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Doğubeyazıt, Turkey and Mt. Arat

by Rachel_Paiste, 09/20/2009 12:09

Category: Trip Ideas

Doğubeyazıt is a town that subsists on two things:  farming and tourism.  The town is fairly run down, though they are working to build new roads to replace the crumbling old ones.  Don’t expect glitz and glam in any hotel, they all offer only basic accommodations.  The rooms are clean, though, and staff are friendly.  Most speak some English.  In fact, everyone in the town is friendly, and most will ask you where you are from with genuine interest, even if they cannot hold the conversation much further.
    The scene on the main drag is lively at night.  Don’t expect drunks, alcohol is hard to come by in this Kurdish town.  Rather, rows of men sipping çay and playing backgammon (tavla) can be heard in the streets late into the night.
     Just 35 km from the Iranian border, the town is used as a base for Mt. Arat exploration.  Snow-capped year round, this 16,850 ft. behemoth sticks out like sore thumb in an otherwise arid area.  According to local legend and the so-far fruitless expeditions of many religious groups, Mt. Arat is the putative landing place of Noah’s Ark.  There are many groups, both religious and secular, that lead tours of the mountain.  Tripology travel agents can help you decide which tour is right for you on your upcoming Eastern Turkey vacation, and procure the necessary permits for the hike.  The last 1,000 feet is glacial year round, and the best time to hike Mt. Arat is in late summer.  Though the beginning part of the hike is quite easy, the glacial hike is rigorous, requiring ice axes and crampons.
     It’s also worth visiting the Ishak Pasha Palace, in the hills of Doğubeyazıt, on your visit.  The Palace was completed in 1784, and the honey-colored stone looks best in the late afternoon.

 

Filed under:  Eastern Turkey, Trip Ideas, Religious Tourism
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