Eastern Turkey

Eastern Turkey, where the Pontus and Taurus Mountains converge, is rugged country with higher elevations, a more severe climate, and greater precipitation than on the Anatolian plateau. The average elevation of the peaks is greater than 2,000 meters. Mount Ararat is located in this area. Many of the peaks are extinct volcanoes that have been active in the recent past, as evidenced by widespread lava flows. Eastern Anatolian is the largest region of Turkey occupying 21% of the total area of the country with its 163.000 square kilometers of land.

From the highlands in the north, sometimes called Turkey's Siberia, to the mountain ranges in the south that descend toward the Mesopotamian plain in Iraq, vast stretches of this eastern region consist only of wild or barren wasteland. Fertile basins, such as the Mus Valley west of Lake Van and various river corridors, lie at the foot of the lofty ranges. The winters are very harsh with lots of snow, blocking roads to small villages for several months. Because of the harsh climate and high mountains, the population and habitat not dense.If you can't get to Easter Island then have a look at Nemrut Dagi. Its carved heads were the work of a relatively unimportant local dynasty about whom all else has since been forgotten. It's tough to get to but easier since the 50km road from Kahta (West of Diyarbakir, South of Elazig) has been given a decent surface. For the full experience you're supposed to climb the mountain side in time for sunrise. Good luck.

Dogubeyazit (way, way East, next to Ararat) is nothing special except for its proximity to both the mountain and the bizarre pleasure palace built at the turn of the 18th Century by feudal chieftain Ali Pasha. I've got a nice photo of it so on the page it goes. If you're interested in looking for Noah's boat I'm sorry to tell you that Ararat is out of bounds as a result of it's proximity to the Armenian border, sorry, did I say Armenia?

If this stuff sounds interesting there's a lot more that we'll tell you about later. Erzerum, Elazig, Sanli Urfa, Kars - basically the map at the top of the page represents a lot of country. It is possible (as I write) to tour this area in safety. It is, however, a volatile situation and you can always check with your Embassy on the advisability of travelling and whether or not you should eat the salad