plateaus Eastern

About the Eastern Türkiye

Cizre, Şırnak

Cizre is the central district of Şırnak province nowadays but it was just a village in Ottoman times.

The whole province is covered by high mountains, deep river valleys and plateaus. All the rivers are interconnected in the Tigris basin and are tributaries of the Dicle (Tigris) River. The main rivers are: Kızılsu, Hezil and Habur. With the exception of Beytüşşebap and Uludere, the majority of the terrain is steppe. The forests are mainly of oak.

Since the main source of income in the province is animal husbandry, the culture of nomadism was quite common here. The nomads spend their summers in highland meadows and at the top of mountains together with their sheep. In winters they descend to the warmer lowland plateaus. While the men shepherd their flocks, women weave rugs and carpets from the wool obtained from sheep. In recent years the nomads have abandoned this traditional lifestyle due to political and economic factors and they have adopted a more settled life. Since the nomadic culture depends on tribe organization, the kinship based on patriarchy and blood ties are still the main social signifier in the region. The tribes in Şırnak have an introverted and closed structure of economy and society.

Erzurum

Erzurum, the largest city in eastern Anatolia, is sprawled over a high plateau at an altitude of 1950m. A road running through splendid mountain scenery leads to the winter sports resort of Palandöken, just six km from Erzurum. It has a number of hotels as well as the longest ski run and the best snow quality in Turk ey, thus making it a favourite haunt for expert skiers. It is one of the closest ski resorts to an airport; just a five-minute drive after your plane lands and you can be out on the snow of Palandöken's slopes. The quality of snow is considered to be on a par with that of the Swiss Alps. Palandöken offers many opportunities to lovers of winter sports and is coated in fine snow that first falls in November and settles till June. Fog, a great danger for skiers, does not descend there. The weather is clear, the slopes are the longest in Türkiye and skiing fanatics can marvel at the stunning landscape. It is also an ideal place to forget about stress and pressures of daily life.