12 · City guide
Bingöl
Province of floating islands and mountain honey
Bingöl is a province in the Upper Euphrates basin, surrounded by mountains rising between the Murat and Peri rivers. The provincial center, formerly called Çapakçur, took its current name in 1944; the interpretation that the name means "a thousand lakes" comes from the many small lakes on its highland pastures. The province's best-known natural asset is the peat islets in Solhan that drift with the wind on the surface of a lake; the area was declared a natural monument in 2003. The Murat River valley, waterfalls, the high plateaus of Karlıova and the old mosques of Kiğı are the province's other stops. Bingöl honey from the flowers of the highland pastures, çobantaşı kavurması (sautéed meat) and burma kadayıf (rolled shredded-pastry dessert) are the region's registered specialties.
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Places
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Where shall we explore?
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.Monument and statue
Monument to the 33 Martyrs
Merkez, Bingöl
A monument on Anıttepe in memory of the 33 unarmed soldiers who lost their lives in the attack on the Elazığ–Bingöl highway on 24 May 1993.
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Mosque
Bağlarpınarı Village Mosque (Mirliva Muhammed Bey Mosque)
Adaklı, Bingöl
An Ottoman-period village mosque in Bağlarpınarı village, Adaklı, standing together with a historic cemetery, a fountain and a pool, built in 1809 according to the date on its door.
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.Mosque
Balaban Bey (Piltan Bey) Mosque
Kiğı, Bingöl
The oldest surviving mosque in Bingöl, built in Kiğı in the Akkoyunlu period in 1402 according to its entrance inscription, known as the Cami-i Kebir, Pilten (Piltan) Bey and Balaban Bey Mosque.
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.Nature
Buban Fairy Chimneys
Merkez, Bingöl
Pointed fairy chimneys resembling Cappadocia, formed by floodwater and wind eroding volcanic tuff, in the village of Oğuldere (Buban) in Sancak township.
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.Waterfall
Çır Waterfall
Merkez, Bingöl
A waterfall in Uzundere, Ilıcalar township, dropping from a height of about 50 meters through the middle of a roughly 100-meter cliff called the Büyük Çır Taşı.
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.Lake
Lake Gerendal
Merkez, Bingöl
A small crater lake on the Şabanköy yayla at 2,371 m, about 18 km from Bingöl, drawing photographers with its heart shape.
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.Ski resort
Hesarek Ski Center
Merkez, Bingöl
A ski center opened in 2016 at the foot of Mount Hesarek, about 34 km from central Bingöl, with slopes, a chairlift and a T-bar, also offering paragliding.
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Castle
Kiğı (Görgeç) Castle
Kiğı, Bingöl
The remains of a medieval castle on rocky Görgeç Hill, northeast of Kiğı, around which the historic settlement of Kiğı was founded.
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Castle
Kral Kızı (Genç) Castle
Genç, Bingöl
The remains of a castle on the hill just east of the Genç district center, believed to have given the district its name, about which various legends are told.
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.Natural monument
Floating Islands Natural Monument (Yüzen Adalar)
Solhan, Bingöl
A natural formation near Hazarşah village, declared a natural monument in 2003, where islets woven from plant roots drift like rafts on the surface of a small, deep lake.
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Archaeological site
Zağ Rock Shelter Rooms
Merkez, Bingöl
A historic rock settlement made up of rooms carved in tiers into a steep rock mass overlooking the Murat River, connected by steps and shafts.
Practical information
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.- Note
- Check transport and security conditions with local authorities before heading to rural and mountainous areas
- Climate
- Harsh continental climate; winters are long, cold and snowy
- Best time
- June–September; summer months for the highland pastures and the Floating Islands
- Getting there
- Bingöl Airport is close to the provincial center; there are road connections from Elazığ, Muş, Erzurum and Diyarbakır
- Getting around
- Municipal buses in the provincial center; a private car or minibus is needed for the districts and nature areas