‘Turkey’s roof’ similar to natural aquarium

IĞDIR – Anadolu Agency

One of Turkey’s largest national parks, Mount Ağrı (Ararat) National Park mesmerizes people with its underwater beauty. 

The Karasu and Bulakbaşı wetlands on the skirts of Mount Ağrı, which are known as ‘Turkey’s roof’ due to their height, are home to beautiful flora and fauna underwater.

The area, where the snow that accumulates at the summit of Mount Ağrı resembles a natural aquarium with dozens of underwater plants, fish, rodents, reptiles, and mollusks. 

It draws the attention of amateur divers and underwater aficionados and welcomes visitors from various places as its fame is growing every other day. 

Iğdır Nature Protection and National Parks Director Mete Türkoğlu said Mount Ağrı National Park was one of the significant values in the eastern Anatolian region. He said the Bulakbaşı and Karasu wetlands were a very important living space for the species there. 

“In these wetlands, alluvial soils from the Mount Ağrı and the Aras River and zooplankton [creatures that live in the seas but can be seen under a microscope] provide living space for fish and other creatures,” he said. 

Türkoğlu said the area of the wetlands was home to many natural beauties. 

“The area is like a natural aquarium. Particularly, fish species such as lobster, goat fish and carp live there. There is also a water monkey, which is seen in Edirne and Iğdır. As a result of the productivity here, we have lots of bird species living in the wetlands created by the water from the Mount Ağrı and Aras River. Around the area, we see the beauties offered by the mount,” he said. 

Türkoğlu noted the National Park was one of the best places for underwater aficionados. “The water here is six meters deep at most. There is no ebb and flow; it is still water. We especially invite amateur divers and documentary makers to this place. We recommend underwater aficionados to make use of the underwater beauties of Mount Ağrı,” he said. 

A diver in the region, Coşkun Oluz, said the national park was preferred by many amateur divers and they organized amateur diving tours and underwater photographing activities in the region. 

Oluz said amateur divers had come to this field in the past. “Because it is fed from spring water, it is clean and the sight is very satisfactory. Plants and animal species underwater are also satisfactory. The most important feature of this place is that it is located on an important mount like Mount Ağrı. People like nature here when they pass through. What we do is discover the beauty underwater. We invite everyone to see this beauty,” he said.