25 · City guide
Erzurum
City of Seljuk stonework, Palandöken snow and cağ kebab
Erzurum is a city at an elevation of about 1,900 meters, where the Erzurum Plain meets Mount Palandöken. Known as Theodosiopolis in the Byzantine period, the city became one of the important centers of the east under the Saltukids and Seljuks; the Çifte Minareli Madrasa (Double Minaret Madrasa), the Ulu Mosque (Grand Mosque), the Üç Kümbetler (Three Tombs) and the Yakutiye Madrasa carry this heritage within walking distance of one another. The Tepsi Minaret and the clock tower inside the castle form the city's oldest silhouette. The Aziziye Redoubt, which defended the city in the 1877–78 Ottoman-Russian War, and the grave of Nene Hatun are inside Nene Hatun Historical National Park; the building of the Erzurum Congress, convened in 1919, can now be visited as a museum. Palandöken, just south of the city, is one of Turkey's main ski resorts. Within the province, Tortum Waterfall and Tortum Lake in Uzundere, Narman's red fairy chimneys, medieval Georgian buildings such as Haho and Öşk Vank, the Kop Dağı martyrs' memorial in Aşkale, and the Oltu stone craftsmen of Oltu make up a route of several days.
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Practical information
Machine translated — This content was machine-translated and may differ from the original Turkish text.- Note
- High passes (Kop, Güzeldere, etc.) may close in winter due to snow and blizzards; check the Highways (Karayolları) road status information before setting out. Check muze.gov.tr for museum hours
- Climate
- Harsh continental climate; winters are long, snowy and very cold, summers cool and short — keep warm clothes handy for summer evenings too
- Best time
- December–March for skiing; June–September for city and nature trips
- Getting there
- Erzurum Airport is close to the city center; the Doğu Express on the Ankara–Kars line stops in Erzurum; there are road connections toward Trabzon, Kars and Ağrı
- Getting around
- The Çifte Minareli, Ulu Mosque, Üç Kümbetler, castle and Yakutiye Madrasa can be explored on foot in the historic center; a car is needed for Palandöken and the redoubts