Traveling through Wild Kurdistan (October 13th, 2002)

Unfortunately, in spite of all the efforts of the Iraqi Embassy in Tehran, plus the letter of reference from the German Embassy, we were not able to continue to Baghdad before our Iran visa expired. Allowing the political situation, we will try once more on the way from Jordan.

So we cross the border to Turkey at Bazargan. Clearance on the Iranian side follows through as pleasantly as when we entered the country. Passports and carnet are immediately stamped and nobody searches our land cruiser so that all formalities are completed in just under an hour and we get away with not paying a compensation fee for the diesel as well.

On the Turkish side the scene is essentially unfriendly and more chaotic. It is hard to imagine that this could be the extended European border some time in the future. We work our way through the chaos and the control slip and finally we are allowed to enter the country. Right behind the border we go through one checkpoint after the other, one almost as unfriendly as the next - and we kind of wish we were back in Iran. All around us tanks, guns and soldiers: ready for action behind sandbags. A Turkish friend of ours had already warned us: there is war in the Kurdish territory and now we believe him. Fortunately, after obtaining permission by walkie-talkie a military patrol lets us drive up to the spot where a meteorite hit in 1920 forming the world' s apparently second largest crater on impact.

 


Meteorite crater

We set up our first camp right in the mountains at the Ishak Pasa palace. At this altitude of over 2,000 meters it is very cold and autumnal so that during dinner we hole up under our awning and try unsuccessfully to put our just about brand-new Webasto heater into operation. Here we go with brand-name products: they all seem to be built for Central European roads only! Well, the heater did actually work properly twice.


Ishak Pasa
Ishak Pasa

We pass Ararat Mountain (5,137 meters) where Noah's Ark was supposed to have run aground and take the beautiful mountain road up to an altitude of 2,600 meters across a volcanic landscape with numerous hardened lava beds until we reach Lake Van (Van Gölü). Shortly before the pass we meet two cyclists from Berlin. They tell us that they encountered a Kurdish guy this morning who showed them his pistol and asked them to hand over their valuables. Fortunately, the Berliners had stronger nerves - we are warned!


Mount Ararat (5,137 meters)

Lava rock mass

The huge Lake Van (Van Gölü), with a size of 3,600 square kilometers, was created in the 15th century by the eruption of Mount Nemrut when the cooled and hardened lava formed a dam stopping the drainage of the river basin. We enjoy a few hours driving along the waterfront of this dark-blue lake.


Lake Van (Van Gölü)
Lake Van (Van Gölü)

Today we set up camp in the extinct crater of the volcano. We estimate the crater's diameter at about 5 kilometers with two mountain lakes, a deciduous forest and surrounding steep rock faces. The leaves have their autumn colors and observing the blue sky we get a real „Indian summer„ feeling. Spontaneously we stay at this beautiful spot for two nights.


Crater landscape

Camping in the crater

Crater beauty at twilight

 

Autumn in the volcano
Before we head for Syria we visit the culturally and historically significant Nemrut Dagi National Park. We watch the sun rise in this wonderful, rugged mountain landscape with a view of the gigantic stone colossi (250 BC) of a temple at the peak of Nemrut (2,150 meters).


Nemrut colossi

Nemrut stone deity

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