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Bright Sun
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Dramatic Dogubayazit,
set on a stark treeless plain between
ranges of craggy mountains, is the
last Turkish town on the highway
to Iran.
The border, 35km (22 miles)
to the east, helps to define the role
that Dogubayazit (doh-OO-bah-yah-zuht,
alt. 1950 meters/6400 feet, pop. 36,000)
plays in life, as does the striking
18th-century Ishak Pasha Palace 5
km (3 miles) to the east.
You may be here to gaze upon legendary Mount
Ararat, or the giant
meteor crater 4 km (2.5 miles)
west of the border, or Eski
Beyazit, the foundations of
a settlement thought to date from
Urartian times (800 BC). Unless,
of course, you're a soldier guarding
the border region.... (For what
that's like, read "Some People
Never Learn" from my humorous
travel memoir, Bright
Sun Strong Tea.)
Bus and car are
the only ways to reach this town. The
nearest airports and train
stations are at Erzurum and Van.
If you drive out here, don't
do as I did and get stuck! Follow
the locals' advice. (Read Some
People Never Learn from Bright
Sun, Strong Tea.)
According to TTP traveler Ed
Brook,
however, the road south from Dogubayazit
to Çaldiran is
now in good condition, with regular
minibus trips making the run. Onward
from there, the road is fine to Van.
Distances & Travel Times
Agri: 87 km (54 miles) W, 1.5
hours
Ankara: 1210
km (752 miles) W, 17 hours
Erzurum: 285
km (177 miles) W, 4 hours
Igdir: 53 km (33 miles) N,
1 hour
Istanbul: 1560
km (969 miles) W, 28 to 34 hours
Kars: 223
km (139 miles) N (via Sarikamis), 4
hours
Van: 307
km (191 miles) S (via Agri & Patnos),
4.5 hours
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Above, the
dramatic Ishak Pasha Palace sits
on a promontory overlooking Dogubayazit.
Below, a
dramatic view of the valley from
the Ishak Pasha Palace. |
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