summit (5137m)

On 21 August alarms went off at 1:30am and breakfast was at 2am. At about 2:30am we set off, in complete darkness, our torches lighting the way up the rocky slopes. By the time the sun came up we had reached the permanent snow cap at an altitude of about 4800m. Then it was a matter of cramponing up the gentle snow slopes to the summit. It was very cold and windy on top!

We returned to Camp 2 for a long rest and hearty lunch, then later in the afternoon we descended all the way back to Camp 1.

	Sinan on summit day, just before we set off on the snow slope to the summit.
	Climbing up the permanent snowcap, the summit is in the background.
	Selim and Mustafa climbing.
	Myself with the summit in the background.
	On the summit (5137m).
	Back at Camp 1. The moon is nearly full. In this vast landscape of lava flows and volcanic peaks and rising moon you have the impression of being on but one of several planets in the solar system .... Am I on Mars? No, there are horses!

Kurdish Hospitality

	On our way back down from Camp 1 to Doğubayazit, Sinan and I took a wrong turn and ended up on the wrong side of Mt Ararat! But this mistake was a blessing. As we wandered a little lost along the wrong road down the mountain we passed a few buildings. There this lovely family invited us into their home for tea while we waited for our vehicle to come around the mountain and pick us up.
	Even though we only stayed here for about an hour, it was sad to say goodbye!

Ishak Pasha Palace

We returned to Doğubayazit on 22 August and visited the historic Ishak Pasha Palace. There is a Widipedia page on the Ishak Pasha Palace that has more information on this historic site.

Akdamar Adasi

The city of Van, where this trip started and ended, is located on the shores of Lake Van, a vast lake or inland sea at 1600m above sea level in eastern Turkey. It is an amazing lake, the colour of the water is a mesmerizing opal blue. It is apparently slightly salty and alkaline. It really looks like the Mediterranean Sea, but amazingly it is in the middle of the semi desert of eastern Turkey and 1600m in altitude.

On an island in this lake, about 30km south of Van, is an old Christan church called Akdamar Adasi. On 23 August I had a spare day in Van so I went to this island and visited this famous old church. There is a Wikipedia page on Akdamar Adasi that has more information on this important religious site.

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All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2010. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission. Page created 11 Oct 2010, last updated 11 Oct 2010.

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