Mountaineers visit 20,000-year-old melting glaciers in Turkey’s southeast

HAKKARİ

A total of 30 mountaineers climbed up the Cilo and Sat Mountains in the southeastern province of Hakkari to witness the natural beauty of glaciers that are as old as 20,000 years but are unfortunately melting because of the effect of global warming.

“Even though these glaciers, which are 20,000 years old, are melting, we still have the biggest glaciers in the country and possess a beauty like the Alps,” Naci Ertunç, the provincial head of the Turkish Mountaineering Federation, told Demirören News Agency.

The mountaineers came together from Istanbul, the capital Ankara, the western province of İzmir and the southern province of Antalya to visit the melting glaciers in Hakkari on June 24.

Touring glaciers that are as long as 4 kilometers, the mountaineers drew attention to the effects of global warming.

“It is alarming to see that this natural beauty is melting,” one of the mountaineers said.

Locals also want the region to become a tourism hub.

“We want everybody to see these glaciers. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, we could not organize events last year,” Ertunç said.

“Now, we are organizing events to host many people from different points of the country. We aim to host nature lovers here on the mountains,” he added.

Ömer Faruk Gülşen, a mountaineer who participated in the trip, said that he was amazed by the beauty of the glaciers.

“Everybody should come and see this protected site on Mount Cilo,” he noted, stressing that it was the duty of everyone to protect glaciers.